How To Easily Make The Iconic Funnel Cake Shape At Home

Funnel cakes are a food that is practically synonymous with state and county fairs and other summertime festivals, and it's true that it's the kind of messy food that may be best eaten outdoors. Still, funnel cake fans may develop a craving in the middle of winter when state fair season is many months away. If you don't mind a little mess, you may be pleased to know that DIY funnel cakes really aren't that difficult to do. As developer Kristen Carli says of her easy funnel cake recipe, "I love how easy this recipe comes together."

The batter itself is made from pancake mix, so it couldn't be much simpler. The trick to making it into a funnel cake, however, lies in how you introduce the batter to the hot oil. If you've ever purchased one of Aldi's funnel cake kits, you could always re-use the plastic pitcher, or you could always use the funnel that gave this dish its name. If you have neither gadget on hand, though, you can do as Carli does and use a plastic baggie with about ¼ inch of the corner snipped off. (This same handy hack works for frosting cakes and cookies if you don't want to invest in a piping bag.) Heat your oil, put the batter in the baggie, then squirt it through the snipped corner in concentric circles over the hot oil. Give the bottom a few minutes to cook, then flip the funnel cake and fry the top, too.

As you can see from the picture, no matter how steady your hand and symmetrical your circles are, the funnel cake batter is going to spread out into something that more closely resembles a rectangle — or rather, a wreck-tangle. (We stole that joke from "Sesame Street.") As Carli says, this is "exactly what you want" and calls this chaotic squiggle "the classic funnel cake shape."

Funnel cakes are also not intended to be served bare-naked. While Carli likes to go minimalist with powdered sugar to make what she calls a "classic funnel cake," any festival fan knows that this fair food favorite often comes with far more elaborate embellishments. Carli mentions fruit toppings and chocolate syrup, while honey, cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream could also make for a pretty amazing funnel cake. Seeing as how these funnel cakes are made from pancake batter, you could also use your favorite syrup or else go sweet and savory with maple-flavored breakfast sausage links. Since the funnel cake batter isn't all that sweet on its own, full-on savory funnel cakes are also a possibility. Cheese would be a good topping as would pulled pork barbecue, while chicken tenders would make for a fun twist on trendy chicken and waffles.