How to Make Fondant Popcorn!

Last year I made this movie movie theater cake (see below) and I posted a picture of the popcorn on Facebook. Most didn't even realize that it wasn't real popcorn - which I took as a compliment 😉   Several asked me about how I made it, so today I'm sharing How to Make Fondant Popcorn!

There aren't any super special tools required for this and it's super easy to make. The only thing is - it might be time consuming if you need a lot of it! Are you ready?

Here's what you'll need to make it:

• Crisco
• Sugar Glue
• Small flower cutters or plunger cutters (My favorites are the ones from the Wilton Gum Paste Flowers Set)
• White fondant
• Ball tool (I also use the one in this set)
• Small knife
• Small Rolling Pin (not pictured)
• Brown, gold, and/or yellow gel colors
• Vodka or lemon extract (to mix the color with)
• Small paint brushes
• Cel pad

Let's get started!

Step 1:  Rub down your work surface or mat with a thin coating of shortening to prevent your fondant from sticking. Then soften up your fondant (I stick mine in the microwave for 6-8 seconds) and roll it out into a long rope. I like to have it about half an inch thick.

Step 2:  Cut the rope into small sections, then roll them into balls. They don't have to be regular or all the same - popcorn is not uniform!

Step 3:  Again with your surface coated well, roll out some fondant really thin (maybe 2mm). Use your flower cutter to cut out lots of tiny flowers.

You'll need more flowers than you have balls - some of the balls will get two flowers 🙂

Step 4:  Move the flowers up onto the cell pad to dry. I like to let them rest at least 15 minutes so they'll hold their shape well when we curl them up.

Step 5:  Use a ball tool to roll around the little flowers and curl them up into a cup! If the fondant has dried and has a little crust on it - they won't stick to the ball tool at all. If they stick, you can dust them with a little corn starch. There's also a little video below of me doing a couple of them!

Here's the video for ya:

Step 6:  Now let's glue the balls to the little flowers. I don't have a pic of the actual gluing, but paint a dot of sugar glue on the ball, then attach the little flower. For some pieces - attach 2 flowers just for variety!

As you make them, put them back on the cel pad to dry:

They really don't have to dry a  long time, but you don't the little flowers falling off while you paint them, so at least a few minutes of drying time helps!

Step 7:  I keep vodka in that little dropper bottle (I buy them here). Do you know how hard it is to "pour" a few drops of vodka? Yeah - that's why the dropper! Okay, so mix a drop of yellow or gold gel coloring with a few drops of vodka.

Step 8:  Randomly paint yellow onto the popcorn pieces. There's no rhyme or reason to it... and if you get too much in one place, you can use a Q-tip or paper towel to dab it off.

Step 9:  Once all the yellow is done, add some brown food coloring to the bowl (in with the yellow) and begin painting the insides of the little flowers. Again - there is no need to be perfect here - it will look very real if it's irregular!

Isn't that pretty cool? Just let it dry a bit (the vodka will evaporate really fast) and you're ready to use it! Here's a shot of the first time I made it last year:

This is just one of those things that is so fun to make - and so easy to make "realistic"!

And that's it!

Happy Caking!

If you love popcorn or have a popcorn theme going on for your cake or party - here's another fun popcorn tutorial... How to Make Easy Popcorn Cupcakes (with marshmallows!):