If you head to the county fair just for the taste of crispy funnel cakes sprinkled with powdered sugar or smothered in chunky strawberries or a layer of jam, learn to create your own at home to satisfy your sweet tooth. Our guide, how to make funnel cake, provides a simple batter recipe and an easy way to fry the lacy, spiral-shaped cakes.

With an origin dating back to Germany in 1879, sweet funnel cakes have not only stood the test of time, but have also evolved into the fun finger food that we still crave today.1 Appropriately named, funnel cakes have a donut-like taste and texture, but have been drizzled into hot oil with a funnel to create a lacy shape that's easily pulled apart and devoured. Once you discover how easy it is to make a batch on your own, funnel cake may just become your dessert and snack of choice.

• Gather the following ingredients and kitchen tools to create enough batter to fry about eight funnel cakes.

• 3²/₃ cup flour

• 3 eggs

• 2 cups milk

• ¹/₃ cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ¹/₄ teaspoon salt

• 3 cups vegetable oil

• Powdered sugar for sprinkling

• Mixing bowls

• Spoon, whisk or electric mixer

• Flour sifter

• Skillet

• Stove

• Deep-fat thermometer

• Funnel or plastic storage bag

• Tongs

• Paper towels

• Baking sheet and oven (if needed)

• Once you've got the ingredients at hand, you should be able to mix and fry the batch of funnel cakes in about 30 minutes.

1. Beat the eggs and sugar to combine.Recipezaar: Momma's Fair Funnel Cake
2. Stir in the milk.Recipezaar: Dutch Funnel Cake
3. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together.All Recipes: Funnel Cakes III
4. Make a well (a large dip) in the center of the dry mixture.Rachel Ray: Funnel Cakes
5. Pour the wet mixture into the center of the well and stir until the batter is smooth.Chow: Funnel Cakes
   • -If the batter is too thick, gradually add more milk.All Recipes: Funnel Cakes I
   • -If the batter is too thin, beat in additional flour.All Recipes: Funnel Cakes I
6. The batter will not keep, so the cakes should be fried immediately.Chow: Funnel Cakes

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep skillet until it reaches about 360 degrees.All Recipes: Funnel Cakes I
2. Use your finger to plug the hole at the bottom of the funnel.Recipezaar: Momma's Fair Funnel Cake
3. Fill the funnel with 1/2 cup of batter.Recipezaar: Dutch Funnel Cake
   • -You can also pour the batter into a resealable plastic bag if you don't have a funnel on hand. After adding the batter, cut one of the bottom corners off the bag to create a 1/4-inch hole.Rachel Ray: Funnel Cakes
4. Hold the funnel or plastic bag over the hot oil and release your finger, moving the funnel in a circular motion so the batter makes a spiral-shaped pattern in the oil.Food Network: Funnel Cake with Powdered Sugar Recipe
   • -You can also drizzle the batter in a free-form pattern to form a lacy-looking funnel cake.Rachel Ray: Funnel Cakes
5. Fry until one side is lightly brown, then turn the cake with tongs to fry the other side.All Recipes: Funnel Cakes III
   • -It should take about two to three minutes to fry one funnel cake.Food Network: Funnel Cake with Powdered Sugar Recipe
6. Remove the funnel cake with tongs and let it drain on paper towels.Food Network: Funnel Cake with Powdered Sugar Recipe
   • -Once drained, keep the funnel cakes warm on a baking sheet in a 250 degree oven while you fry the rest of the cakes, if desired.Chow: Funnel Cakes

1. Sprinkle the funnel cakes with powdered sugar and serve warm.All Recipes: Funnel Cakes III

2. You can also top the cake with brown sugar, honey or cinnamon sugar.Recipezaar: Momma's Fair Funnel Cake

3. Maple syrup and molasses are also tasty toppings.Chow: Funnel Cakes

4. Consider taking your cue from a local amusement park and topping your funnel cakes with apples, strawberries, chocolate syrup or soft serve ice cream.Dorney Park: Fun Food: Funnel Cakes

• If you love the basic recipe, take it a step further with new ingredients to infuse the funnel cake with additional flavor and texture.

1. Add more flavor with a bit of vanilla extract.Martha Stewart: Funnel Cakes
2. The addition of lemon extract and cinnamon gives the funnel cake a little spice and tang.All Recipes: Funnel Cakes V
3. Include pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to turn the cake into a fall treat.All Recipes: Pumpkin Funnel Cakes
4. Smashed banana gives the funnel cake a natural sweetness.Recipezaar: Banana Funnel Cake
5. Use cola instead of milk and sugar as an interesting twist.Recipezaar: Coca Cola Funnel Cake
6. Blend in vanilla-flavored coffee creamer for another layer of flavor.Food Network: Sandra Lee's Funnel Cakes Recipe
7. Substitute gluten-free versions for regular flour, baking powder and vanilla extract to create a gluten-free funnel cake.Recipezaar: Gluten-Free Funnel Cake

• All Recipes: Funnel Cakes

• All Recipes: Funnel Cakes II

• Recipezaar: Funnel Cake

• Emeril's: Funnel Cakes

• Food Network: Paula Deen's Funnel Cakes Recipe

• Food Network: Dave Lieberman's Philly Dutch-style Funnel Cakes

• Food Network: Alton Brown's Funnel Cakes

• Kraft Foods: Funnel Cakes

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