$impli$tic $avings: Fun Recipe: Popcorn Cake!

The Ingredients...

Every Sunday we have a big family dinner and for a special treat this week I decided to make a Popcorn Cake! It is a great way to use all some of those Baking supplies and FREE candy we have been picking up lately in a different way :)

Ingredients:

4 Quarts (16 cups) of popped Popcorn
1 bag (10 oz.) of Marshmallows ( I used the Carmel Swirl ones I picked up at Winco!)
1 stick of Butter or Margarine
2-3 Cups of miscellaneous Candies. I used a 2 bags of M&Ms that I picked up at Rite Aid, about 1/2 cup of cocktail peanuts and chocolate chips, and 6 chopped up mini Twix that were left over from Halloween. You can toss just about any kind of candy into this, or none at all!

Directions:

Pop the Popcorn and spread out on a sheet pan to pick out old maids.

Remove all the unpopped kernels, they take all the fun out of eating this cake!

Once that is done, measure out the 16 cups you will need and put in it the biggest bowl you have. This recipe has a lot of volume!

Melt the Butter and the Marshmallows over low heat on the stove or in the microwave, stirring well to keep it from scorching and to incorporate them together (exactly like making Rice Krispy Treats)

When the Marshmallows are melted, pour over the Popcorn and start stirring to get the Popcorn coated, sprinkling in the candies a handful at a time while you are tossing the Marshmallows and Popcorn together so that they get evening distributed through out the cake. I put on some gloves, spray them with some cooking oil and just use my hands to mix it all together, it's just easier and works really well at making sure all of the ingredients get mixed together.

After all the Popcorn and Candies are coated, gently press (don't pack it, just press it enough to stick together or you will crush the popcorn) into a Bundt or Angel Food Cake Pan and allow it to cool completely. I use a really old one (I think my Mom got it for a Wedding present, I don't remember life without it)