Home » How To » How To Reheat » 5 Fast Methods For How To Reheat Funnel Cake From The Fair
By Author Renee Groskreutz
Posted on Last updated:
Categories How To, How To Reheat
Are you wondering how to warm up a funnel cake? Bring back that yummy goodness of your favorite fair food using five essential reheating techniques!
There are just some tasty treats that can bring out the kid in you and funnel cake is no exception. It’s sweet, puffy, crisp, and a bit greasy—heaven!—especially when garnished with crazy amounts of powder sugar.
Funnel cake isn’t “real” cake. The traditional funnel cake recipe is made by pouring a light batter into hot cooking oil and deep frying it until golden brown.
It’s finished with favorite toppings such as whipped cream, fresh strawberries, strawberry jams, or ice cream sprinkled with powdered sugar and chocolate chips.
Be still, my hardened arteries.
Today, I’m going to share some tips and methods on how to reheat funnel cake on a stovetop, an toaster oven, conventional oven, air fryer, and microwave.
Fun fact: The name “funnel cake” was derived from the method of squeezing the batter through a funnel in a circular motion into hot oil, achieving that swirly, ropey pattern.
Table of Contents
Can you reheat leftover funnel cake?
Yes, you can reheat leftover funnel cake.
Here are five ways to warm up the sweet treat: on a stovetop, a toaster oven, conventional oven, air fryer, and microwave.
But before you start reheating your leftover cakes, decide first whether you want them soft or crispy.
For a crispier funnel cake, I recommend warming them up using the oven method. If you prefer your leftover, homemade funnel cakes to be soft, then the best method to use is microwaving.
How to reheat funnel cake—the various methods with steps
Sure, funnel cake is an easy recipe, but reheating the food can be tricky.
Give them too little oven heat for too long, you’re going to have dry cakes. Leave them unsupervised in the microwave and you will end up having burnt funnel cakes.
To reheat funnel cake perfectly, follow the methods below and monitor them closely as they heat up.
How to reheat funnel cake using the oven method
Estimated time to reheat: 10 minutes
The best way to reheat a funnel cake in case you’re aiming for that crispy indulgence is in the conventional oven.
The first thing you need to consider when using this method is that powdered sugar can burn in the oven. So it’s best to remove them from the cake to avoid that unpleasant, burnt taste.
This method also works best when you have a large amount of funnel cake that you plan on reheating and serving to a huge crowd.
Here’s how you can heat funnel cake in your oven:
Tools needed:
- Leftover funnel cake
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Aluminum foil
- Conventional oven
Instructions for how to reheat funnel cake in the oven:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange leftover funnel cakes on the baking sheet.
- To keep your cakes from drying out, use aluminum foil to cover the tray.
- Bake the funnel cakes for 10 minutes. Remove the foil after 8 minutes.
- Remo
Pro tip: The time it takes for funnel cakes to warm up depends on their size and the number of your cakes.
To warm up one funnel cake in the oven, put it directly on the middle rack and reheat for three minutes at 450°F.
How to reheat funnel cake in a toaster oven
Estimated time to reheat: 10 minutes
Toaster oven is a great option for reheating your leftover funnel cakes. Warming up the cakes using this reheating technique is pretty similar to the oven method. Here’s how to do it:
Tools needed:
- Leftover funnel cakes
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum foil
- Parchment paper
- Toaster oven
- Toppings
Instructions for how to reheat funnel cake in the toaster oven:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange leftover funnel cakes on the baking sheet.
- Cover your tray with aluminum foil to avoid the cakes from drying out.
- Bake the funnel cakes for 8 minutes. Remove the foil after 5 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let the cakes sit.
- Top your funnel cakes with caramel sauce and powdered sugar, as desired.
Pro tip: The thing is, sugar can get easily burnt in the toaster oven. So in case you have powdered sugar on your leftover funnel cakes, it’s highly recommended to remove it before reheating the cakes in the toaster oven.
How to reheat funnel cake on a stovetop
Estimated time to reheat: 1-2 minutes
This reheating method is another easy way to warm up a funnel cake. Using a little bit of oil, you can make those leftover cakes nice and crispy just like they’re freshly made!
Here’s how you can reheat leftover funnel cakes on the stovetop:
Tools needed:
- Leftover funnel cakes
- Neutral-flavored oil, peanut or coconut oil
- Frying pan
- Spatula
- Stovetop
Instructions for how to reheat funnel cake on the stovetop:
- Heat your frying pan on medium heat.
- Add a tablespoon of neutral-flavored oil to the pan.
- Place the funnel cakes in and reheat for a minute. Use a spatula to flip them after 30 seconds.
