This Popcorn and Chocolate Cake is inspired by some of my favorite movie-watching experiences. Being the youngest child comes with many perks, but one of them is that you don’t have to deal with babysitters for very long, if at all. My older siblings were my babysitters whenever my parents went out, which was just a lot more fun than babysitters. My siblings were probably the only ones who could deal with my aimless wandering when I got anxious about my parents being out, and I know that tested their patience. But when I wasn’t walking out my anxiety, we were often ordering pizza for delivery, watching a movie, and making chocolate chip popcorn.
I remember that having the chocolate chip popcorn felt like we were misbehaving in some way. All we did was sprinkle chocolate chips into a bowl of microwave popcorn. In terms of things we could have done, it was very tame, and a perfectly reasonable dessert. But we were always sure to wash the bowl of the chocolate residue to hide it from our parents, as if we were going to get in huge trouble if they saw that we had some chocolate chips. I realize I am now revealing this misbehavior to our parents now… hopefully they aren’t too mad!
These chocolate and popcorn movie nights were bonding times for me and my siblings, as well as being a delicious treat, and now chocolate chip popcorn makes me nostalgic. For simpler times, and also for The Pacifier, A Cinderella Story, Pirates of the Caribbean… so many classics from Blockbuster.
When I was coming up with a dessert to eat during the Oscars, my mind went to Milk Bar’s Popcorn Cake. But the way they make it leans towards a more caramelly-corn flavor, which doesn’t hold too much appeal to me. And since Milk Bar baked goods are all about leveling up nostalgic flavors, I figured I would change it up with my own nostalgia and switch out the caramel components for chocolate.
Nothing like taking the feeling of eating chocolate chip popcorn while watching Pirates of the Caribbean for the 30th time with my siblings (a real cinematic experience), and turning it into eating a fancy cake while watching the Oscars.
Ever since getting Letterboxd at the start of last year (I can’t believe I’ve had it over a year….), I’ve had even more fun tracking all the movies I’ve watched and writing reviews for all of them. I now dream of going viral on Letterboxd anytime a stranger likes my review. It has also encouraged me to keep making the most of my AMC A-list membership. And yet somehow, despite watching 192 movies last year, I still had to squeeze a bunch of movies into the Oscar lead up. And after watching Oppenheimer sweep everything while Barbie didn’t win anything, I’m thinking that my taste in movies may not be as high-brow as I might have once thought.
Back to the cake though. This recipe does take a bit of extra work, as with all Milk Bar recipes. And you definitely need a cake ring and acetate if you want to fully do it in their style. But as usual, it’s worth it. And, as part of my changing this recipe, I simplified it a lot. The original version called for corn pudding and salted caramel sauce, and this one really mainly relies on the chocolate ganache. My other pro tip is that you should definitely use a mesh sieve for your ground popcorn. I thought it was all fine, and I didn’t see any go in, but when I bit into the cake I found a popcorn kernel or two…. my bad! But it was still good! Just a very authentic popcorn experience.
So even though the Oscars are over, this cake is fun and one of the most unique cakes I’ve ever had. Perfect for any movie-related occasion, or just when you want a nostalgic dessert.
Print
Print
PinIngredients
1 recipe popcorn cake
1 recipe popcorn crumbs
1 recipe corn fudge
1 recipe chocolate ganache
popcorn and chocolate chips for decorations
cake ring and acetate
Instructions
- Put a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on the counter. Invert the cake onto it and peel off the parchment or mat from the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to stamp out 2 rounds from the cake. these are your top 2 cake layers. The remaining cake “scraps” will come together to make the bottom later.
- Clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a sheet pan lined with clean parchment or a silicone baking mat. Use 1 strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring.
- Put the cake scraps together inside the ring and use the back of your hand to tamp the scraps together into a flat even layer.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread a quarter of the chocolate ganache in an even layer over the cake.
- Sprinkle one-half of the popcorn crumbs evenly over the popcorn pudding. Use the back of your hand to press them lightly into the pudding, anchoring them in place.
