Not everyone will immediately know what »funnel cakes« are, here in Germany. Before my time in the US, I wasn’t familiar with the name, either. In southern Germany, we call this dessert »Striebele«. Regardless of which name you heard or know – Funnel Cakes with Cherry Compote are simply delicious. Fried, fluffy dough that looks like a bird’s nest, topped with cherries and some whipped cream… it’s bound to be good! ;P Unfortunately, this delicious dessert is hard to find here in Berlin, which is why we decided to start making it ourselves. ;)
What is known as »funnel cake« in the US is called »Striebele« in my hometown at Lake Constance, and further south, in Tyrol to be precise, the dessert is called »Strauben«, for example. However, the origin of this sweet treat is even further down south (well, depending on where you are located in the world, but from here it is down south). A similar sweet dish (albeit made with yeast dough) has been known in the Arab world for many centuries.
Like so many (food related) things, our »Striebele« made it to the USA at some point in history. – In the late 17th century, the Pennsylvania Dutch – a German-speaking group (originally from the Palatinate area) – settled in what is now Pennsylvania. They brought their traditions and food to the States, including this type of dessert here. The name »funnel cake« developed from the term »Drechderkuche« – the word »Drechter« means funnel and »kuche« means cake. Pretty straightforward. When taking a look at how the dessert is made, you can see where the name is coming from. ;P
Anyway. Funnel cakes are a popular snack/dessert at fairs and in amusement parks in the US. I had my first American funnel cake at an amusement park. In World Disney World, to be precise. At EPCOT, where I worked at the time, we had a food booth selling delicious funnel cakes in the American Pavilion. That’s where it happened. I fell in love at first bite! ;P But that was to be expected – fried pastry with compote and whipped cream on top. That can only be good, right?
In the 90s, funnel cakes were still an affordable snack at Disney. I think they were sold for around 4-6 dollars back then – today you’d probably have to pay at least double that. Complaining won’t help here, unfortunately – but making them at home yourself will. For 6 dollars, or the equivalent in euros, you can serve several homemade funnel cakes. With topping and all. ;P
Well. The dessert is definitely delicious and also quite easy to prepare. However, you shouldn’t be afraid of working with hot oil. The fairly thin batter has to be squirted into hot oil to create the little nests – not everyone may find this appealing due to potential oil splatters… But you could take precautions by wearing gloves, for example. Although, we’ve never really had any problems like that. The batter is quite thin, but not watery, so not much splattering happening. The oil creates some small bubbles, of course, but that’s quite harmless.
Anyway. Once you’ve fried a few of the nests, all you have to do is dust them generously with confectioners’ sugar and then add compote and/or whipped cream on top. Whether it’s a simple cherry compote, like the one we used in the recipe, or something else – doesn’t really matter. All toppings are good. Apple compote is also really nice, or maybe just a few fresh strawberries. So good! In South Tyrol, Strauben (funnel cakes) are often served with cranberry jam – also very tasty. ;)
If you love fried foods as much as we do, you’ll find plenty more to try here on our blog. Our simple Quarkbällchen aka. Quark Balls are just as easy to make and a very popular snack/dessert at German Christmas markets. Those are delightful with some vanilla custard. Hmmm…
Alternatively, you could make some Mutzenmandeln. If you are from outside of Germany, you might not know them, but they are really enjoyable. Once again – also super easy to prepare and really delicious thanks to all the fat and loads of sugar! The combination is always good! At least for the taste buds – probably less so for the belly and hips. ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
For the cherry compote:
1 large glass (24 oz./680g) sour cherries
about 6.7 fl. oz. (200ml) cherry juice or liquid from the glass
0.9 oz. (25g) cornstarch
2 tbsp. sugar
For the funnel cakes:
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) milk
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt
oil for deep-frying
To finish:
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting
some whipped cream
(4 Portionen)
Für das Kirschkompott:
1 großes Glas (680g) Sauerkirschen
200ml Kirschsaft oder Flüssigkeit aus dem Glas
25g Speisestärke
2 EL Zucker
Für die Funnel Cakes:
100ml Milch
1 Ei (L)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
130g Mehl (Type 405)
2 EL Zucker
1/2 TL Backpulver
1 Prise Salz
Öl zum Frittieren
Zum Servieren:
etwas Puderzucker zum Bestäuben
etwas Schlagsahne
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Start with the cherry compote. Pour the cherries from the glass into a sieve and let drain. If you want to use the liquid, catch it in a bowl and measure 6.7 fl. oz. (200ml).
2. If using the liquid from the cherries, add it to a small pot – otherwise use cherry juice. Add the cornstarch and sugar to a small bowl, add some liquid/juice from the pot, and mix. Bring the liquid/juice in the pot to a boil, then add the cornstarch mixture and stir in. Let cook for a moment until the mixture thickens, then add the drained cherries. Let cook for a minute or two while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let cool down. This can be done a day in advance. Store the compote in the fridge until needed.
3. For the funnel cake batter, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Next, add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a small round tip. Set aside.
