Our Cake Batter Popcorn is sweet, salty, full of sprinkles and it tastes just like a Birthday Cake. This yummy and colorful snack is perfect for your next family movie night.

Closeup on a white serving bowl filled with Cake Batter Popcorn sitting on a white surface in front of a red kitchen towel.

We took the taste of a classic Birthday Cake, mixed it with our yummy sweet and salty popcorn recipe, and came up with a new Cake Batter Popcorn recipe is a celebration in and of itself.  It would be a great addition to the dessert table at your next party or as a special treat for family movie night.  Grab some sprinkles and let’s make a batch!

Ingredients You Will Need

All the ingredients you will need to make Cake Batter Popcorn including Popcorn, Mini Marshmallows, Butter, Rainbow Sprinkles, and Yellow Cake Mix.

Preparing the Popcorn

Collage image showing how to make homemade popcorn for the Cake Batter Popcorn.

Step 1: You will need 10 cups of popcorn. We pop our popcorn on the stove (you can find our directions on How to Make Perfect Popcorn here) but you can use air-popped or microwave. 
Step 2: After the popcorn is popped, make sure to remove all of the un-popped kernels.  You don’t want to bite down on one of those! 
Step 3: Once you have made the popcorn, salt it liberally.  It is so nice to taste the salty popcorn with the sweet marshmallow coating.  Not quite like Kettle Corn but close.

Heat Treat the Cake Mix

Closeup on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet covered with cake mix and a 1/2 measuring cup.

Step 4:  The not-so-secret ingredient in our Cake Batter Popcorn is a box of Yellow Cake Mix:  Note about the cake mix:  If you are worried about eating the raw flour in the cake mix you can bake the 1/2 cup of cake mix in a low oven for 15 minutes.  Also, you will be adding the cake mix to a very hot mixture of melted marshmallows and butter so it will get slightly cooked during that process.

Don’t Forget the Birthday Sprinkles

Closeup on Rainbow Sprinkles spread over a white surface with a 1/4 measuring cup filled with sprinkles right in the middle.

You will also need some pretty Birthday Cake Sprinkles which you can find in the Baking aisle in most grocery stores.

How to Prepare the Marshmallow Mixture

Collage image showing the steps for making the marshmallow mixture for the Cake Batter Popcorn.

Step 6: To make the Marshmallow Mixture, add 3 tablespoons of butter to a medium saucepan.  Melt the butter on medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter is completely melted.
Step 7: Add 3 cups of mini marshmallows to the saucepan.
Step 8: Stir until the marshmallows are covered in butter, and then continue to stir until the marshmallows are completely melted.
Step 9: Take the marshmallow mixture off the heat as soon as the last marshmallow has melted.

Making the Cake Batter Popcorn

Collage image showing how to add the cake mix to the marshmallow mixture and then adding the mixture to the popcorn.

Step 10: Add the heat-treated Cake Mix to the Marshmallow mixture.
Step 11:  Stir the marshmallow mixture until the cake mix is completely combined with the marshmallow mixture.
Step 12:  Slowly pour about a third of the marshmallow mixture over the salted popcorn. Gently fold the marshmallow mixture in with the popcorn.  Continue to add the marshmallow mixture a bit at a time, stirring between each addition. The popcorn should be completely covered in the warm marshmallow mixture. 
Step 13:  Quickly add the sprinkles to the Cake Batter Popcorn and fold while the popcorn is still warm.

Collage image showing the steps for how to pour the Cake Batter Popcorn out onto a cookie sheet to cool before serving.

Step 14: Now pour the popcorn onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, foil, or a Silpat liner.
Step 15: Use the spatula to even the popcorn out on the cookie sheet.  Allow the Cake Batter Popcorn to cool. Break apart into pieces and serve.

Expert Tips and FAQ’s

What kind of popcorn should I use?

We make our popcorn from scratch on the stove – nothing is better than that in our opinion. You can find all the tips and tricks you need to make the perfect popcorn right here. You can also use Microwave popcorn but you should use a type that has no butter flavoring added.

How much salt should I put on the popcorn?

The contrast of sweet and salty in this popcorn recipe is super yummy. To get that combination you should lean towards over-salting the popcorn. We try to salt the popcorn as soon as it comes out of the pan so that salt sticks to the hot popcorn.

How long will the popcorn last?

The contrast of sweet and salty in this popcorn recipe is super yummy. To get that combination you should lean towards over-salting the popcorn. We try to salt the popcorn as soon as it comes out of the pan so that salt sticks to the hot popcorn.

Closeup on a white serving b owl sitting on a white table filled with Cake Batter Popcorn.

Other Popcorn Recipes You Will Love

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Cake Batter Popcorn

Yield 10 cups
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Our Cake Batter Popcorn is sweet, salty, full of sprinkles and it tastes just like a Birthday Cake. This yummy and colorful snack is perfect for family movie night.

Ingredients

  • 10 cups of Popped Popcorn (Salted)
  • 3 tablespoons Butter (Sweet Cream, Salted)
  • 3 cups Mini Marshmallows
  • 1/4 cup Birthday Cake Sprinkles
  • 1/2 cup Yellow Cake Mix

Instructions

  1. Pop 10 cups of popcorn and salt liberally and place in a large bowl.
  2. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan. Once the butter is melted, add 3 cups of mini marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are melted. Turn off the heat as soon as the last marshmallow has melted.
  3. Add the 1/2 cup of Yellow Cake Mix to the marshmallow mixture.
  4. Slowly pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn in the bowl and stir until most of the kernels are covered in mixture.
  5. Mix the 1/4 cup of Sprinkles into the popcorn mixture.
  6. Pour the marshmallow popcorn onto a prepared cookie sheet.
  7. Allow the popcorn to cool. Break apart into pieces and serve.

Notes

Heat Treating the Cake Mix
If you are worried about eating the raw flour in the cake mix you can bake the 1/2 cup of cake mix in a low oven for 15 minutes.  Also, you will be adding the cake mix to a very hot mixture of melted marshmallows and butter so it will get slightly cooked during that process.

Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!