Tasty Tuesday: Funnel Cakes

Summer means fairs, rides, and funnel cakes! That is, unless you're too cheap to pay an arm and a leg for a few hours of excitement. Then you drive past the flashing lights and tempting sights and respond to your children's pleas with "No, not this time."

But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the tummy treats at home - for a fraction of the cost.  

Ingredients:
3 eggs                         3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups milk                  1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar              2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla       oil for frying

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix salt, baking powder, and half of the flour. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream eggs, sugar and milk. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Continue to add remaining flour, but use only enough to achieve desired consistency. Batter will be thin enough to run through a funnel.
3. Fill an eight inch skillet 1/3 with oil. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Put your finger over the bottom opening of the funnel, and fill the funnel with a generous 1/2 cup of the batter. Hold the funnel close to the surface of the oil, and release the batter into the oil while making a circular motion. Fry until golden brown. Use tongs and wide spatula to turn the cake over carefully. Fry the second side one minute. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with sifted confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar.

I ended up using 3 cups of flour, but then added more milk because the batter was not pouring as it should. I think 2 1/2 cups of flour would be about right.

As always, the kids enjoyed licking the beaters. I tried telling them, just wait until it's cooked . . . 

I made the first funnel cake. I swirled the batter in the pan, watched as it cooked and bubbled in the hot oil, carefully flipped it over to finish cooking, removed it and sprinkled on the topping. It was at this point I had my spot at the stove stolen by my husband. There's just something about deep frying. It's a manly job, kinda like grilling.

There are two reasons why Leighton does not cook often. 1) I enjoy it too much to share. 2) He always leaves a huuuge mess in my kitchen. How does someone get hot oil splattered all over the kitchen and sticky batter covering the counter?

There's only one explanation . . . 

It was a man.

We tried some with powered sugar, some with cinnamon and sugar, and some with powdered sugar and cinnamon and sugar.

Guess who gained 10 pounds. I'll give you a clue: 2 letters, starts with an M and ends with an E.

This recipe makes a lot. We fried half of the batter and refrigerated the other half. Jake has already asked when we can make them again. I'm thinking next time we'll change up the toppings a bit. Strawberries, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, fried apples, vanilla ice cream, blueberries, caramel, Oreos . . . the possibilities are endless! 

I see another 10 pounds in my near future.

It was long after we finished making the cakes that it hit me.  "Oh! Funnel cakes, I get it! 'Cause you make it with a funnel!!!" It reminded me of high school when everyone was in a big TPing kick. I always thought it was teepee because you made the house look kinda like an Indian teepee or something. It was years later that I realized it was TP, for toilet paper.  Yeah, maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed.

But, I can make a pretty mean funnel cake!