Popcorn Cake

Gooey,  sweet and salty perfection — Cookies And Cups

Gooey gorgeousness —  Homemade Hannah

Yum — A Solitary Feast

Just so we are clear, this is not a traditional cake decorated to look like a box of movie theater popcorn.  This cake is actual popcorn held together with a stick of butter and a bag of melted marshmallows with some kind of candy thrown in just in case it isn’t sweet enough.

Do I really need to say anything more about this cake?  This cake has been in my family since I was a little kid.  You really can use any candy here but gummy candies or chocolate work the best. Yes, you can use microwave popcorn but why would you want to?  Stove top popcorn is so easy to make and tastes so much better.   By the way,  this recipe is not small batch.

• Difficulty: Medium
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From A Recipe My Mom Gave Me

20 cups of popped popcorn,  remove unpopped corn kernels

1 stick of butter

1 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows or 1 12 oz bag regular marshmallows

1 10 – 12 oz bag M n M’s

Pop your popcorn and sift through it for any unpopped kernels.  Place in very large bowl.  In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt the stick of butter.  Add the marshmallows.  Stir the marshmallows until they are melted, smooth and mixed with the butter.  Let the marshmallows sit a minute or two, off heat, to cool.  Pour the marshmallows into the popcorn, add the M n M’s and mix, with hands coated in butter until well combined.  Pack into a well buttered Angel food cake pan or Bundt pan.   Let sit for 1 hour before serving. 

Popcorn Balls

I love popcorn balls and starting in October and going through the Holidays they are everywhere. As much as I love popcorn balls, I try to resist them. Why? Because I am always disappointed in store bought popcorn balls’ dry texture and lack of flavor. I want the marshmallowy goodness of the popcorn cakes my mom used to make when I was a kid. To achieve that I was going to have to figure out how to make my own popcorn balls.

It isn’t hard to make popcorn balls but there are a few things to remember.

1. Take time to sort the old maids from your popcorn before you cover them with marshmallow mixture. Your teeth will thank you for it later.

2. The marshmallow mixture is hot enough to burn you so let it cool down for a few minutes before mixing it with the popcorn.

3. To prevent the popcorn/marshmallow mixture from sticking to your hands, rub them all over with a couple tablespoons of butter.

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
1/3 cup unpopped popcorn
3 TBS butter
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Place a 3 1/2 quart, or larger, saucepan over high heat. Let the empty saucepan sit on the heat for a minute or two. When it is hot, add the oil and three popcorn kernels. When the three kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn. Cover and shake the pan once or twice. Cook, shaking constantly as the popcorn rapidly pops to prevent burning. When the popping slows down to a count of three between pops, remove from stove and pour into a big bowl. Spend some time sorting through the popcorn to remove all the unpopped popcorn kernels.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, over medium heat. Add the marshmallow and stir until the marshmallows melted and combined with the butter. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and let it cool for a minute while you butter your hands. Using your hands mix the popcorn into the marshmallows until well coated. Press the popcorn into a one cup dry measuring cup coated with non-stick cooking spray to help form the balls. Remove the popcorn ball from the measuring cup and let cool completely on a sheet of waxed paper. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container.

Adapted from my mom’s Popcorn cake recipe

Stove Top Popcorn

The best part of going to the movies is bucket of popcorn big enough to feed a small country with double the butter flavored goop. Not even my weight watcher leader telling me how many calories were in that bucket of popcorn could dim my love of that salty, buttery flavored junk. Unfortunately, or is that fortunately, I don’t get to go to the movies often.

Although it isn’t possible to duplicate movie theater exactly at home you can come close. First of all, ditch the air popper and microwave garbage. For really good popcorn you got go old school and pop your corn on the stove top. Second, use coconut oil for your oil. It is what gives the popcorn that movie theater taste. If you don’t have any coconut oil feel free to use any oil you have that has a high smoke point. I use canola oil and it makes good popcorn too. Third, use real butter not margarine.

• Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients
1 TBS coconut or canola oil
1/3 cup popping corn
2 TBS butter

Place a 3 1/2 quart, or larger, saucepan over high heat. Let the empty saucepan sit on the heat for a minute or two. When it is hot, add the oil and three popcorn kernels. When the three kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn. Cover and shake the pan once or twice. Cook, shaking constantly as the popcorn rapidly pops to prevent burning. When the popping slows down to a count of three between pops, remove from stove and pour into a big bowl. Melt the butter, pour over the popcorn and gently mix to combine. Add salt or flavoring of choice and mix to combine again.

— If you use a 3 1/2 quart saucepan, you may need to empty the pan about half way through the cooking time.