PREPARATION:

1. Place the pancake mix in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, egg, yolk, and vanilla. Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and stir to combine well. Put the batter in a measuring cup with a pouring spout or similar.
2. Fill a cast iron skillet with approximately 1/2" oil. Heat until 325-350°.
3. Hold a funnel over the oil, a couple of inches from the surface. Pour approx 1/4 of the batter into the funnel and working from the center, drizzle a web of batter over and around to create an approx 6" disk. Some holes are good, but make sure there’s enough overlap to facilitate turning.
4. When the bottom is brown (doesn’t take long), turn cake (away from you), over to the other side (grabbing with a tong about 3/4 of the bottom and top worked well), and finish cooking until brown.
5. Remove funnel cake to a paper-lined plate and dust with sugar (powdered sugar is traditional, but I liked them best showered with cinnamon sugar right out of the fat – nice texture).