Food

Funnel Cake and Fried Ice Cream Recipe

Warm spices and a sweet, crunchy cereal-cookie mixture encase silky vanilla ice cream, perfectly paired with the notorious fried dough carnival cake, plus a homemade hot fudge sauce.
fried-ice-cream-funnel-cake-recipe
Photo by Farideh Sadeghin

INGREDIENTS

 for the fried ice cream:
2 pints vanilla ice cream
1 ½ cups|85 grams ‘Nilla wafers
1 ½ cups|120 grams crushed cornflakes
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, beaten
vegetable oil, for frying

for the funnel cake:
1 cup|150 grams all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup|200 ml whole milk
2 large eggs

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to serve:
confectioners' sugar
whipped cream
maraschino cherries
store bought or homemade hot fudge sauce

DIRECTIONS

  1. Make the fried ice cream: Using gloved hands, scoop and roll the ice cream into six (⅓ cup|70 gram) balls. Place on a sheet tray and freeze for at least 1 hour. 
  2. Place the ‘Nilla wafers in a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Combine the ‘Nilla wafers, cornflakes, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Roll the ice cream in the cornflake mixture and place back on the sheet tray. Freeze for another hour. 
  3. Roll the ice cream in the eggs, then roll in the cornflake mixture again. Freeze for at least 1 hour, then repeat this process again, freezing the ice cream balls for an additional hour after the second dredging. 
  4. Make the funnel cake: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and eggs. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, taking care not to over-mix. Transfer the batter to a squeeze bottle and set aside.
  5. Heat 3 inches oil in a 2-quart saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350°F. Squeeze about ¼ cup of the batter into the oil, making zig zag shapes and designs (like a funnel cake looks, duh). Cook, flipping once, until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. 
  6. Increase the temperature of the oil to 375°F. Working quickly and keeping the other balls of ice cream in the freezer, fry one ball of ice cream until golden on the outside, 30 seconds to 1 minute. 
  7. To serve, dust the funnel cake with confectioners’ sugar and top with a ball of fried ice cream. Squirt on some cream and drizzle with the hot fudge sauce. Top with a cherry and enjoy.

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