Crunchy popcorn, roasted peanuts, chocolate candies and ooey-gooey marshmallows make this Popcorn Cake chewy and full of sweet and salty crunch.
Sweet, Simple, Awesome
This ooey-gooey Popcorn Cake is full of crunchy popcorn, salty roasted peanuts, sweet chocolaty M&Ms and sticky, yummy marshmallows. If you’re looking for a fun sweet treat to easily make and successfully serve, look no further. Kids and adults all love it!
A Family Favorite
I come from a family of great cooks and we have a whole cookbook full of just our family’s favorite recipes that I love sharing with y’all. This popcorn cake is one those recipes. My mom made this cake so many times when we were growing up for birthday parties, school events or just a fun weekend treat.
Watch Me Make Popcorn Cake
Step into the kitchen with me to make this chewy, gooey no-bake popcorn cake!
Sweet and Salty Popcorn Cake
Have you ever thrown a few M&M’s into your popcorn while snacking on it? Well, if not, it’s a must try. The sweet and salty combo of popcorn and M&M’s is out of this world. This cake takes my favorite combo over the top with the addition of melted marshmallows and salty peanuts for added crunch. Oh my yum!
It’s chewy, gooey and full of sweet and salty crunch. It’s one of those cakes that keeps you coming back for more. No baking required and this fun and festive cake can be pulled together in no time!
How to Make Stovetop Popcorn
Check out my Basics series to learn how to make popcorn on the stovetop that pops up fluffy and crunchy every time!
What Do I Need to Make a Peanut Popcorn Cake?
- Popcorn (8 cups of popped popcorn is about 2 bags of microwave popcorn or 1/2 cup of popped popcorn kernels)
- Unsalted butter
- Miniature marshmallows
- Dry roasted peanuts
- M&M’s candies
- Bundt cake pan
- Nonstick cooking spray
How to Make Popcorn Cake
- Generously spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Be careful to remove all unpopped kernels from the popped popcorn. Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and marshmallows until smooth. Immediately pour over popcorn and gently toss until all popcorn is coated. Add the peanuts and M&M’s.
- Gently stir until well distributed throughout the popcorn.
- Press the popcorn mixture evenly into the prepared bundt pan.
- Let set for about 10 minutes before running a table knife around the edges and inverting onto a serving plate. Let set for at least another 10 minutes before cutting into slices with a sharp knife.
- This cake is best served within 3 days of making. Store leftovers, covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to three days.
- This recipe could also be made into popcorn balls or bars. You can make it even more festive by coordinating the colors of the M&M’s with the theme of your party or holiday.
More of My Favorite No-Bake Recipes
From nutritious energy bites and hearty granola to dreamy and decadent icebox pies, my Favorite No-Bake Recipes leave nothing out but the oven. Skip the heat and enjoy these delicious no-bake eats!
If you make this Popcorn Cake and post a pic to social, be sure to tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see! 😍 I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes and ideas I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Popcorn Cake
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 15
- Category: Dessert
Description
This Popcorn Cake is chewy, gooey and full of sweet and salty crunch.
Ingredients
- 8 cups popped popcorn
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 (10 ounce) packages miniature marshmallows
- 3/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, optional
- 1 and 1/4 cups M&M’s candies
Instructions
- Generously spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Be careful to remove all unpopped kernels from the popped popcorn. Place the popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and marshmallows until smooth. Immediately pour over the popcorn and gently toss until all popcorn is coated.
- Gently stir in the peanuts and M&M’s until well distributed throughout the popcorn.
- Press the popcorn mixture evenly into the prepared bundt pan. Let set for about 10 minutes before running a table knife around the edges and inverting onto a serving plate. Let set for at least another 10 minutes before cutting into slices with a sharp knife.
Notes
8 cups of popped popcorn is about 2 bags of microwave popcorn or 1/2 cup of popped popcorn kernels.
This cake is best served within 3 days of making. Store leftovers, covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to three days.
Recipe could also be made into popcorn balls or bars. You can make it even more festive by coordinating the colors of the M&M’s with the theme of your party or holiday.
You need 5 QUARTS of popcorn not 8 cups! This recipe is now a marshmallow cake not a popcorn cake! Still good but half the size it should be.
Hi Cynthia! I’ve made this cake tons of times and 8 cups of popcorn is accurate. It’s equal to about 2 bags of popped microwave popcorn or about 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels popped. I hope this helps and that you get to enjoy it soon!
This failed for me big time. It seemed too gooey, so I didn’t even use all the marshmallow mixture, but the entire thing seemed too “wet” and it basically compressed down into the pan and looked awful. The popcorn tasted stale the same night. I used a silicone bundt pan, which made it easy to remove the cake…I can’t imagine that the was the problem. I have no idea, but sad I wasted all those M&Ms!
Hi Sarah! Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that. Did you follow all of the ingredient measurements and instructions exactly? It sounds like you might not have had enough popcorn in there. Was the popcorn popped fresh? Or possibly too much butter? It should be gooey, but not wet. I hope you get to try it again soon with great success because it’s such a great treat!
Love this. Used to make it for my kids often. One quick hint is to freeze the M&M’s before stirring in so they do not melt!
I burned it and had to restart, then dropped it but other wise VERY GOOD!
We added a cup of chopped pretzels and some cashews. Also, seemed too gooey so we added another 4 cups popcorn. The real test is t)3 football game tomorrow night.
This is so cute! Marshmallow popcorn was a staple in my house growing up! Can’t go wrong with marshmallow and peanut M&Ms! 🙂