Funnel cake or funnelcake is a regional food popular in North America at carnivals, fairs, sporting events, and seaside resorts. 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. Funnel cakes are typically served plain with powdered sugar, or with jam, cinnamon, Nutella, fresh fruit, or other toppings. Funnel cakes are made with an unleavened batter. In the book I'm Just Here for the Food, Alton Brown, star of Good Eats on the Food Network, recommends they be baked with choux pastry, which expands from steam produced by its high water content.
In North America, funnel cakes were originally associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch region.
In Austria the equivalent is called Strauben and is made and served similarly. In Slovenian cuisine they are called flancati (IPA: [ˈflantsati]). In Finland the analogous tippaleipä is traditionally served at May Day (Vappu) celebrations. In Ripon, North Yorkshire, it is also known as "Fennel Funnel Pie". 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 would be known as zulbia and is a popular dessert.
According to one website a 6" diameter funnel cake has fewer than 300 calories[1] though most funnel cakes are closer to 9" in diameter. The North American variety of funnel cake can vary dramatically in its caloric content, depending upon what toppings are added.