Gravity Defying Popcorn Cake
The countdown to Christmas is on, half of the advent lollies have been eaten and school holidays are upon us. Movies are something we do most holidays. Here is a fun gravity defying popcorn cake to turn any movie gathering in to a party. Seriously, when I served this up the guests thought it was a pot exploding with popcorn. They were delighted to eat the chocolate lid, devoured the caramel popcorn and were amazed that it was actually a cake.
The competition to win one of 6 Kitchen Aid Artisan mixers is now closed. The winners were: Amber Williamson, Yasshna Asriani, Anthea Ashleigh, Mia Plumridge, Minna Wong and Ailis Relihan.
To make this gravity defying popcorn cake you will need:
One and a half times my rich chocolate cake recipe baked in three 8″ round cake tins, baked, cooled and leveled.
600mL (20.29 fluid ounces) Cream
Cake Support
800g (28.22 ounces) chocolate
150g (5.29 ounces) Black fondant
4 lollipop sticks
edible silver luster dust
acetate
Salted Caramel
2 cups or 500mL (16.91 fluid ounces) cream
2 tsp vanilla
300mL (10.14 fluid ounces) or 1 1/4 cups water
430g (15.17 ounces) or 2 cups caster sugar (superfine sugar)
1 tsp sea salt
40g (1.41 ounces) or 2 tablespoons glucose syrup
Place the water, sugar and glucose syrup into a pan. Give it a little stir to make sure all the sugar is wet. Wash the sides of the pan down with a wet pastry brush.
Leave it unstirred to boil, after a few minutes until it starts to turn golden. Let is get an even golden colour – then remove it from the heat. Add in your vanilla and the cream. Return to the heat and keep stirring it until the caramel is melted into the cream. Stir in the salt and continue to heat until the desired thickness is achieved (see the video for how to test what thickness you caramel will be).
Caramel Popcorn (make two separate batches of this recipe)
70g (2.47 ounces) popcorn kernels
210g (7.41 ounces) or 1 cup sugar
100mL (3.38 fluid ounces) water
15g (0.53 ounces) or 1 Tablespoon butter
Pop the corn kernels (I used an air popper but you can do it in a pan if you prefer)
Heat the sugar and water until it goes golden then stir in the butter.
Immediately pour that over the popcorn and stir it around.
Cut some acetate to the height you want your pot to be and wrap it around a round cake tin. Mark where it joins so you know where to spread the chocolate to. Remove the acetate. Wrap another piece of acetate around the tin to cover it so you can slide the chocolate off.
Temper the chocolate, if you don’t know how to do that see my chocolate secrets post. This is important or your chocolate won’t set at room temperature.
Spray a little oil on the underside of a pan lid and then gently rub it with some paper towel so that you leave a thin layer of oil. Pour on approximately 200g (7.05 ounces) of tempered chocolate and spread it around the lid. As it starts to thicken spread it out form the middle back to the edges so they are not too thin. Then place it in the fridge to set.
Spread the remaining chocolate onto the acetate to make the sides of the pot, once it is starting to set wrap it around the covered cake tin. Place over a bowl to set (see video for demonstration). Repeat with a smaller piece of acetate just smaller than your pan lid
Once the lid is set run your nail around the edge and then flip it over to remove the chocolate from the lid. Using a fondant extruder make a snake of black fondant. Rub a little water around the edge of the chocolate lid and wrap the fondant around the lid, gently pressing it onto the chocolate.
To make the handle roll a thick snake of black, then use your fingers to roll it thinner and fold the ends down. Check that it is the right width for your lid and leave the fondant to dry out.
Make the handles for the side of the pot in the same manner but adding a little ‘foot’ on each side. Use you cake tin to make sure it is on the right angle. Add a lollipop stick to each side of the handle so you can add it to the cake.
Slowly and gently pull and turn to wiggle the chocolate rings off the cake tins. Add the smaller one to the underside of the lid. Check the larger one for holes and patch any problem areas before removing the outside acetate.
Whip the cream.
