This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe

This sweet and salty Birthday Cake Popcorn has a delicious cake batter flavor that is SO addicting! You can’t go wrong with white cake mix, vanilla, marshmallows, butter, and popcorn!!

Popcorn is must-have treat at parties and functions, so take it up a notch by making it cake flavored! This recipe is gooey and as addicting as our gooey caramel popcorn. We know you’ll love it!

Birthday cake popcorn close up

Cake Batter Popcorn Gooey-ness

We have movie night every Friday as a family, and we love to have some yummy treat to go with it.

This past week, we made Birthday Cake Popcorn, and it was delicious!! It is gooey and had sprinkles and was a hit with all of the kids in the family.

It was also very simple to make, so you better believe we will be making this again.

Ingredients for birthday popcorn

Tips + Tricks

For making birthday cake popcorn:

  • I add dry cake mix to the mixture, not prepared.
  • This popcorn is sticky and can be a little messy (but so worth it) just keep this in mind when serving it.
  • Use a lightly salted, plain or a lightly buttered popcorn for this recipe. I would avoid using a really buttered popcorn.

To make into popcorn balls: After the popcorn is completely coated, lightly grease your hands or get them wet and pack the popcorn into ball shapes. You will want to re-wet or re-grease (lightly) between each popcorn ball. This will help the popcorn from sticking. 

Gooey birthday cake popcorn

Popcorn FAQ

Can this be made in advance? This popcorn is definitely best eaten soon after it is made. If you want to make it in advance I would suggest making it as close to when it will be eaten as possible but no more than 2 days ahead of time. After it is made, store it in an airtight container until ready to serve. You can also make them into individual servings and store in ziplock bags, just try to squeeze as much air out as you can. 

How to store? Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. 

How to make for a crowd? If you are wanting to make this popcorn for a crowd and you’re worried about the sticky mess, just divide the popcorn into individual servings or have the guests scoop the popcorn out with a large serving spoon or measuring cup.

Cake Batter popcorn close up pic

For more popcorn recipes, check out:

 

4.92 from 23 votes

Birthday Cake Popcorn Recipe

By: Lil' Luna
This Birthday Cake Popcorn - this sweet and salty gooey treat has a delicious cake batter flavor that is SO addicting! You can't go wrong with white cake mix, vanilla, marshmallows, butter, and popcorn!!
Servings: 6
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 6 cups popcorn popped
  • 3 cups marshmallows
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1 cup white cake mix
  • sprinkles

Instructions 

  • Take kernels out from popcorn and pour into a bowl.
  • In a medium pot, melt marshmallows and butter on medium heat, stirring constantly.
  • Once marshmallows are completely melted, remove from heat and add vanilla, milk and cake mix. Stir until well combined and pour over popcorn.
  • Stir until the popcorn is evenly coated and top with sprinkles. Let set. ENJOY!

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal, Carbohydrates: 110g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 671mg, Potassium: 90mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 58g, Vitamin A: 140IU, Calcium: 194mg, Iron: 2.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Making this recipe? Tag us!
Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you're creating in the kitchen!

Recipe adapted from The Endless Meal.



About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

So Easy & So Yummy

Get my cookbook!

My new cookbook is the ultimate resource for feeding your friends and family with 200+ simple recipes including videos, tips & more!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




61 Comments

  1. You need to cook the cake mix before you add it to the popcorn. Maybe you should edit this recipe to prevent someone from getting sick instead of leaving passive aggressive responses to other concerned individuals.

    1. We really do appreciate the comments and opinions of others and the concern for everyone’s health. None of our responses are intended to be passive aggressive. Thanks for the feedback!

  2. Raw cake batter?? Box cake mixes need to be cooked unless you find the one that specifically says its edible raw. People have gotten sick with E Coli and or bacteria that can be found in uncooked flour and box cake mixes. It needs to be baked for about 7 minutes or when it reaches 160 F to kill off any bacteria. Go look up food safety at the CDC for “raw” cake mixes. Since you’re given out recipes and one that specifically includes a raw box cake mix, you should be warning people ahead of time and let them know it’s at their own risk.
    https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2021/o121-07-21/index.html

    Rather be safe than sorry, especially when recipes like this are most likely to be served to children.

    1. Hi Kelly. I’m not sure how much candy making or baking you are familiar with, but this cake batter gets mixed in with marshmallows that are cooked to soft, nearly hard ball stage which is over 230 degrees. I have made this recipe many times and I love it! No one has ever become sick. There are also are no eggs which is also a concern for actual cake batter to assist in the bacterial growth, even though you are focusing primarily on the flour as raw. Not saying you are wrong in anyway, safety is important, but there is no reason to shy away from this recipe as long as you cook it accordingly.

  3. 3 stars
    When you say you added the cake mix mixture does that mean you didn’t mix it with the butter marshmallows and vanilla, just sprinkled it to the popcorn? I assume after you coated the popcorn with the sticky stuff? Have you tried molding these into muffin pans for individual serving sizes rather than a popcorn ball?

    1. So you will melt the butter and marshmallows in a saucepan first. Then once they are melted, you’ll remove from the heat and add the vanilla, milk and dry cake mix. Mix that all together and then pour over the popped popcorn. Hopefully that makes sense! So, no to sprinkling the mix dry over the popcorn. Yes to adding it to the marshmallow mixture (once the mallows are melted). I haven’t tried molding them for individual serving sizes, but I imagine you totally could. It is a more sticky popcorn when eating so it should stick together. If you try that, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out.

  4. 5 stars
    My friend asked me last minute if I could make these for her child’s birthday party. Your recipe definitely looks like the tastiest (and prettiest) one I’ve seen but the only problem is I only have funfetti cake mix on hand. Do you think that will work ok?

    1. Oh how fun!! Yes, it should work just fine! I haven’t tried it with the funfetti before, but it should be really similar to the white cake mix. Good luck with the birthday party!!