It has been my experience that some of the very best recipes come from co-workers and business colleagues. I have worked in several different office settings and in every one of those situations I have gained recipes that became personal and family favorites. I have been lucky enough to work with people who enjoyed office potlucks and sharing treats with others. Maybe this resonates with me because I am such a foodie or maybe I have had extraordinary good fortune.
My very first job was at a local bank as a teller in the summer months. I worked at that bank during my last 2 summers in high school and during my college summers. There was one full time employee there who did a lot of baking during her off hours. She would bring decadent treats to work to share. In fact, I loved her baking so much that I hired her to make my wedding cake. It was so good and really pretty. Today I want to tell you about another recipe that I gained from that friend and co-worker. I have changed it very slightly over the years, but it is basically the same.
I know that this might sound weird, but we are going to make Popcorn Cake. Yep, a cake made from popcorn and a few other delicious ingredients. I used to make this occasionally to take to potlucks or to the office. My mom started to use the recipe to make popcorn balls at Halloween for her grandkids. Those were a big hit! I must have forgotten about this Popcorn Cake for a while or perhaps I didn’t keep it around the house if I did make it. For whatever reason, when I made this a few months ago my elder son, Cody, asked me where this cake had been all his life. He didn’t really remember ever having it. He became a little addicted…oops. So, I knew that I needed to share this with you. After all, the point of this blog is to share what I love and what my family loves with all of you. Make this cake and share the happiness it brings! Popcorn cake is a sweet and unexpected treat that combines popcorn, chocolate candies and nuts with gooey marshmallow. The best way to describe this treat is colorful and happy. I dare you not to smile when you look at it!
Begin by making some good quality popcorn. I like to use a large white or yellow kernel corn and pop it in coconut oil in a large pot on the stove. I do have a popcorn popper that uses oil, but I find that the stovetop method with coconut oil produces no unpopped kernels and very few hulls. I use my large stock pot and lid. I add 1 ½ tablespoons of coconut oil to the pot and turn the heat to high. Add 3 kernels of corn to the pot and wait until all of those have popped before adding ½ cup of popcorn. You can leave the lid off during the time when you only have the 3 kernels in the pot but cover the pot after you have added the ½ cup. Shake the pot every 30 seconds while the corn is popping. When the sounds of popping corn decrease to 1 or 2 pops per 5 seconds remove the pot from the heat. When the popping has subsided entirely you can pour the popped corn into a large bowl and set aside. You will need 10 cups of popped corn so you may need to pop 2 batches as I do. Then you can eat the leftovers with a bit of salt or your preferred seasoning…yum. Do not salt the popcorn for the cake. Try to remove any unpopped corn or large hulls from your popcorn. It is so annoying to bite down on a kernel when you least expect it. Ouch!
Add the popped corn, M&M’s and nuts to a very large bowl that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Now, I use peanut M&M’s and cocktail or dry roasted peanuts. You can use anything that you like. Just make sure that whatever you use can withstand the heat of the melted marshmallow mixture. The chocolate candy really needs to have a candy coating to prevent a big melty brown mess. Nuts are optional entirely but if you don’t use them then you should increase the amount of candy that you add to ensure that each bite of cake has an extra treat.
Wipe out that large pot that you just used for the corn and add the butter. Melt over medium low heat and then add the oil and marshmallows. Stir until melted and smooth.
Remove the pot from the heat and pour this mixture over the popcorn mixture. As quickly as you can stir everything together. Be a little gentle so that the candies don’t get broken and mashed. Some are inevitable, but you want the cake to be pretty.
After everything is combined spoon the mixture into a buttered angel food cake pan. Gently pack it down as tightly as you can. This helps the cake hold its shape after you remove it from the pan. You can use any type of pan that would allow the cake to be removed by inversion. I have never used a 9 X 13 pan, but I suspect that it would work fine. Leave the cake in the pan for about an hour or until completely cooled.
Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan to help loosen the cake. Turn the pan upside down onto a flat plate or cake plate and allow the cake to drop out. My angel food pan has a removable bottom, so I easily push that out and then run a knife along the bottom to remove the cake. Slice the cake with a serrated knife using a sawing motion to get through the candies and nuts without squishing the slices. Enjoy the crunchy, gooey sweetness and be prepared to lick your fingers.
Popcorn Cake
Popcorn cake is a sweet and unexpected treat that combines popcorn, chocolate candies and nuts with gooey marshmallow.
Ingredients
- 16 cups of popped popcorn with hulls and unpopped kernels removed
- 10 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup peanuts (or your preference-optional)
- 2 cups plain or peanut M&M's
Directions
- Step 1 Mix the popcorn, nuts and candies in a large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
- Step 2 Melt the butter in a large pan over low to medium-low heat.
- Step 3 Add the marshmallows and oil and stir until melted and smooth.
- Step 4 Pour the mixture over the popcorn combination carefully and stir gently until all of the popcorn is coated.
- Step 5 Press the mixture firmly into a buttered angel food cake pan (or pan of your choice).
- Step 6 Leave in the pan for about an hour or until cooled completely.
- Step 7 Invert the pan over a plate and remove the cake.
- Step 8 Slice as you would a cake with a serrated knife.
