Ann Reardon

Gravity Defying Popcorn Cake

gravity defying popcorn cake ann reardon
 

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.

gravity defying cake tutorial
Copyright © 2017 Reardon Media Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. How To Cook That

My Cookbook

ann reardon crazy sweet creations cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

197 Comments View Comments

  1. Rating: 5

    Hi Anne!! I LOVE everything you do!!! Especially when you do tiny stuff!

  2. Hi Ann I’d just like to say how creative and artistic you are i hope you have a great day.
    🙂

  3. Rating: 5

    Hi Ann!
    I have been watching your videos fore a long time now and i finaly build up the courage to write to you. My englis spelling is not alas spot on. Me and my mother always watch your videos togeather is is a mother daughther thing. We tried some of your recepies sadly we are not to good when it comes to baceing ore making sweets and treat. But we have a great time and in the and we come out whit somting eadeble and jummy. Keep up the great work. Loking forward to our next video. Happy Hollyday to you and your famaly.

    • Hi Sara, Thanks for commenting. We are so glad that your Mother and you enjoy the tutorials.

  4. Rating: 5

    Your cakes, desserts are really amazing.??

  5. Hey there,
    Im not sure if my entry was taken. I am entering from a mobile device. And it would not show the full instructions placed in each entry spot. For example the 2nd one said choose a number from 1-1000 that…and that was all I ciukd see. I wouldn’t want to be disqualifued for not following the instructions because I couldn’t see them. I also received no confirmation that what I did subit went through. Coukd someone check? With 100s of thousands of subs 1 of 6 arent the best odds, but Id still like a fair shot.
    Thanks, From KY USA!

    • Rating: 5

      First one is how many times did Ann say the word ‘caramel’ in the video. 2nd is Choose a number from 1-1000 that Ann has chosen. Good luck 🙂

    • Hi Kiley, I have forwarded your comment to tech support. If there is anything amiss they will be in touch.

  6. Rating: 5

    Hi Ann! This was a beautiful chocolate cake recipe and I love ALL of your videos. i first started watching you when my sister showed me your video well over a year ago. I’m a highschool student from California, and my family has always loved baking. I was stoked to see that you’re doing a giveaway for a stand mixer, I believe ours is probably older than me (which shows how young I am).
    I know that i will continue watching your videos and enjoying them for (hopefully) years to come. I love seeing you and your family.
    ♡ Best Wishes – K.G

  7. Rating: 5

    I LOVE YOUR TUTORIALS! YOUR SO TALENTED!! THAT POPCORN GRAVITY CAKE IS SO COOL!

  8. Rating: 5

    I LOVE YOUUUUU YOU INSPIRE ME TO BECOME A BAKER SOME DAY

  9. Rating: 4.5

    Happy Holidays ? I just wanted to say thank you for the tutorial and chance to win my daughter likes to eat popcorn almost every night while watching TV and she loves cake, I mean any cake doesn’t last long around that young lady ? So this cake is a win win with the combination of both. As for myself I just love salted caramel ?

  10. Rating: 5

    Ann, love this video. I️ have a friend who is pregnant and loves chocolate and popcorn…yay!
    I’m in the US and so happy you made it international. Merry Christmas to everyone..

  11. Rating: 4.5

    Mmmmm this cake looks fantastic! The caramel looks just like pure heavennn. Keep up the wonderful baking videos, your creations are so extravagant and interesting to watch 🙂

  12. Rating: 5

    Loved the way it looked.
    Goodluck in the giveaway fingers
    ??

  13. Rating: 5

    Merry christmas to you
    And thanks that this giveaway is international
    Love you ♥️♥️

  14. Rating: 5

    Hi! My name is Elizabeth from Seattle! I just wanted to say im a huge fan and this mixer would make a great gift for my father who absolutely loves to cook!

  15. Rating: 4.5

    I love all of your videos I’m a big fan

  16. Definitely one of my favourite things you’ve made so far, probz cause I am MEGA obsessed with caramel :’D. Absolutely love it and I’m very keen to try this one. Crossed fingers I win a kitchen aid, will definitely help kickstart my bakery-in-progress! You inspire me to the moon and back, thank you!!

  17. Rating: 5

    hi ann you are amazing ! i love watching your show, i swear ive watched all of your chanel & its inspiring 🙂 keep doing what your doing .. your the best 🙂

  18. Rating: 5

    Hi Ann, love watching your show, you make amazing cakes,you have such a great talent, keep up the great work?

  19. Probably the best cake ever made. Cake, caramel and chocolate, what more can you want! You never fail to surprise me Ann!
    you are what got me into cake decorating and baking in the first place and your sweet personality makes me enjoy your videos twice as much. maybe you can make a cake to support us Aussies! My favourite cakes are the converse and the operation (a game and a cake in one! ) I’d love to win the kitchen aid for my mum for her 50th birthday. fingers crossed!

  20. Hi Ann. I am 12 years old and I love to bake. You are such an inspiration to me and I love watching you bake. Hopefully I’m lucky enough to win a stand mixer. Two years ago my aunt said she will buy me one but she never did. Also, since Santa isn’t real I won’t be getting from him. Anyways keep up the good work. Hopefully one day I want to get a YouTube channel just to do baking like you. Thank you so much!

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