- Spread another quarter of the chocolate ganache on top of that, spreading lightly so you don’t disturb the crumb too much.
- Set a cake round on top of the ganache layer. If one of your cake rounds is jankier than the other, use it here in the middle and save the prettier one for the top.
- Repeat the layering: ganache, crumb, ganache.
- Nestle the remaining cake round on top. Warm the corn fudge in the microwave in 10-second increments, stirring in between, until it becomes easily spreadable, about 20 seconds. Cover the top of the cake with corn fudge and spread it evenly. Garnish the fudge with popcorn and chocolate chips.
- Transfer the sheet pan to the fridge and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. When you pull it out of the fridge to serve, remove the acetate immediately. The fillings may stick to the acetate.
- The cake will keep, well wrapped in plastic, in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. At least 3 hours before you are ready to serve the cake, pull the sheet pan out of the freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop the cake out of the cake ring. Gently peel off the acetate, and transfer the cake to a platter or cake stand. Let it defrost in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. (Wrapped well in plastic, the cake can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
Description
From All About Cake
Ingredients
1 bag plain microwave popcorn, freshly popped
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup + 1 T grapeseed or other neutral oil
3/4 cup cake flour (can substitute a mix of ap flour and cornstarch)
1 tablespoon corn powder
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Pan-spray a quarter-sheet pan and line it with parchment paper, or just line it with a silicone baking mat.
- Pulverize the popped popcorn, 1 cup at a time, in a blender until it is a fine powder, then sift it through a regular flour sifter. Continue this process until you have 50g (about 4 cups) of ground, sifted popcorn. Set aside the ground popcorn and put the remaining unground popcorn in a sealable plastic bag to use for the popcorn milk recipe.
- Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through this process, and again at the end of it.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium-high for 1 minute after each addition. After you add the last egg, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on high for 4 more minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- Combine the buttermilk and oil and with the mixer on medium speed, stream them into the cake batter very slowly. It should take you approximately 3 minutes to add these liquids. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and paddie for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is practically white, twice the size of your original fluffy butter-and-sugar mixture, and completely homogeneous. Don’t rush the process. You’re basically forcing too much liquid into an already fatty mixture that doesn’t want to make room for that liquid. There should be no streaks of fat or liquid. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Whisk together the ground popcorn, cake flour, corn powder, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on very low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix for 45 to 60 seconds, just until your batter comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix on low for an additional 45 seconds to make sure no lumps of cake flour get left behind.
- Pour the cake batter into the sheet pan and, using a spatula, spread the batter in an even layer in the pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan front to back halfway through baking. The cake will rise and puff, doubling in size, but will remain slightly buttery and dense. At 30 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger: The cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. If it doesn’t pass these tests, leave the cake in the oven for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
Description
1/2 cup milk powder
1/2 all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 tsp corn powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Ingredients
- Heat the oven to 250°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine the milk powder, flour, sugar, cornstarch, corn powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Toss with your hands to mix. Add the melted butter and toss, using a spatula, until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.
- Spread the clusters on the lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes. The crumbs should be sandy, but still clumped together at that point, and your kitchen should smell like buttery heaven. Cool the crumbs completely. The crumbs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon + 2 tsp heavy cream
2 1/4 tsp light corn syrup
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon corn powder
pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Make this right before you plan to put it on the assembled cake!
- Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, and sugar in a small, microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave for 45 seconds, until it is very hot to the touch.
- Add the white chocolate, butter, corn powder, and salt and stir vigorously to combine. Keep stirring until the white chocolate and butter have melted. If it seems like the white chocolate and butter are not going to fully melt, heat the mixture in the microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring in between, until everything has melted together. Give the mixture one more vigorous stir to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.
- Use the corn fudge immediately, while it is still warm, to top the cake.
Ingredients
8 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Pour the heavy whipping cream into a microwave safe bowl (or a glass measuring cup) and heat in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t bubble over in the microwave.
Add the chocolate chips to the heavy cream and let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Start whisking slowly in the middle of the bowl, and continue whisking in one direction until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
-
Allow to cool completely before using on a dessert.