Dessert: Banana Split Funnel Cake

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup Strawberry Syrup, plus more for garnishing, recipe follows
2 eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Powdered sugar, for dusting.
4 cups vanilla ice cream
2 cups strawberries, sliced
4 bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick
Chocolate sauce, for drizzling
1 cup heavy cream, whipped and sweetened with 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
8 maraschino cherries, with stems

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, Strawberry Syrup and eggs in a medium bowl. Make a well in the flour mixture, and then pour in the egg mixture and whisk until well combined. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Heat 1 inch of oil in a medium straight-sided skillet to 375 degrees F. Spoon 3/4 cup of the batter into a funnel with a 1/2-inch tip, keeping the opening at the bottom closed with your finger. Place the funnel over the skillet, release your finger and pour the batter through the funnel, moving to create a round, lacy funnel cake no bigger than 7 inches in diameter (or as big or small as you want!), creating thick, even strands so the cake cooks evenly. Fry the cake until beginning to brown and crisp, 2 minutes, and then flip and cook until done, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and keep in the warm oven as you finish making the funnel cakes in batches. To serve, place 1 funnel cake on each plate and dust with powdered sugar. Top each with 2 scoops of ice cream, some strawberries and bananas and drizzle with chocolate sauce and leftover Strawberry Syrup. Finish with the sweetened whipped cream, pecans, if using, and a maraschino cherry.
Combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon zest and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Puree in a food processor, strain and let cool before using. Yield: 1 cup.

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