Popcorn Cake Recipe

When you are looking to make something sweet to take to bake sale or pot-luck and you want something besides, brownies or cupcakes, this easy to make Popcorn Cake recipe will be a hit with both young and old. 

I used to make Popcorn Cake on a weekly basis when my daughters were growing up. It was a great recipe to make to take to bake sales as it looks so unique and colorful among all the brownies on the table.

Popcorn Cakes also work well for Easter when I form them to look like pastel little nests.

Popcorn Cake formed into cupcakes and placed on Easter grass lined cake stand.

Popcorn Cake Recipe

When you make them into round balls they are fun to eat after sports practice, parties, and can be made in 20 minutes.  They are sort of like Rice Krispie treats, but with a twist.

I made these as Easter treats using pastel M&M’s, but you can alter what color candy you add for any holiday or occasion.

Popcorn-Cake recipe made into lollipop shapes with sticks poked into them. Ribbon tied around sticks and placed on Easter grass.

You can even make the Popcorn cakes into lolli-“pops” by sticking a lollipop stick into each one after rolling it and pressing it flat with the palm of your hand. Making them this way will look very festive in Easter baskets.

Popcorn Cake Recipe

When you are looking to make something sweet to take to bake sale or pot-luck and you want something besides, brownies or cupcakes, this easy to make Popcorn Cake recipe will be a hit with both young and old. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: popcorn snack
Servings: 24 cakes
Calories: 799kcal
Cost: $12.00

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon popped pop corn
  • 1-1/2 cups salted peanuts
  • 1- 1/2 cups pastel M & M’s
  • 1 stick margarine or butter
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 16 ounces mini marshmallows

Instructions

  • Mix together in a large bowl: popped pop corn, peanuts and M & M’s. Set aside.
  • Mix together and boil for 2 minutes: margarine or butter, vegetable oil and mini-marshmallows until melted. 
  • Pour melted mixture over popcorn mix and mix well.
  • Rub vegetable oil over hands before forming popcorn cake mixture into shapes so the mixture will not stick to your hands.
    While mixture is still warm make one of these variations:
    – Shape into balls and place in cupcake liners.
    – Shape into balls and then on a sheet of wax paper, flatten with palm of hand to make lollipops – push a lollipop stick into each, let cool. 
    – Press into baking pan and cut as you would cut a brownie. 
  • When taking them on a plate or container, use wax paper in-between the layers to lessen each cut of the popcorn cake from sticking to the others.

Nutrition

Calories: 799kcal | Carbohydrates: 140g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 456mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 19g | Calcium: 26mg

How to Make Popcorn Cake Step-By-Step 

Popcorn-Cake-ingredients on kitchen counter
  1. Melt the marshmallows, margarine, and oil in a pot.
Popcorn-Cake ingredients cooking on stovetop.

2. Let boil for 2 minutes

Popcorn-Cake-Marshmallow-mixture melting in pot on stove

3. Mix popped corn, peanuts, and M&M’s together in a large bowl.

A big bowl filled with Popcorn-Cake-ingredients mixed-with-M&Ms

4. When marshmallow mixture is melted, pour over pop corn mixture.

How to make Popcorn-cake-recipe shown step by step. Mixing all the melted ingredients together.

and mix well.

Popcorn-cake-mixed in bowl.

5. Rub vegetable oil over your hands, then shape the mixture into balls. If you don’t do this the mixture will stick to your hands and you won’t be able to mold into balls.  I made mine a bit smaller than a tennis ball.  Place on foil, wax or parchment paper.

Popcorn mix formed into balls on sheet of foil.

6. Place each ball in a cupcake liner.

Popcorn-cakes made from recipe on Easter decorated plate
A big pile of pastel covered M & M's and popcorn.

For more tasty recipe ideas head over to my Favorite Recipe Gallery.

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21 Comments

  1. Marianne A. says:

    I love your recipe archive (gonna try the strawberry pie). May I suggest that you should add your hot buttered rum recipe!!!

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Marianne – It was cold, rainy and chilly over the Easter weekend. Hot Buttered Rums would have been perfect to serve. It is delish. I hope you had a sweet Easter.

  2. Rebecca Payne says:

    I love this recipe. Thank you for sharing.

  3. Hello, I just made this recipe but had an issue with the butter, oil, and marshmallow mixture. The directions say boil for 2 minutes, until melted. The mixture doesn’t actually mix together to become a smooth mixture like your photo. Can you please clarify how you make you mixture? I’ve never used oil in Rice Krispies… thanks, Ashley

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Ashley – When you add the butter, oil and marshmallows in the pot to melt, are you stirring the mix as it heats to a boil? On a medium to high heat setting, it should take about 2 minutes for the ingredients to melt. If it is not melting together and you are stirring, then maybe up the heat and keep stirring while it melts. It may look lumpy where a few of the mini marshmallows didn’t melt all the way. This is OK

  4. I tried this with mini eggs and they melted when I poured the marshmallow mix. How did you get the m&ms to not melt?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Jessica –

      I used M & M’s – they don’t melt. If you want to use the eggs – try mixing the eggs in last after you have mixed the melted butter/oil/marshmallows in to the popcorn. This way it will be a bit cooler and won’t melt the eggs. Happy Easter.

  5. How much popcorn is one gallon??

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Sarah – I always bought a pre-popped bag in the snack aisle at the grocery store and measured out 16 cups. You can use more or less depending on how gooey you want the cake to be.

  6. how much is one stick of butter?

    1. Diane Henkler says:

      Hi Shawna – One stick of butter is one half-cup of butter. :)

  7. Kaysi @ Keeping It SImple says:

    My favorite is mini cadbury eggs!!! They are so good, I just ate a handful actually :)

    Kaysi
    kaysiscrafts@gmail.com

  8. I am SO making this for the kids on Sunday!

    Oh…my favorite Easter candy is either the Reese Peanut Butter Eggs or our local candy factory’s Peanut Butter Melt-a-Way Egg!

  9. Wow- I have never heard of these. They look AMAZING. I wish I could make them tonight… so many of my favorite things. I’ll be linking in my next Crafty Food Roundup.

  10. Oh, these look divine! My daughter..who just so happens to Lu-UV m&m’s and popcorn will have fits over these.

    And I will be the best mom ever. Well, for a little while anyway.

  11. Suzan Oxenreider says:

    My favorite Easter candy is Dove Dark Chocolate eggs. Just thinking about them makes me a little light-headed…

  12. Diane @ InMyOwnStyle says:

    I have never tried Peeps frozen, but that sounds delicious way to enjoy them and they would never get stale. Nancy – If it is made of dark chocolate I LOVE it. I am going to have to try one. I like my Reeses chopped up in ice cream, yummm

  13. Rebekah W says:

    My favorite Easter candy is Peeps…frozen!
    ~Rebekah

  14. Yummy, the girls and I will have to try this, give me anything with M&M’s and happy. Hope you had a great weekend.

    Cha CHa

  15. Nancy Hamilton says:

    My favorite Easter candy is anything Reeses, and now they have dark chocolate Reeses…pure heaven!