Popcorn Cake

This cake became popular in the 1930s Depression era, when sugar and other items normally used for baking cakes were a luxury.  Assemble all items to make ‘The Glue’ and add ‘The Stuff’ as, once the process starts, one must work quickly (forget about answering the phone or doorbell).  To serve, tear cake apart in chunks (it is too difficult to cut with a knife).  Keeps well.  Ships well.

Note from Brian: Hilda made this cake for us, and it was wonderful. It's interesting how our foods change over time, and how what we cook changes, and why, such as in the Depression. This cake was strangely addicting and I kept going over and getting another slice. It was a nice mix of salty, sweet, and crunch.

The Glue:
1 stick butter (4 ounces)
1/2 cup oil
16 ounces marshmallows

Salted or unsalted butter – makes no difference.
Recommended:  canola oil.
Large or small marshmallows - makes no difference.

The Stuff:
16 cups popped popcorn,
   fully popped kernels only
6 to 8 ounces salted
   Spanish peanuts
12 to 16 ounces
   semisoft candy

Use large-kernel (gourmet) popcorn.
Do not use microwavable popcorn bags.
After trying many kinds of salted nuts, author always returns to using Spanish peanuts (redskins).  They’re best.
Vary candy for seasons/holidays:

• spice drops for Christmas
• red/white jelly beans for Valentine (tint glue pink)
• jelly beans for Easter
• candy corn for Halloween

Do not use hard-coated candies, such as M&Ms.

Preparing the Popcorn:

​Dry-pop several batches of popcorn and throw it into a large heavy stockpot (not smaller than 8-quart size).  Using both hands, loosely sift popped corn and throw only large, plump popped kernels into an angelfood cake pan, filling pan a little higher than its rim (this will be 16 cups).  Discard unpopped and partially popped kernels and loose husks and wipe out the stockpot with a paper towel.

Preparing “The Glue”:

​Over low heat, melt butter in oil in stockpot, and, using a large, sturdy buttered wooden spoon (buttering should go half-way up the spoon handle), add marshmallows and quickly and vigorously stir until marshmallows are melted and thoroughly incorporated into butter-and-oil mixture (glue should be white with virtually no oil in evidence).  Remove stockpot from heat and lower stockpot into your kitchen sink to make it easier to add the stuff and to stir it.

​Adding “The Stuff”:

​Toss all of the popped corn into the glue and, using the buttered wooden spoon, quickly turn popcorn over and over and over until it is completely covered with the glue.
 
Add half of peanuts and stir until peanuts stick to popcorn.  Repeat process with remaining half of peanuts.
 
Finally, add all of the candy at once and stir quickly until candy is evenly mixed with the popcorn and peanuts.
 
Note:  It may be tempting to add all of “The Stuff” at once to “The Glue” but refrain from doing so as the:
- mixture will not be distributed evenly
- candy’s food coloring will ‘bleed’ in heat of “The Glue”
It is better to add each ingredient separately as directed.

​Assembling the Cake:

​Butter the angelfood cake pan including the center shaft; also butter your hands (by this time, the mixture will be cool enough to handle, but do not let it sit).
 
Working quickly, gently hand-pack mixture evenly into the buttered angelfood cake pan.  DO NOT PRESS HARD as cake will become compacted and hard to tear apart and eat.
 
When rim is reached, gently press mixture so that the top is flat, as the top becomes the bottom when cake is turned out.
 
Cover the top of the angelfood cake pan with foil and let it sit on a countertop overnight or at least for a few hours.

Preparing the Cake
   for Eating:

Loosen cake from pan with a table knife; turn cake out onto the foil, pushing the foil around the bottom of the cake.
 
Wrap cake immediately with two crosswise pieces of clear plastic wrap, and, if cake is a gift, tie it with a ribbon.
EnJOY