Craving for a sweet treat? Look no further try our seafoam candy honeycomb sponge toffee recipe. Sweet, light, airy and crunchy melt in your mouth toffee made with only 3 ingredients and prepared within 15 minutes.
Were did sponge toffee originate from? Nobody really knows. It’s been around since 1900’s and became popular sometime in the 80’s. Sold at local exhibition fairs then commercialized in individual packets. One thing is for sure is that once people started eating they found them self soon addicted to this sweet packed confectionery.
Sugar might has been the greatest discovery aside fire and fermentation. Today these crisp sponge like toffee candies come in a wide variety of sizes and you can find tones of chocolate bars that blanket the toffee. Chocolate bars like Crunchie by Cadbury along with Skor, Daim and Heath are some of the more popular brands.
What’s ironic is that this genre of toffee candy is produced all over the world and depending on country, regions and States, they are given different names. For examples in the UK Britain and Ireland its called Cinder toffee, honeycomb or treacle toffee. In Scotland they call it puff candy while South Africa, Australia and the State of Ohio in America also named it honeycomb toffee. The strange thing is that within the United States different States and cities have completely different names for this unique crunchy candy.
Buffalo calls it sponge candy, Maine, Washington, California, Utah, Michigan and Oregon call it believe it or not Seafoam. In Canada its known and recognized as sponge toffee. Take an 8 hour drive from Toronto to Massachusetts and its sold as old fashioned puff. Take another road trip into Western New York, Minnesota, Milwaukee and Northwest Pennsylvania and this crunchy toffee is called sponge candy.
Now lets head down under to New Zealand were they’ve got creative and call it Hokey Pokey, yep that’s right Hokey pokey it is! I’m sure every Country in Europe, South America, Central America, Middle East and Asia all have creative names for this delicacy. I hope you enjoy the recipe below and why not, give it your own name.
Ingredients
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 250 grams golden corn syrup
- 18 grams Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda)
Directions
In a large sauce pot add the golden corn syrup followed by the sugar.
Heat on medium high and cook till sugar mixture reached 150C (300F) which is referred to the hard crack point. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, remove a little bit of the mixture and let a droplet fall onto cold water, if it harden immediately then it ready and you’ve reached the hard crack point.
Once the sugar mixture reaches temperature remove from heat and shift in the baking soda. Stir with a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon and stir constantly until baking soda is well combined and dissolved. The mixture with froth.
Transfer to a lined and greased 10×10 baking pan. You can use parchment paper or aluminum paper to line your pan.
Let cool for at least 2 hours before removing from pan.
Using a rolling pin crack the sponge toffee into pieces and place into serving plate or jar and enjoy.
Will keep up to 4 weeks in an air tight container.
Craving for a sweet treat? Look no further try our seafoam candy honeycomb sponge toffee recipe. Sweet, light, airy and crunchy melt in your mouth toffee made with only 3 ingredients and prepared within 15 minutes.
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Ingredients
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 250 grams golden corn syrup
- 18 grams Sodium Bicarbonate baking soda
Instructions
In a large sauce pot add the golden corn syrup followed by the sugar.
Heat on medium high and cook till sugar mixture reached 150C (300F) which is referred to the hard crack point. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, remove a little bit of the mixture and let a droplet fall onto cold water, if it harden immediately then it ready and you’ve reached the hard crack point.
Once the sugar mixture reaches temperature remove from heat and shift in the baking soda. Stir with a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon and stir constantly until baking soda is well combined and dissolved. The mixture with froth.
Transfer to a lined and greased 10×10 baking pan. You can use parchment paper or aluminum paper to line your pan.
Let cool for at least 2 hours before removing from pan.
Using a rolling pin crack the sponge toffee into pieces and place into serving plate or jar and enjoy.
Will keep up to 4 weeks in an air tight container.
Keyword cinder candy recipe, honeycomb recipe, puff candy recipe, seafoam candy honeycomb sponge toffee recipe, sponge candy recipe, sponge toffee recipe
FAQs
Seafoam candy is a vintage treat that gets its name from its signature airy and bubbly appearance. This confection goes by several other names as well, depending on your region. Some call it sponge candy, honeycomb, hokey pokey, fairy food, or cinder toffee.
