Short answer: This Disney Parks-inspired Pumpkin Churro Funnel Cake layers a hot cinnamon-sugar funnel cake with caramel, pumpkin spice ice cream, and whipped-cream Mickey ears. The recipe serves four and comes from Ashley Craft’s The Unofficial Disney Parks Holidays Cookbook.
There are fall desserts, and then there are desserts that show up wearing tiny Mickey ears. Obviously, we are making room for the second kind.
What is Pumpkin Churro Funnel Cake?
Ashley Craft’s recipe is inspired by a Halloween treat from Hungry Bear Restaurant at Disneyland Resort. The base is a cinnamon funnel cake, but the pumpkin spice ice cream, caramel drizzle, and whipped-cream ears are what push it straight into theme-park-dessert territory.
Pumpkin Churro Funnel Cake recipe
Serves 4
For the funnel cakes
- 48 ounces vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For assembly
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
- 4 scoops pumpkin spice ice cream
- 1 cup canned whipped cream
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil to reach a depth of about 3 inches. Heat until the oil reaches 375°F. Line a half-sized baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and whisk to combine. The batter should be slightly thicker than pancake batter.
- Add 1/2 cup batter to a funnel or spouted measuring cup, keeping the narrow end closed. Starting in the center of the oil, pour batter slowly from the narrow end while spiraling outward. Cook for 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter to make three more cakes.
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and coat each funnel cake in the mixture while it is still hot.
- Transfer the funnel cakes to serving plates. Drizzle each with caramel sauce and place a large scoop of pumpkin spice ice cream in the center. Finish with two squirts of whipped cream above each scoop to make Mickey ears. Serve immediately.
Where did this recipe come from?
Ashley Craft grew up in Anaheim, completed two internships at Walt Disney World, and now shares recipes inspired by Disney Parks foods. Her cookbook includes 100 holiday and seasonal recipes designed to recreate some of that park magic at home.
Excerpted from THE UNOFFICIAL DISNEY PARKS HOLIDAYS COOKBOOK by ASHLEY CRAFT. Copyright © 2024 by ASHLEY CRAFT. Photographs by Harper Point Photography. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
