The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word CROQUETTES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
C
R
O
Q
U
E
T
T
E
S
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Fried cakes" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fried cakes = croquettes.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does CROQUETTES mean?
CROQUETTES noun- A minced, cooked food (usually meat or vegetables), which is deep-fried in fat and sometimes sprinkled with breadcrumbs.