Funnel cake

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Funnel cake
Funnel Cake With no Toppings.jpeg
Funnel cake with no toppings
Alternative names Funnel cake
Type Doughnut
Place of origin United States
Region or state Pennsylvania
Main ingredients Batter, cooking oil
Cookbook: Funnel cake  Media: Funnel cake

Funnel cake is a regional food popular in North America at carnivals, fairs, sporting events, and seaside resorts. In some carnivals, theme parks, and resorts, etc. there are funnel fries.


The concept of the funnel cake dates back to the early medieval Arabic and Persian worlds, where similar yeast-risen dishes were first prepared and later spread to Europe.[1] German immigrants brought the yeast dish to America, originally calling it "drechter kuche", and around 1879 developed the baking powder version along with its new name, funnel cake.[1]


Funnel cakes are made by pouring batter into hot cooking oil in a circular pattern and deep frying the overlapping mass until golden-brown. When made at concession stands, a pitcher with an integral funnel spout is employed. Alton Brown recommends they be baked with choux pastry, which expands from steam produced by its high water content.

Funnel cakes are typically served plain with powdered sugar, but can also be served with jelly, cinnamon, chocolate, fresh fruit, or other toppings.

By location[edit]


In south German cuisine the equivalent is called Strauben and is made and served similarly. In Slovenian cuisine they are called flancati (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈflantsati]). In Finnish cuisine the analogous tippaleipä is traditionally served at May Day (Vappu) celebrations. In the Indian subcontinent a similar dessert is called jalebi which has a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating; in Iran this is known as zulbia and is a popular dessert.

North America[edit]

In North America, funnel cakes were originally associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch region.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b Marks, Gil. Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. 

External links[edit]