Assemble the cake inside the large chocolate ring layering up cake, salted caramel and cream.
Brush the fondant handles, lid and sides of the pot with silver luster dust.
Make a batch of caramel popcorn and tip your popcorn out onto some baking paper then using thick silicone gloves shape the popcorn into a cylinder by just gently pushing it together. Once cooled add to the cake.
Add the lid into place. Then make another batch of popcorn and add it artistically exploding out of the pot.
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Mmmmm! The cake looks fantastic! But, I really want some of that popcorn. My grandmother used to make that for all of us as a treat. It was easy and cheap. When you are trying to make 20+ kids happy, that will do the trick.
Hello Ann.. I have such a great respect for you … You are so humble and kind… I enjoy your videos because they are great and so easy to follow and you explain even the hard things with such simplicity that makes me love your videos even more and use them when I need them… I dream of becoming nearly as successful as you are… It’s a real struggle with the 2 little kids… but Having you as a role model (since you started this channel with a little baby on hands), I am determined to give my best … Hope I win a Kitchen Aid so I can start my cake journey 🙂 With great respect Sihana …. Wish you and your family all the best
My sisters and I love to watch your videos, Ann! You are a very good baker! 🙂 Keep up the AWESOME work!! 🙂 My favorite cakes you’ve done are the guitar, converse and My Little Pony. I think you could also make a Bambie cake with the My Little Pony template! 🙂
Hello Ann, in home i try to make some of your cakes ,but they didn’t work. Let me just say that you are the best baker in the world. I realy love all of your cakes and decorations .
I’m realy exited for the givaway. It will be a dream come true if i win one of the stand mixer.
I am a small baker ,or at least i try to be a baker. That is my first time to participate in a giveaway and i hope that i am going to win one of the stand mixer.
I love what you create. Simply awesome!
Your cake making skills leave me speechless every time. Thank you for that. Also, this giveaway is so amazingly generous, especially since it is open to worldwide audience of yours 🙂
I would love to win one of those bad boys, preferably yellow or green :3
Awesome excited for the giveaway love your videos your such an inspiration
Awesome cake idea for movie night. This is my first time commenting on an YouTube video and filling form with an expectation of winning the kitchen aid mixer. I started baking for my daughter and learnt most things from your channel. Now my daughter is baking since she has been 4 years old. She is your big fan and watches your creative baking videos regularly. She is o now and she showed me this video and contest. Keeping fingers crossed!
Thanks for commenting Monica. As long as you have entered then you are in with a chance!
i LOVE salted caramel!! i love this video!! i love you, your awesome!! i would also love to get a kitchen aid!!! hope i get one?
What a wonderful idea, and beautifully done!
Aaahh! Unaffordable
Maybe you don’t have to use everything Ann used
sweet
I love this especially because I love to bake and I always win a hand mixer but I rather use a kitchen aid
hey Ann i watch your videos every week and have made your salted caramel and chocolate cake Recipes for a friend this past month [11/10/17] and now this month on the 21st I’m making my brothers 18th birthday cake and using plenty of your recipes for his cake. I’m doing the pyramid of Giza inside will be root beer float – the cakes vanilla and then a root beer gel and syrup, I’m fighting to figure out what flavor out of vanilla or root beer i should use as the buttercream on his cake.. any ideas? I also entered the contest to with a mixer and i hope i win lol have a good one. : )
Hi Lawrence, We don’t have root beer in Australia, but I am told it is similar to Sarsparilla which has a strong aniseed flavour. I would therefore stick with a vanilla frosting.
Love this cake, will be attempting it for the grandchildren, Thank you Ann, I enjoy your recipes. Have a lovely Christmas.
Sorry, I meant to say u affordable?
I had to watch the video again! I hope this time around I’m right!
I’m excited for this giveaway as I have never won anything through YouTube, and to get a stand mixer would be a dream come true as where I live, it is quite affordable for me to buy. Ann I am a young baker inspired by you. Thank you ?
Thanks Ann for the great videos! I can’t wait to hear about the Kitchen Aid mixers! #Fingerscrossed