Make Ahead

Popcorn-Toasted Cereal Cake

April  3, 2013
4
2 Ratings
  • Makes a bundt tin
Author Notes

Freshly popped corn, toasted cereal, marshmallows, pretzels and M&M's. Buttery. Nutty. sweet. Crunchy. Chocolatey. Popcorn cake.

I first made this for my sister's baby shower, where it was devoured in a matter of minutes.

While you can make this with microwave popcorn, I prefer to pop mine. Having made this a few times, I've also learnt many lessons: using large marshmallows will cause your sauce to 'burn' - best to use mini ones.

You can vary the bits and pieces you add in but some combo of sweet and savoury is divine.

In all honesty, this is best made and eaten on the same day....not that it would last that long! —Kitchen Butterfly

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 10 cups of freshly popped corn ( I made mine using about 1/2 cup of corn kernels)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 scant cup granola (or crunchy, toasted cereal of your choice)
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips (1/2 cup to make the marshmallow sauce, and 1/2 to toss with the popcorn)
  • 3/4 scant cup M&Ms ( regular or peanut, up to you)
  • 1/2 cup broken (not crushed/ground) crispy pretzel sticks
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
Directions
  1. Prepare a 10" tube or bundt pan by spraying with cooking spray. (You can use a large pan but your cake won't be as high. It wont affect the deliciousness though...) Place the freshly popped corn in a large, wide bowl, being careful to remove the un-popped kernels. To jazz up plain popcorn, drizzle 1/4 cup of melted butter over the popcorn, add a pinch of salt and toss well to combine. Let cool completely, about 5 - 10 minutes.
  2. Add the cereal, M&M€™s, broken pretzel sticks and 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips to the popcorn. Toss and set aside while you prepare the 'sauce' which will make it a cake.
  3. In a large saucepan, melt the 1/4 cup of room temperature butter, over low heat. Add the mini marshmallows and the remaining 1/2 cup white chocolate chips. Stir until melted and smooth - a few minutes. Be careful not to turn your back on he sauce as it so easily burns.
  4. Remove from heat, let the sauce cool down for about 5 minutes before pouring it over your popcorn-cereal mix. Too soon and the heat will cause the popcorn to shrink into nothingness - not very pleasant! Stir all the ingredients together till combined, then fill the pan and press in.
  5. Cover with foil and let the popcorn cake set for at least an hour, up to 4 hours.
  6. Once set, gently run a table/butter knife round the rim. Invert your pan over a serving platter et voila, your cake is here. Beautiful, and totally delicious. Cover tightly and store for up to 1 day. Ours didn'€™t last an hour. Every grain that was left, was eaten off the table and off the platter.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • mrslarkin
    mrslarkin
  • Kitchen Butterfly
    Kitchen Butterfly
  • Desert Dryad
    Desert Dryad
I love food and I'm interested in making space for little-heard voices, as well as celebrating Nigerian cuisine in its entirety.

4 Reviews

Desert D. April 5, 2013
I love this - it looks like the food Snoopy makes in A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!
 
Kitchen B. April 5, 2013
:-) Thanks DD. I could eat half of one myself!
 
mrslarkin April 3, 2013
Fun!!
 
Kitchen B. April 5, 2013
Thanks Mrs L. Perfect fun for adults and kids too!