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
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!
Gluten-free flour blends don't have the same elasticity as flour containing gluten so often the cakes don't rise as much or will sink after rising. To combat the flat cake problem, I add ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the recipe even when using a self-raising gluten-free flour blend.
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.
Fry bread is bubbly and chewy—sort of like pizza dough or puffy pita bread—while funnel cake is bumpy and takes on a layered shape, like a bundle of yarn. Both funnel cake and Indian fry bread make appearances at state fairs and carnivals.
Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.
We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour. Note: This will also help batters become thicker and doughs to firm up.
What oil is best for funnel cake? I recommend using a neutral oil for in my funnel cake recipe. 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.
Whisk in water and vanilla until smooth. Batter should resemble the thickness of cake batter; It should form thick ribbons as it falls when lifted out of the bowl with whisk.
Funnel cakes are truly best eaten warm and freshly made. However, if you have some left store them in an airtight container for up to five days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat them on a baking sheet pan in the oven at 350° F for about five minutes.
A funnel cake can sell on average from $3.00 – $5.00. Yet, it costs less than $1.00 to make, so you will yield as much as $4.00 profit on each cake. GM: What products do you sell at your concession stand?
The 3-2-1 comes from 3 tablespoons cake mix, 2 tablespoons water and 1 minute in the microwave. You can make it a little bigger by adding more cake mix and a little more water to cake battter consistency. I made this for the hubby and he loved it! Going to try other flavor cake mixes with it too.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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