This post has been sponsored by Frito-Lay. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Patriotic Marshmallow Popcorn Cake is the perfect, easy dessert to make for summer holiday parties.
Buttered popcorn is coated with melted marshmallows, and candy coated chocolate pieces are swirled in too. It’s all pressed into a bundt pan and then we can call it “cake!” It’s such a simple recipe to make, and it’s totally festive and fun for summer!
I’ve partnered with Frito Lay to showcase a few of their brands this summer. Today’s featured brand is their Smartfood® Movie Theater Butter Popcorn.
How to Make a Patriotic Marshmallow Popcorn Cake
You only need 5 ingredients to make this Patriotic Marshmallow Popcorn Cake:
- Smartfood® Movie Theater Butter Popcorn
- Marshmallows
- Butter
- Candy coated chocolate pieces
- festive sprinkles
First you’ll melt the butter and the marshmallows together to create the perfect sweet coating for the popcorn.
Then you’ll add the popcorn to the pan and stir until all the popcorn is coated with the melted marshmallow mixture. At this point, it’s a good idea to set it aside and let it cool down a bit. If you’re wishing to work more quickly, you can transfer the mixture to a large bowl and that will speed up the cool-down process.
Once things have cooled down, it’s time to stir in the candy pieces. I used red, white and blue in this recipe in anticipation of festive, patriotic summer parties… but you can certainly use whatever colors you’d like.
The mixture is pressed into a classic bundt pan. After giving it some time to rest and firm up a little bit, you’ll turn the popcorn cake onto a serving platter and press some sprinkles into the top of the cake.
If you’re serving this popcorn cake at a summer party, I recommend heading to a party or craft store and picking up coordinating color decorations. Colorful, plastic platters and festive table linens are pretty inexpensive, and they add so much pizzazz to your summer table decor.
I grabbed some star-topped toothpicks and popped them into the cake to add an extra wow-factor to my patriotic theme.
When you’re ready to serve, this popcorn cake cuts neatly with a serrated knife. I recommend picking up slices and eating it with your hands instead of asking your guests to eat it with a fork. It’s perfect as a hand-held dessert. Everyone will love the buttery marshmallow and popcorn combination with crunchy chocolate pieces mixed in.
No one wants to turn on the oven in the summer, so this no-bake recipe is a good one to try. It’s so simple and delicious!
If you’re looking for more delicious and easy recipes to serve at your summer parties, you might enjoy including my Grilled Watermelon Salad or this perfect Summer Macaroni Salad. And this Red, White and Blue Finger Jello would be a fun addition too.
Patriotic Marshmallow Popcorn Cake
Ingredients
- 16 ounces marshmallows
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 12 cups Smartfood Movie Theater Butter Popcorn
- 1 1/2 cups red/white/blue candy coated chocolate pieces
- red/white/blue sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the marshmallows and stir to melt. When the mixture is smooth, add the popcorn and stir to coat. Let it cool down a bit (or transfer to a large bowl to speed up the cooling process), then stir in the candy pieces. You don't want to add the candy pieces when the mixture is too hot because you don't want to melt the chocolate!
- Spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray. Transfer the popcorn mixture to the bundt pan and press evenly into the pan. Let sit for a few minutes, then pop the cake out onto a platter, and pat some sprinkles into the top of the cake. Let it sit until it's a bit more firm before cutting and serving.
- Cover leftovers with plastic wrap and enjoy over the next couple of days.
My aunt always made marshmallow popcorn balls at Thanksgiving. I think I’m going to do this and make them into balls instead of in the cake pan.
Great idea!