This easy three-ingredient Red Velvet Popcorn is a delightful snack or dessert. It’s perfect as a cute Valentine’s Day gift and makes a tasty treat to enjoy during a movie.
Sometimes small things steal my smile. When I’m not smiling, my husband immediately asks, “What’s the matter? What are you thinking? What’s wrong?” If I say nothing, he never believes me.
To avoid future suspicion, I made a short list of recent little annoyances that have wiped the grin off my face:
- Nicholas Cage is making another Ghost Rider movie. Honestly — why?
- A friend declared Kris Humphries attractive. That might cost us our friendship.
- A woman at the gym asked, “Going to make your daily deposit?” as I walked into the restroom. Why say that out loud?
- I always thought “nevermind” was one word — apparently the spell-check red squiggle disagrees.
- I went to see a psychic who was supposedly the inspiration for the show The Mentalist. He looked nothing like Simon Baker — total letdown.
- Toddlers and Tiaras remains on TV, and the pageant lingo is astounding. One parent called Mountain Dew “special juice” and suggested candy as “pageant crack.”
- And the classic: there is a sink full of dishes and my husband never does them.
Despite those small frustrations, life is pretty good. And one thing that always brings a smile is a sweet treat — like Red Velvet Popcorn.
The idea came together after a Valentine’s party where friends made wonderful red velvet desserts and someone else brought festive popcorn. I combined the two and the result is easy and fun.
How to Make Red Velvet Popcorn
The process is simple. Start by baking a red velvet cake — a boxed mix works fine, but use your favorite scratch recipe if you prefer.
You only need about a quarter of a 9×13 cake for this recipe. Once cooled, break up enough cake to yield roughly 3 cups of crumbs. Exact amounts aren’t critical; adjust to taste.
Pop your popcorn (an air popper is ideal) and melt white chocolate or white melting candy according to the package directions. A double boiler works well for white chocolate.
Pour the melted white chocolate over the popcorn in a large bowl and stir to coat evenly. Then transfer the coated popcorn to a counter lined with waxed paper and spread it out.
Sprinkle the red velvet cake crumbs generously over the warm chocolate-coated popcorn. I like a heavier sprinkle so the cake flavor and color stand out.
Let the popcorn set until the chocolate firms, then break into pieces and serve. It also looks adorable packaged in bags for party favors or gifts.
Here are a few ways to use leftover red velvet cake if you don’t want to waste the rest:
- Cupcakes in a jar
- Cake pops
- Red velvet milkshake
Red Velvet Popcorn
Description
This easy three-ingredient Red Velvet Popcorn is a fun snack or dessert, ideal for gifting on Valentine’s Day or sharing during a movie night.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unpopped kernels (yields approximately 16 cups popped popcorn)
- 3 cups red velvet cake crumbs (about 1/4 of a 9×13 cake)
- 20 oz white chocolate or white melting candy (almond bark or melting disks)
Instructions
- Pop the popcorn using an air popper into a large bowl.
- Melt the white chocolate according to package directions; a double boiler works well.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn and stir to coat thoroughly.
- Spread the coated popcorn on waxed paper and sprinkle with red velvet crumbs.
- Allow the popcorn to dry completely before serving or packaging.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to two days. If you don’t have an air popper, two bags of lightly salted or “natural” microwave popcorn will work. The amount of cake crumbs is flexible — use more or less to suit your preference.
If using a boxed mix, you’ll need about one-quarter of a cake baked in a 9×13 pan to yield roughly 3 cups of crumbs.
Nutrition
- Calories: 510
- Sugar: 48.9 g
- Sodium: 172.8 mg
- Fat: 24.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 67.6 g
- Protein: 6.7 g
- Cholesterol: 14.9 mg