Popcorn Cake is a super easy no bake dessert recipe that’s great for parties! It has the perfect balance of salty and sweet – with popcorn, pretzels and marshmallows mixed with your favorite candy!
The Best Popcorn Dessert Recipe
This Popcorn cake is one of the most popular recipes on my site since 2009! Gooey, sweet and salty perfection!
This, my friends, is what you call a “Popcorn Cake”. If you’re not a little bit intrigued by this you might need to check your cool kid card at the door.
There is no way that you could frequent this little website of mine and not have the potential of this buttery, salty, sticky sweet cake dotted with M&M’s make your heart skip a beat or three.
This is “want to” food, not “have to” food. It’s a choice you make…
Like we all watch the news and weather because it’s best to know how to dress for the day, or who’s the vice president. But the Bachelor and the Housewives are pure “want to”. Get it?
This cake is the food equivalent to The Bachelor.
I mean, look at this gooey gorgeousness…
The execution is rather simple. Take a look…
You have popcorn, candy, pretzels and melted marshmallow…
Also don’t feel like you’re stuck with M&M’s and pretzels. Sub in chopped Snickers, or Kit Kats…or use potato chips instead of pretzels…or even Rice Krispies to give it some extra crunch!
How to Make No Bake Popcorn Cake
Remove any extra kernels from the popcorn that didn’t pop. Broken teeth aren’t cute y’all.
Then, just stir up the mixture…
And then press it into a lightly greased bundt or tube pan.
Press it down using a sprayed piece of parchment paper…
And let it cool for a about an hour, so it will slice nicely…
Then just invert the pan onto a plate and you’re done!
This is such a fun alternative to a cake at a party!
This has been one of my most popular recipes on the site since 2009 for good reason! Such a fun dessert!
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Popcorn Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Popcorn Cake is a super easy no bake dessert recipe that’s great for parties! It has the perfect balance of salty and sweet – with popcorn, pretzels and marshmallows mixed with your favorite candy!
Ingredients
- 2 bags of microwave popcorn, popped with unpopped kernels removed
- 2 cups M&M’s
- 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel sticks
- 16 oz mini marshmallows (8 cups)
- 1/2 cup butter
Instructions
- Prepare a large tube or bundt pan by spraying with cooking spray.
- You start with 2 bags of buttered microwave popcorn in a large bowl.
- Pick out the kernels that didn’t pop.
- Now mix in 2 cups of M&M’s and 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel sticks.
- Now melt 1 stick of butter over low in a large saucepan or microwave.
- When melted add in a 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows (8 cups)
- Stir until melted and smooth and remove from the heat.
- Allow it to cool for about 2 minutes, while stirring constantly and then pour it over your popcorn mixture.
- Stir until all the ingredients are combined and then press into the prepared pan.
- Cover with foil and let your cake set for at least an hour to cool.
- When you are ready to serve the cake loosen sides of your cake from the pan by running a butter knife around the edges.
- Flip your pan over onto your serving platter.
- Your cake should come out pretty easily.
- You want it to cool completely so it will cut easily.
- Cover tightly and store for up to 1 day.
Notes
store airtight for up to 2 days. Best if eaten same day as made.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 384
- Sugar: 41.4 g
- Sodium: 111.1 mg
- Fat: 15.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 25.2 mg
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Hi – just found this recipe via Pinterest of course! Can I use bagged popcorn? I have that on hand.
My daughter lives on Long Island and I am in Texas…and I wanted to get her a birthday cake (because no one up there will get her one), this will go through the mail and she LOVES popcorn! Thanks for the inspiration!
That’s amazing!!
I made this tonight for my two sons, husband, and niece. It turned out perfectly–so pretty!–and everyone loved it. But I think I loved it the most! Yum-yum. Thanks so much for sharing this fun idea.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS RECIPE I LOVE POPCORN AND CAN’I WAITE TO TRY THIS. LOOKS SO GOOD.
I just thought, “Popcorn Cake- wonder if anyone has invented one of those?” Hopped on Google and -voila- one of my favorite bloggers did it a long time ago! It looks fabulous!
haha, aww thanks 🙂
I’m making this for New Year’s eve!!! can’t wait to try it!!!
OMG…I am SO HAPPY I came across this on Pinterest. I am so going to make this for Christmas!!!
Thank you for this post. My Mom would make me a popcorn cake every year for my birthday as a kid. She passed away in 1990, today is my 38th birthday and thanks to your post I am going to make one for myself 🙂
The cake will be fantastic! c:
I’ll make it with OREOS ! ;D
I just made this for a Halloween party, and it turned out amazing! I used buttered popcorn, peanut butter M&Ms, York Peppermint hard candies, and salted peanuts. YUMMY! Thanks for the recipe!