FUNnel Cake..or something like it.

I love funnel cake from the fair. That, and the taffy at our local fair. I look forward to that stuff every year. What can I say? I'm a fat kid. I inhale the calories and don't think about it until the next day. Health conscious? No. But you only get to live once. And I want to do it right. Life's too short to be unhappy.

That being said, I don't reccomend eating these 24/7. In moderation, it's all good. I don't make these too often, so they're a great treat in this house. You can also top them with some fresh fruit and have them for breakfast, much like IHOP. Yum.

These were the first out of my batch, and it's almost a rule that I burn the first one. But it was still super delicious. I can almost taste it..*mouth waters*

Mock Fair Funnel Cake

*I know you can buy the mix from the store, but I like the satisfaction of making things myself*

1 egg

1 c. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. sugar

1 1/3 c. flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

Oil for frying

Powdered sugar (or fresh fruit, whipped cream, etc.) for topping

Pour your oil into your frying pan. Make sure your frying pan is a good couple inches deep. You want it to fry half at a time. Heat it up on high, and then once it's good and hot, lower your heat setting somewhere in the middle (around a 6 on my knobs).

Mix all the ingredients together. It's pretty simple, right? I usually use a whisk and mix it all in a large liquid measuring cup. It's pretty simple that way.

From here, you can either pour it SLOWLY out of the measuring cup and into the oil, making sure it's coming out in thin lines, or pour it from a funnel. I don't have a funnel, so I opt for the measuring cup way. This can be a bit tricky. If you pour it too thick, it'll all gloop together and form something like a pancake. Not fun, but still good. 

When the top, batter part is bubbling (like when you're making pancakes) flip it in the oil using a fork, spatula, whatever. Let it fry until it's a golden brown. Pick it up with a fork, give it a light shake to get rid of some of the excess oil, and put it on a plate (I like to put a paper towel on the plate first). 

Sprinkle on your topping and enjoy. If you're using the traditional powdered sugar, I suggest using a sifter or a strainer to get a nice, even coat.

And there you have it! No more having to wait for the fair to come around!