4. Add oil to a small pot or frying pan. You need enough oil, so the funnel cakes can swim freely. Heat up the oil to a temperature of about 175°C (345°F) – use a kitchen thermometer* to check. Pipe the batter into the hot oil, moving in circles, to create a loose nest of some sort. Be careful to avoid splashes of hot oil on your hands. Let the funnel cakes cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely golden brown and crisp. Take out of the oil, let access oil drip off, and place the funnel cake on a piece of kitchen paper or a wire rack to cool down. Repeat with the remaining batter.
5. Place the still warm funnel cakes on plates, dust them with confectioners’ sugar and add some cherry compote and whipped cream on top. Enjoy!
1. Mit dem Kirschkompott beginnen. Die Kirschen aus dem Glas in ein Sieb gießen und abtropfen lassen. Wer die Flüssigkeit aus dem Glas verwenden möchte, sollte sie auffangen und 200ml davon abmessen.
2. Wer die Flüssigkeit aus dem Glas verwendet, gibt sie in einen kleinen Topf – ansonsten Kirschsaft verwenden. Speisestärke und Zucker in eine kleine Schüssel geben, etwas von der Flüssigkeit aus dem Topf dazugeben und verrühren. Die Flüssigkeit im Topf zum Kochen bringen, dann die angerührte Stärke dazugeben und einrühren. Einen Moment kochen lassen, bis die Mischung eindickt, dann die abgetropften Kirschen hinzufügen. Unter ständigem Rühren ein oder zwei Minuten köcheln lassen. Vom Herd nehmen und abkühlen lassen. Dies kann einen Tag im Voraus geschehen. Das Kompott dann im Kühlschrank aufbewahren, bis es gebraucht wird.
3. Die Milch für den Teig mit dem Ei und Vanille Extrakt verrühren. Mehl, Zucker, Backpulver und Salz in eine große Schüssel geben und vermengen, dann die Milchmischung dazugeben und alles gut verrühren. Den Teig in einen Spritzbeutel mit kleiner, runder Tülle füllen und zur Seite legen.
4. Einen kleinen Topf oder Pfanne mit Öl befüllen – es sollte genug Öl sein, damit die Funnel Cakes später ungestört und frei schwimmen können. Das Öl auf etwa 175°C (345°F) erhitzen. Mit einem Küchenthermometer* lässt sich das gut kontrollieren. Den Teig mit dem Spritzbeutel in kreisenden Bewegungen ins heiße Öl laufen lassen, bis sowas wie ein Vogelnest entsteht. Man sollte hier vorsichtig sein, damit kein Öl auf die Hände spritzt. Die Funnel Cakes von jeder Seite etwa 1-2 Minuten frittieren, bis sie schön goldbraun und knusprig sind. Aus dem Öl herausnehmen, ein wenig abtropfen lassen und dann auf einem Stück Küchenpapapier oder Kuchengitter abkühlen lassen. Den Vorgang mehrmals wiederholen, bis der Teig komplett aufgebraucht ist.
5. Die noch warmen Funnel Cakes auf Teller legen, mit Puderzucker bestäuben, dann etwas Kirschkompott und Schlagsahne darauf verteilen und genießen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Funnel Cakes with Cherry Compote
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:25
- Total Time: 01:40
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A classic you can find in amusement parks – funnel cakes with cherry compote are a great sweet dessert that’s not too sweet. So good! We love to make them!
Ingredients
For the cherry compote:
1 large glass (24 oz./680g) sour cherries
about 6.7 fl. oz. (200ml) cherry juice or liquid from the glass
0.9 oz. (25g) cornstarch
2 tbsp. sugar
For the funnel cakes:
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) milk
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
a pinch of salt
oil for deep-frying
To finish:
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting
some whipped cream
Instructions
1. Start with the cherry compote. Pour the cherries from the glass into a sieve and let drain. If you want to use the liquid, catch it in a bowl and measure 6.7 fl. oz. (200ml).
2. If using the liquid from the cherries, add it to a small pot – otherwise use cherry juice. Add the cornstarch and sugar to a small bowl, add some liquid/juice from the pot, and mix. Bring the liquid/juice in the pot to a boil, then add the cornstarch mixture and stir in. Let cook for a moment until the mixture thickens, then add the drained cherries. Let cook for a minute or two while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let cool down. This can be done a day in advance. Store the compote in the fridge until needed.
3. For the funnel cake batter, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and mix to combine. Next, add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a small round tip. Set aside.
4. Add oil to a small pot or frying pan. You need enough oil, so the funnel cakes can swim freely. Heat up the oil to a temperature of about 175°C (345°F) – use a kitchen thermometer* to check. Pipe the batter into the hot oil, moving in circles, to create a loose nest of some sort. Be careful to avoid splashes of hot oil on your hands. Let the funnel cakes cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely golden brown and crisp. Take out of the oil, let access oil drip off, and place the funnel cake on a piece of kitchen paper or a wire rack to cool down. Repeat with the remaining batter.
5. Place the still warm funnel cakes on plates, dust them with confectioners’ sugar and add some cherry compote and whipped cream on top. Enjoy!
Notes
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