Anyway, it’s gotten me in the mood for fair food. You know, everything fried and delicious. I am a massive fan of funnel cake. It’s probably my favorite of all fair foods.
Least favorite? Fried guacamole. Tried that one time at the Texas state fair. It was… interesting. And that’s about the nicest thing I have to say about it.
What you want is a thick paste consistency. You want the batter to ooze but still be too thick to drink with a straw (I said it again-double gross!).
Second, it works best if you pour the batter through a squeeze bottle (like the one pictured above) or through a funnel into the oil. I prefer the squeeze bottle as I feel it gives me a little more control as I work, and the more control the better when working around hot oil.
I sort of like making smaller, two to three bite-sized funnel cakes as they are easier to maneuver in the oil. But I feel like at the fair they are usually giant. So if you want it to feel more authentic, then go for that.
If you feel like you don’t want any guess work with your batter, then I recommend you go ahead and make your batter from scratch. I can’t really decide which one I like better. Might need to do more testing. 🙂 xo. Emma
Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with the Complete Collection.
31 Comments
Yum!! Thanks for sharing… Powdered sugar for days! 😉
This is PERFECT!! The Texas State Fair starts up again soon which means that everyone in Dallas/Fort Worth starts craving fried food and ESPECIALLY funnel cake! Can’t wait to try and make this from home and actually be able to eat it year round! 🙂
Neha // http://nehasharmaphoto.com/blog
These look so amazing, perfect for Autumn! I’ve never heard of funnel cakes before, so I’ll definitely need to give these a go soon, thank you for the inspiration!! 🙂
Emma xo Wallflower Wardrobe
Wow, I cannot believe how easy these are! The smell of funnel cakes always gets me at fairs and festivals, but I almost never splurge the $8-$10 for them (I live in an expensive city, haha). This is so much better!
Cat
http://oddlylovely.com
My mom used to make homemade funnel cakes for us growing up in Texas. This post just took me on a trip down memory lane. Thanks! 🙂 And fried guacamole sounds gross. Like fried snot. OK that’s super disgusting…sorry. Anyway – do you mind sharing what brand candy/frying thermometer you have/use? I have been wanting to buy one and prices, as well as ratings, are across the board. I’ve also read a lot of reviews that are highly rated, but warn against the painted temperatures rubbing off over time. So I’m sort of scared to commit to one right now. Haha. Figured I’d ask a pro who has been using one for a while. Thanks, tons!
these look delicious!
Hmmm….I’m not sure what sounds worst: drinking pancake batter through a straw or fried guacamole! But these funnel cakes look amazing. Always one of my favorite fair foods too. Glad to know they can be made with store bought mix. So cool!
You know, I bought the candy thermometer you see in this post a couple years ago. I think from either Target or Walmart. I want to say it was around $15-$20. I use it often and it’s been good. The numbers toward the bottom are *starting* to wear off, but they aren’t ones that I need often so I won’t be buying a new one anytime soon.
Honestly you don’t need a candy thermometer for deep frying as you can just test the oil with a little extra batter or a small piece of bread. But, if you aren’t experienced with frying and you get your oil too hot it can start a grease fire, which is super scary/dangerous. So I like to use just because I feel it’s a safe practice and I would encourage others to do so.
Good luck!
Ha! Too true. I really wrote a gross one this time. 🙂
-Emma
Oh definitely craving now
http://juliettelaura.blogspot.com
yum!!
Its a perfectly fun snack!
http://imyownmuse.blogspot.com
This looks sooo yummy! I definitely want some! I am super hungry now! 🙂
heartoffnowhere.blogspot.com
yum!! so easy!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dream-in-neon.com
Oh! I love love love funnel cake! I would never have thought to try and make it at home though. I am definitely going to have to try this out. 🙂
how about funnel cake using pumpkin pancake mix! yes!!!
Yum…! Haven’t tried one yet, but i might soon, this looks irresistible..
xo
http://agoldentulip.blogspot.com/
Looks delicious! Great photography too!
Maame Akesi,
Ghana! 🙂
Any tips for keeping the smell of the oil to a minimum? The few times I’ve tried to fry something it smells so bad that I have to wait a year minimum to try again!
Yes! This is SO perfect! I’ve got a feeling that these will be eaten rather quickly over at my house!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
What a fun treat! Thanks for sharing Emma!
http://thehappyhealthybalance.com
These are so much easier to make than I thought. I even have pancake batter on hand, so this might work for a weekend treat 🙂
M.
Looks so yum!
https://www.marjorievie.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait to make this
xx alyssarachel.blogspot.com
Yum! Funnel cakes for the win!
Fried guac sounds gross, but the worst fried (fair) food I’ve ever had was fried Coca Cola. I’m in NC and we have a big (not Texas big, but big!) state fair, and on the local news they talk for *weeks* leading up to it what’s going to be the new fried fad. Oreos – yum, mac & cheese – yum, pickles – (nbd now, but weird when they first came out!) –yummmm. Coca Cola… “interesting.” Maybe I’ll try some funnel cakes myself this year!
These look delicious! x I love funnel cakes, they remind me so much of summer fairs and carnivals! YUM.
-Emily x http://emilysbees.blogspopt.com
Have you heard of the Indian sweet called ‘Jalebi’? That is my kind of funnel cake 🙂 read about it on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalebi
In Hindi, we have an idiom that describes tough people or situations as ‘straight as a Jalebi’ 😉
I used to make homemade funnel cakes all the time as a kid! Even if you use a soup ladle and slowly drizzle the batter in, it turns out great!
Emma! I saw this article on NPR this morning about the Ozarks and thought you might like it (if you haven’t seen it yet)
http://www.npr.org/2014/09/23/349853440/saving-a-french-dialect-that-once-echoed-in-ozarks?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140923
Awesome – thanks so much!! 🙂