Is sponge toffee the same as honeycomb? ›
One of the simplest and most fun confectioneries to make at home is cinder toffee, also known as honeycomb or sponge toffee.
Why does my honeycomb candy taste burnt? ›
If it's any darker than that, it means your sugar is too hot and the honeycomb will taste burnt and bitter. Once you have dissolved the sugar and you start to simmer your sugar mixture, you shouldn't mix it as sugar crystals will start to form – which will ruin your honeycomb.
Why is my sponge toffee chewy? ›
Chewy honeycomb happens when the mixture hasn't been cooked for long enough. This is most common when you don't use a sugar thermometer. If you don't heat the mixture to 149°C the sugar won't achieve the brittleness required for that crumbly, crunchy texture.
Why is sponge candy so expensive? ›
The Sponge Candy recipe while not complicated does require some specific and expensive equipment to make it and many candy shops around the US do not make their own candy but buy and resell mass produced candy. Lastly the number of people sharing and passing on this Buffalo specific recipe is declining.
What's the difference between honeycomb and cinder toffee? ›
Honeycomb is a sweet confectionery also known as cinder toffee. Discover how to make honeycomb at home, how to store it and what to make with it.
Why is my honeycomb chewy not crunchy? ›
If your homemade honeycomb candy is chewy, it is usually due to the mixture not cooking for long enough or hasn't reached 305°F. A candy thermometer is key for the recipe to ensure your honeycomb gets a crumbly, crunchy texture.
What is another name for sponge toffee? ›
Honeycomb toffee, honeycomb candy, sponge toffee, cinder toffee, seafoam, or hokey pokey is a sugary toffee with a light, rigid, sponge-like texture.
Why is sponge candy only in Buffalo? ›
That's because sponge candy's bubbled structure is uniquely sensitive to heat and humidity; in more humid climes, it will begin to melt . Locals therefore claim that Buffalo's notoriously cold climate is perfect for the candy, making the city a confectionary paradise.
What to do with failed honeycomb candy? ›
Instead, if it is enjoyable as is, I would suggest just eating it as a toffee like candy. Otherwise, chalk it up to experience and watch the temperature more closely next time. I have a batch of gooey toffee now too. So im just either enjoying it as is or adding bit or chunks of it to my coffee or ice cream.
The baking soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda) heats up and when it does that, it releases a gas that gets trapped in the caramelized honey and sugar. This results in bubbles that resembles actual honeycomb from bees!
Does honeycomb candy go bad? ›
Uncoated honeycomb
These will keep in an airtight container for about a week (maybe longer depending on the container). Make sure to separate the candy pieces with parchment paper or wax paper in between them. The more they are exposed to air, the more sticky and soft the candy will become.
Why does my sponge toffee taste burnt? ›
The trick is to avoid any clumps or pockets of soda, so stir more than you think you should - a whisk works well. It's the areas with too much soda that get the big bubbles and the burnt taste. The warmed oven really helps with keeping the loft in the candy.
Can you eat raw honeycomb? ›
It is 100% edible, though the texture is not for everyone. In fact, eating raw honeycomb is one of the best ways to get the most health benefit from your honey. Honey in the honeycomb is in its rawest form, so it will have the most enzymes, vitamins, and minerals of any type of raw honey.
Why is my toffee not set and why is it's texture grainy and not smooth? ›
As the toffee cools and the molten sugar crystals become solid again, they are attracted to the 'seed' forming new lumps of tiny crystals – hence the grainy texture. This can also happen if the toffee is stirred, or agitated, after it has begun to boil or on cooling (as happened with this pink-tinted toffee).
What's another name for sponge candy? ›
The label typically reads “sponge candy,” but you may also know this candy as cinder block, sea foam, fairy food, angel food or a multitude of other names. Each of these names are referring to the same type of candy with origins that are rather vague, but appear to have started in the Buffalo, New York area.
Is honeycomb candy the same as sponge candy? ›
There really isn't a difference between these, other than the regional origin of said names. In the US, this candy is usually called honeycomb candy, or sponge candy, or fairy food. Usually this is made with sugar and corn syrup or honey, and baking soda.
What is seafoam candy made from? ›
Put sugar, water, vinegar, and syrup in a heavy 4-quart saucepan (cast iron if you have it). Gently heat mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar has dissolved and syrup has melted. Bring to a boil, cover, and boil for 3 minutes.
