By Jennifer Updated: . First published: . This post may contain affiliate links. 2 Comments
I don’t know about you but I have three very specific foods that remind me of being a carefree little kid during summer break. While not the healthiest foods out there (and certainly not ones I would regularly eat today) they were kind of the iconic foods of summer for a kid. Can you guess what those are?
Sno Cones
Watermelon
And… drumroll please…
Carnival Funnel Cake!
My gosh how I would go absolutely bananas for funnel cake. I lived in a rather small town and when that County Fair rolled in I could smell the funnel cake from a mile away. It would drive my wild during that two week period of time because I wanted ALL THE FUNNEL CAKE I could get my hands on.
There was something so fun and tasty about those powdered sugared covered funnel cakes. You would take that first warm bite, powder sugar would fly everywhere, and you would look up with the biggest smile on your face, hoping everyone around you could FEEL that satisfaction you had simply from one bite of that fried doughy goodness.
With the exception of my funnel cake pancakes, I hadn’t given much thought to funnel cake in recent years. Being gluten free it simply wasn’t an option. I don’t really frequent places that sell funnel cake regularly, so the smell wasn’t there to lure me in. Plus the sugar…I just don’t enjoy sugar like I did years and years ago.
And then one day… I really NEEDED funnel cake!
Like really, really, really needed funnel cake. It was just one of those things and so I decided I might as well just roll with it and create what I hoped would be the best carnival style gluten free funnel cake recipe on the internet.
It took a few tries but I finally figured out how to get that doughy soft inside texture that makes funnel cake, well, funnel cake. Regular gluten free flours weren’t cutting it. Too dry. Nut flours and coconut flour were a no-go too. Too mealy. But cassava flour???? PERFECTION!
The best carnival style gluten free funnel cake was born!
So let’s go get you the recipe that rocked my world! It’s an easy funnel cake recipe and it is even a bit lower in sugar than most other recipes out there. Win win!
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
The classic funnel cake – warm, slightly chewy with that crispy fried outside. Dusted in powdered sugar that would fly off in every direction as you took that first warm bite. Fair food at it’s finest. What if I told you that you could create that same funnel cake in your own kitchen using healthier (but just as tasty) ingredients? You can! This funnel cake recipe is gluten free and lower sugar too.
Mix all of the ingredients (NOT the oil) together in a bowl
In a large frying pan, heat the coconut oil over medium-high. You will want to use enough oil that it comes about halfway up the sides of the frying pan
Place the batter into a gallon size plastic bag
Roll the bag at an angle so it takes on the shape of a piping bag – you are of course welcome to use an actual piping bag
Pipe the batter into the oil in your desired design
Fry until golden brown on each side (this takes me about 3 minutes of so per side)
Remove from the oil and dust with your favorite toppings (see notes)
Notes
My favorite topping combinations (as seen in the photos) are:
Fresh sliced peaches with whipped cream (a dash of cinnamon on top is excellent as well)
A honey drizzle topped with slices strawberries and whipped cream
Mixed berries with a dollop of whipped cream
Other gluten free funnel cake topping ideas are:
A dusting of powered sugar (classic gluten free funnel cake!)
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered from Nutritionix. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on many factors. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible, but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Do you have any favorite memories of funnel cake? Do share!
If you liked my gluten free funnel cake recipe be sure to check out my:
Traditional recipes call for a fairly standard batter: flour, eggs, sugar, milk, baking soda or baking powder, but I discovered that you can make awesome funnel cakes with "complete" buttermilk pancake mix (look for brands that only require the addition of water).
It's important to keep to a frying temperature of around 375 degrees. Any higher than that, and your funnel cakes will brown before cooking through. At too low a temperature, the batter will absorb excess oil, resulting in a greasy, limp funnel cake.
A lower temp wouldn't get the cooking going fast enough, and slower cooking would also result in a soggy, oil-logged funnel cake. Of course, getting that temperature right is not merely a question of guessing, or flicking a few drops of water into a hot oil pan.
If the oil gets too hot, then the funnel cakes will fall apart when you shape them. Ideally, the oil should stay around 190°C. Don't use batter that's too thick. Your batter should pour easily, about the consistency of pancake batter.
Vegetable, canola, or peanut oil all work great for this recipe and are my frying oils of choice for frying everything from apple fritters to fried pickles. Can you refrigerate funnel cake batter? Yes!You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
For a funnel cake to set up properly and to cook through before burning on the outside, it must have the right consistency. Too thin, and the batter will scatter in the oil, too thick and it will clump, not forming the fun strands and, possibly, not cooking inside before the outside is done.
Funnel cake, on the other hand, isn't dough at all. Funnel cake is made by creating a batter of eggs, milk, flour, salt and baking powder, then using a funnel to pour the batter into the oil in a circular, web-like pattern, resulting in a light, crispy, delicate nest of heavenly goodness.
So you only need 1/4 of the box, and 1/4 of the ingredients you'd add to it. So, if you have a scale, you could measure 3.8oz of the cake mix, and otherwise you'll need to measure the whole thing by volume and take a quarter of it. Then you'll need 1/4 cup of water, 1/8 cup of oil, and...
And sometimes, there's simply too much water in the mixture and not enough fat to hold it, no matter how careful you are. When this happens, your cake batter will look lumpy and curdled, rather than smooth and even. This affects the baked cake, too.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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