Crispy & Sweet Funnel Cake with Edible Flowers
Recipe for sweet & crispy funnel cake made with calendula flowers and honey. The batter is drizzled through a funnel and deep fried into puffy deliciousness
It’s been years since I had Funnel Cake. It’s one of those dishes that goes hand in hand with a holiday or event – in this case, American county fairs. Part of the fun of these crispy treats is having them served up to you warm and brown and still grinning at having watched them being made. The way that’s done is with batter drizzled through a funnel and into a hot pan of oil. The stream of batter flowing into the pan creates a bubbly and twisty design that’s perfect for sprinkling with sugary toppings.
Growing & Harvesting Calendula Flowers
Although you can purchase dried calendula flower petals, you can also grow your own. Calendula is very easy to get started from seed and once you have a patch going, they’ll re-seed themselves for years to come. The best thing of all, the more flowers you pick, the more they produce. The video below shows how I grow, harvest and dry calendula.
Calendula & Honey Funnel Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup dried Calendula flowers (or 1/2 cup fresh)
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 Egg free range
- 1 Tbsp white Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine Sea salt
- Powdered sugar and honey for drizzling
- Calendula flower petals
- Groundnut oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a medium sized pan to a depth of 1.5 inches. Bring the oil up to about 350°F / 175°C while you're making the batter.
- Using a stick (immersion) blender, pulse the flower petals into the milk until only tiny bits are visible. Please note that you should only use the petals and not the stem, leaves, or centre of the flower. Next, mix the egg and honey in and blend well. Add the dry ingredients in and mix well so that no lumps, bumps, or dry bits are visible.
- heck that the oil is at 350°F / 175°C with a Kitchen Thermometer. Take a funnel into your hand and with your finger pressed over the opening, fill it up with a ladle full of batter. Bring the funnel over the pan and move your finger so that the batter flows out and into the hot oil. Move the batter around in an area the same size you'd like your cakes and then close the funnel with your finger and set it aside when you have enough batter bubbling away.
- Allow the batter to fry until the edges are golden brown, then flip it over and let the other side cook until brown. Remove the cake from the pan and set it on a paper towel to drain and cool for a minute.
- Once slightly cooled, drizzle the funnel cake with honey and then dust it with powdered sugar. Calendula petals, dried or fresh, will add extra flavour and interest. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
For even more edible flower inspiration, head over here for more recipe ideas.
Wow! Can’t wait to try making this, sounds delicious!
This recipe is even better if you use fresh calendula petals — hope you enjoy this edible flower treat!
I have never eaten funnel cake, it looks really interesting. Loving your use of the calendula petals
If you make this recipe you're in for a treat!
Sounds interesting Tanya…I have never eaten 'funnel cake' and I am a little unsure about your description of using a 'funnel'…can you perhaps give me a link to one so I can try and get my heqad around what you are saying??
Thanks. 🙂
It's actually an easy method but perhaps difficult to explain in words. Imagine holding a kitchen funnel in your hand and then using a finger on the outside of the funnel to plug the hole at the bottom – now anything you pour into the funnel can't get out. Fill the funnel up with batter and then release batter and plug up the hole again with your finger when you've put enough in the pan.
Alternatively, just pour the batter into a measuring cup with a spout and pour the desired amount into the pan. The funnel is better though since the stream of batter will be finer.
Sounds yummy – thanks. I'm going to make it on the most miserable of winter days to lift the spirits 🙂
The most miserable of winter days can't be that bad in South Africa 🙂