Carla's Strawberry Cake Batter Popcorn

The challenge with embarking on a popcorn recipe week is this: popcorn itself is the best part of popcorn.  Popcorn is great on its own (in my opinion) and serves as a marvelous vehicle for tons of flavor.  Like Alyssa's Chipotle Lime Popcorn earlier in the week, savory flavor opportunities abound!  My absolute favorite is browned butter with a sprinkle of garlic powder and parmesan cheese (the one in the green can) (really).

But I'm interested in the sweet, fun varieties too and so when I remembered seeing this recipe for Cake Batter Popcorn several months ago, I knew it would be perfect for a makeover, Carla Style.

Strawberry Cake Batter Popcorn

- About 10 cups of air popped popcorn (One version of the original recipe used microwave popcorn, but once you see the rest of the ingredients you'll notice this is a Special Occasion Treat.  I figured I should start with air-popped, if possible.  Also, I don't have a microwave.)

- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening

- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

- 1 cup of strawberry flavored cake mix

- sprinkles

In a small saucepan, melt the vegetable shortening over low heat.  Once it turns liquid, add the white chocolate chips and mix constantly until melted.  (Make sure that you are using very low heat here.  The melted shortening will help to melt the chocolate quickly, but it is very easy to scorch chocolate when you're using direct heat in a saucepan.  Plan for a slow melt and it will work out just fine.)

Add the strawberry cake mix and stir until blended.

Arrange your popcorn in a baking pan.  The one I used is 9x13 and fit perfectly.  Pour the mixture all over the popcorn and mix until all the popcorn is coated in the chocolate mixture.

Add your sprinkles!

Set the pan aside to cool.  Look, you've probably already stolen a few pieces just to "make sure it's not poison".  But letting it cool completely makes the mixture less like a sweet, pink pan of Rice Krispie Treats and more individually coated.

Turning on the stove in my kitchen generates quite a bit of heat, so I set mine on a chair in front of my open door.  

It didn't work fast enough (I was on a schedule), so I ended up throwing the pan in the fridge for about twenty minutes.  With cooler chocolate, I was able to break up the clumpy pieces by hand into a more standard popcorn size.

The Verdict:

One sister and two nieces LOVED this.  They were savoring the individual popcorn morsels (I think maybe I didn't give them enough) and were SO excited.  The girls especially loved that there was chocolate AND popcorn AND pink involved, so it's pretty clear that this would be an awesome party item.

Another sister thought it was super tasty (albeit rich), but that it's a bit soft.  The heat and creaminess from the chocolate mixture end up making the popcorn less crispy than you might expect, but I think that's only a problem if you're thinking "popcorn" and not "super strawberry tasty treat of white chocolate delight".  If you tend to like a lot of crunch, I would try adding more sprinkles!  Another tip is to make sure that you chill the popcorn and keep it cool until you're about to serve it.  It definitely softens up easily at room temperature.

I think this is a super tasty treat, easy to make and super versatile.  I love strawberry cupcakes (the fake, shockingly bright pink kind) and so I knew using that flavor of cake batter would be amazing.  But you could use spice cake mix for a gingerbread-y holiday version- and don't forget chocolate cake mix (with milk and/or dark chocolate chips) for the chocoholics in your life!

PS- Since I'm always trying to figure out how I feel about corn in my diet in general (those of you who see me often have probably had me exclaim at you about how popcorn is a GRAIN! Not a VEGETABLE!), I thought it'd be interesting to point you to this article about popcorn's healthy attributes.  Go, popcorn!

Alyssa's Chipotle-Lime Popcorn

If I could do anything with my life, I would love to own a little popcorn shop.  I would sell both traditional and fun flavors, make gourmet popcorn balls and wrap it all up in beautiful packaging.  The popcorn would be unique gifts or favors and would make movie night extra-special. The shop would have a vintage movie theater feel, or maybe an old-fashioned soda fountain theme.  But mostly, the popcorn would be delicious!

I like to play around with flavors and experiment with combinations, and my guilty-pleasure flavor is truffle oil with Parmesan cheese.  It’s a classic combination that’s been done over and over again, so I won’t bore you with that as my “recipe” for this week.  My other favorite, however, is applewood-smoked sea salt and chipotle.  It’s smoky (almost bacon-y), spicy, citrus spiked, and completely addictive!

First, pop your favorite kernels.  I love Rancho Gordo Crimson kernels on the stovetop in olive oil.  They pop up snowy white and fluffy, with hardly any unpopped kernels left in the pot.  Unfortunately, they are also hard to come by these days!  The company sells out every year.  If you haven’t experienced this popcorn yet (and you somehow manage to get your hands on some), don’t do it.  I’m not just saying this because I want it all to myself; you will never be able to stomach the microwave popcorn variety once you try this stuff.  It will ruin all other popcorn for you, and I can’t have that on my conscience!

Once the kernels have popped, add a squeeze of lime, smoked sea salt and chipotle.  Shake the pot a little to distribute the seasoning, taste, and adjust the flavors accordingly.  There’s no magic ratio.  It depends on your personal taste, how spicy you’re feeling that day, and how salty you like your popcorn.  Just remember, you can always add more chipotle if it’s not spicy enough, so don’t go overboard.  Enjoy!