Funnel Cakes

Egg-Free Funnel Cake
Summer is just around the corner and with Memorial Day being the unofficial start of the summer, I thought why not have a little fun and make some oh-so scrumptious funnel cakes for this weekend. Oooooh....YUM!

If you've never had a funnel cake before, it's basically a deep-fried pastry topped with powdered sugar, fruit or honey. It's made by pouring batter through a funnel and deep-frying it in oil. The Pennsylvania Dutch popularized this sweet treat and is now commonly found at state fairs and carnivals all over the United States.

Since my son can't enjoy the funnel cakes at the San Diego County Fair, I thought I might as well figure out how to make them egg-free at home. So I took what was basically my egg-free pancake batter (I'll be posting that recipe soon), tweaked a few ingredients and voila! We have egg-free funnel cakes :-)

The first time I made the funnel cakes, I actually used a funnel with a stopper, but it got too messy. So I switched to a piping bag with a round tip and it made pouring the batter in a circular pattern much easier. I'm pretty sure I could've used a Ziploc bag with the same results. I checked online and I found a funnel pitcher. That would've been handy.

First, I tried them dusted with powdered sugar. YUM! Then I tried them drizzled with honey. WOW! And then I tried them with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. OMG!

Hmmmm..... Maybe this weekend, I'll try them topped with ice cream (with a cherry on top).

Egg-Free Funnel Cakes
Makes about 6 to 8 funnel cakes
Allergy Note: Contains wheat and dairy ingredients

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
4 Tbs. orange juice
oil
powdered sugar

Heat oil in a skillet or deep fryer to 375 F degrees. (Tip: Another way to test if the oil is hot enough is by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil. If the batter starts bubbling and rise to the surface quickly, then the oil is hot enough. If the batter bubbles slowly and doesn't rise right away, the oil isn't hot enough)

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in milk and orange juice. Using a funnel, pour batter in overlapping circles then crisscross. Fry till golden brown around the edges. Use tongs to gently flip over gently and cook the other side for one minute. Drain with paper towels and dust with powdered sugar.