This week’s Halloween treat comes to us from our flesh eating friends on Zombieland! These bloody zombie brain funnel cake sandwiches are as good as it gets as we draw closer to Halloween. Fried mini funnel cakes stuffed with a cinnamon vanilla flavored cream and then drizzled with a blood red icing!
Zombies are underestimated, like my friend Frank in my recent recipe. They are gory, growling and flesh eating, but I can’t seem to get enough of them! I love all shows or movies that they are starring in. Nonetheless, after everything 2020 has brought us, I am pretty sure surviving a zombie apocalypse would be a piece of cake. I literally have enough TP to last us a year or two!
So please don’t be afraid of making this recipe and serve it up on a nice platter at your next halloween shindig!
What equipment do I need?
- Fryer or skillet: I have an amazing old school deep fryer that my Dad gave me and it works amazing. However, you can use a shallow bottom skillet.
- Funnel
- Plastic squeeze bottle
- Pastry ring: See Video below on how to make a DIY ring.
- Tongs
- Baking sheet
- Spatula
Ingredients for the Bloody zombie brain sandwiches
These sandwiches weren’t super time consuming and don’t require a ton of ingredients. Most of them you most likely already have in your pantry!
- All-purpose flour
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk: preferrably whole milk, but 2% can be used as well
- Vanilla extract
- Large egg
- Canola Oil: Can use vegetable oil
- Lemon zest
- Heavy cream
- Red gel food coloring
- Cocoa powder
How to get the icing a blood red color?
It’s actually pretty easy to make the icing a deep red blood color. After the icing is made, add the Wilton Christmas red gel food coloring.
In addition, I added about 1-2 tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder to give it the deep red color. The trick is to let the icing sit for a couple of hours and the color will deepen. This color gives a real bloody look to the zombie brain sandwiches!
How to make the funnel cake sandwiches
First, in a large freezer bag combine the flour, confectioner’s sugar, baking powder and salt. Shake well. Set aside.
Second, in another mixing bowl add the milk, vanilla, lemon zest and egg until combined. Gently, stir the flour mixture into the milk mixture to create a thick batter. Add a funnel to the plastic bottle and slowly pour the batter into the bottle until full.
Third, line a baking sheet with paper towels. Pour enough oil into the fryer and heat it up to 350 degrees. Put your pastry ring into the oil and then zigzag the batter back and forth across itself so that the funnel cake is in a self contained circle.
Lastly, fry the funnel cakes for about 45 seconds. Using tongs, flip the funnel cake over and remove the pastry ring. Cook the other side for another 45 seconds. The funnel cakes should be a light golden brown color. Transfer to the paper towels and repeat with the remaining batter. Set aside.
The cream Filling and blood red icing
This cream filling and icing couldn’t be more perfect for these bloody zombie funnel cake sandwiches!
- With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (1-2 minutes). Add in your confectioner’s sugar and mix on medium until combined. Add in your vanilla and heavy cream and mix on high until light and fluffy. Throw in a pinch of salt and some Cinnamon/Sugar mixture and it’s complete!
- Icing is just confectioner’s sugar, heavy cream or milk and vanilla extract. Mix together until you get the desired consistency. See above how I made it the blood red color!
See video below on how to assemble the sandwiches!
Please enjoy other Halloween treats!
Bloody Zombie brain funnel cake sandwiches
Equipment
- Skillet or deep fryer
- Tongs
- Pastry ring- DIY foil one
- Plastic squeeze bottle
- Baking sheets with paper towels
- spatula
- Home Decor
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Candy thermometer
- Funnel
Ingredients
Mini Zombie Brain funnel cakes
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Blood Red icing glaze
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- red food coloring gel
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Cream filling
- ¾ cup salted butter room temperature
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon sugar
Instructions
Mini zombie brain funnel cakes
- In a ziplock bag, combine the flour, confectioner's sugar, baking powder and salt. Shake and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the milk, vanilla, lemon zest and egg until well combined.
- Gently stir the milk into the flour mixture to create and thick batter. Then, pour the batter into the plastic squeeze bottle.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Pour vegetable oil into the skillet to reach about ½ inch depth and heat until the oil reaches 350° on candy thermometer.
- Place pastry ring in then center of the oil. Squeeze the batter from the bottle, moving it back and forth and connecting pieces of dough in a zigzag pattern.
- Cook the mini funnel cakes, a couple at a time, for about 45 seconds. Using the tongs, flip the funnel cake over, and if using the pastry ring remove it. Cook the funnel cake until a light golden brown in color and not doughy on the inside. Transfer the funnel cake to the baking sheet lined with paper towels and repeat with the remaining batter.
Blood red icing glaze
- In a mixing bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well until you get a smooth consistency. Add the red gel food coloring. You may also add cocoa powder if you want a deeper red.
Cream filling
- With the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium for about 1 minute until smooth and creamy.
- Add the confectioner's sugar and beat for another 1-2 minutes. Pour in the vanilla and heavy cream and beat on high until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Fold in cinnamon sugar.
Assembly of the sandwiches
- Take two mini funnel cakes, add the cream filling to one of the cakes and top it with another mini cake. Drizzle the blood red icing on top and around the cakes. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Fun fact of the day!
Australia is the safest place if there was a zombie apocalypse. Sydney here I come!