- Flip them back over and give the cakes another minute to heat up.
- Remove your reheated funnel cakes from the pan and enjoy!
Pro tip: It’s important to flip your funnel cakes and reheat the top for only 30 seconds to avoid burning the sugar.
How to reheat funnel cake in an air fryer
Estimated time to reheat: 3-4 minutes
Air fryers have become popular in the past few years and they’re a great way to reheat funnel cakes quickly, and of course—with less grease than traditional stovetop frying.
And just like the oven method, it’s recommended to remove the powdered sugar on the cakes before warming them up in your air fryer to avoid a burnt mess.
Here’s how to reheat funnel cake in an air fryer:
Tools needed:
- Leftover funnel cakes
- Air fryer
Instructions for how to reheat funnel cakes in an air fryer:
- Preheat your air fryer to 350°F.
- Place the funnel cakes inside the air fryer basket. Leave enough space between them.
- Reheat your funnel cakes for 3 to 4 minutes. Warm them up for another minute if necessary.
- Remove the cakes from the air fryer and serve.
How to reheat funnel cake in a microwave
Estimated time to reheat: 20 to 30 seconds
The microwave method is the best way to reheat funnel cakes when you’re short on time.
But depending on the size of your funnel cake, you might need a little more or less time, but it should take about 30 to 45 seconds for your soft funnel cake to reheat thoroughly.
Microwaving does a number of terrible things to baked goods if they are left in too long, but this can be prevented with a few simple steps:
Tools needed:
- Leftover funnel cakes
- Microwave-safe plate
- Paper towel
- Microwave
Instructions for how to reheat funnel cakes in a microwave:
- Place a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate.
- Put your funnel cake on the plate.
- Cover the cake with a paper towel.
- Reheat the funnel cake for 20 seconds on high.
- Flip the cake and warm it up for another 10 to 15 seconds.
- Remove it from the microwave and enjoy your delicious
Pro tip: For best results, follow the CookingChew 4Ts method of microwaving: turn, time, test, and taste!
TURN food over, watch the TIME, TEST for doneness, then TASTE the food.
How to store leftover funnel cake
Similar to funnel cake bites, your leftover funnel cake should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a day. When kept chilled, the food could last for up to four days.
Here’s how to store leftover funnel cake:
Tools needed:
- Leftover funnel cakes
- Airtight container with lid
- Parchment paper, paper towel
Instructions for how to store funnel cakes:
- Place leftover funnel cakes in an airtight container or zip baggie.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper or paper towel between them. This helps absorb any grease and keeps them from sticking to each other.
- Cover the container and store it on your kitchen counter for a day, or in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Tips and tricks
Here are some tips and tricks to properly reheat your funnel cakes to achieve that crispy (or soft) texture like they’re (almost) freshly made!
- If you’re using your microwave to warm up funnel cakes, follow the 4Ts method of microwaving: turn, time, test, and taste.
- In case you don’t want to warm up your kitchen, consider reheating the cakes in a microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven.
- Don’t leave your funnel cakes unsupervised during microwaving or they’ll turn into a chewy, overcooked mess.
- It’s recommended to tap off as much confectioner’s sugar as possible before warming them up in your air fryer, conventional oven, and toaster oven.
- When reheating funnel cake on the stovetop, flip it, and cook the top for only 30 seconds to avoid burning the sugar.
- To warm up one funnel cake in the oven, put it directly on the middle rack and reheat for three minutes at 450°F.
- If you’re planning to reheat a large amount of funnel cake, choose the oven method.
- If you prefer your funnel cakes to be soft, the best method to use is microwaving.
- You only need a little bit of oil when reheating funnel cakes on the stovetop as they have already soaked up oil once.
The bottom line
Funnel cakes are one of the most popular fair food items. I found a homemade funnel cake recipe online and it really looks good!
I hope that you appreciate this comprehensive guide on how to reheat funnel cake.
When you have leftover funnel cakes, try the methods that I’ve listed above to figure out which one you like the most.
🍟 Want some tips for reheating fries? 🍟
How To Reheat Funnel Cakes: Oven Method
Reheating funnel cakes in the oven is inarguably the way to do it. Follow these simple steps to reheat your leftover funnel cakes.
Ingredients
- Leftover funnel cake
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Aluminum foil
- Conventional oven
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange leftover funnel cakes on the baking sheet.
- To keep your cakes from drying out, use aluminum foil to cover the tray.
- Bake the funnel cakes for 10 minutes. Remove the foil after 8 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven and top with cinnamon sugar or confectioner’s sugar as desired.
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