It’s not a secret that amazing things happen at the Forum when somebody wants or needs something.
Today, the something is a popcorn cake recipe, and the someone is Della Phillips.
As always, and so not surprisingly, Forum cooks hopped right to it, and we now have several versions of the cake to choose from. A popcorn pie crust is where the amazing part comes in.
The cake first, so here we go. “I love your column and often use your recipes,” Edmonds cook Shirley Pauls says. “Finally, I have something to contribute. My mother-in-law, Charlotte Elizabeth Pauls, always made this popcorn cake at Christmas. Everyone always loves it when I make it and wants more. It is so pretty and delicious, I am sure it will be a favorite of your families as it is of ours.”
Shirley warns, “Don’t use microwave popcorn in this — it is too salty.”
The pie crust is a bonus that accompanies the two cake recipes kindly copied and sent along by Dereld Borth of Brier. Designed to cradle an ice-cream filling or a pre-cooked and cooled filling, it’s cram-jam loaded with unexpected funky uncrust-like ingredients.
Charlotte Paul’s popcorn cake
8 quarts of popped popcorn, preferably air popped
1/2cup salted peanuts
1 1/2 pounds small gum drops (not spiced, and not licorice)
1 pound marshmallows, any size
1/2cup margarine
1/2cup salad oil
In a very large pot or bowl, mix together the popped corn, peanuts and gum drops; set aside. In a saucepan, combine the marshmallows, margarine and oil; heat until melted. Stir well, then pour mixture over the popcorn mixture and mix well with a large spoon, using your hands as it cools.
Press mixture firmly into a waxed-paper-lined angel-food cake pan and 5-by-9-inch loaf pan or fruitcake pan. Amount will fill both pans. Keep pressing the mixture into the pan until it has no more give and no more can be added. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until it is cool. Turn out onto a plate to serve and cut into slices like a cake.
Caramel-popcorn pie crust
18 caramels (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons milk
1/3cup chopped salted peanuts
1/4teaspoon cinnamon
Dash salt
3 cups coarsely ground popped popcorn
Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate. Melt caramels with milk in the top of a double boiler, stirring frequently until creamy. Remove from heat and add peanuts, cinnamon and salt. Pour over the popcorn and toss until all is coated. Press mixture into the buttered pie plate. Place in freezer to harden. Do not cook this crust along with the filling or use for a hot filling.
Makes one 9-inch pie crust.
The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section.
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