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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Such a great post. When my kids were little I use to make these all the time, I'm sure they'd like me to make some again. I made many one year and brought one to every party we seemed to go to, everyone got a kick out of them. I like peanuts in them too 🙂 never tried pretzels, the possibilities are endless!!! I colored one pink too.
This was my birthday cake every year when I was a child. But my Mom made it with cheese and butter popcorn (my bday is right after Christmas so we always had left over popcorn from those big tins they sell), and mixed in skittles, peanuts, and hot tamales. I don't like chocolate- I know I'm weird!!!! She makes it with whatever ingredients we have on hand. It's still one of my favorites, my Mom surprised me with one last time I was home.
Delish!!! Nothing beats chocolate and popcorn with a splash of pretzels and a heaping load of marshmallows!!! I actually make my popcorn balls with popcorn and marshmallows and the powder from the jello packets for color and flavor so this is right up my ally!!
Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE this cake!!!! When I first read the title of your post I thought that maybe it would be a cake with "popcorn" made out of frosting ontop of a cake….I had no idea that it would actually be cake made out of popcorn! LOVE it! AND can't wait to make one myself. 🙂
Oh! I cannot wait to try this!! Kerri
This is so fun! I'm sure my boys would love helping me make it…and helping me eat it:) Thanks for sharing!
I have guests coming to stay with us this weekend and I just might make this! It's so colorful & cute!
So fun! I am absolutely going to make this! Great photos too!
Jo-Anna
I posted a link immediately. (ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com). Thank you. Thank you.
Have I told you lately that I love you….
YUM!