Sponge Toffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is sponge toffee made of? ›

Honeycomb toffee, honeycomb candy, sponge toffee, cinder toffee, seafoam, or hokey pokey is a sugary toffee with a light, rigid, sponge-like texture. Its main ingredients are typically brown sugar (or corn syrup, molasses or golden syrup) and baking soda, sometimes with an acid such as vinegar.

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.

Honeycomb candy's texture is the main difference between it and the well-known Erie delicacy, sponge candy. Whereas sponge candy has a fine, sponge-like texture full of tiny air bubbles, the air pockets of honeycomb candy are larger and have a more defined shape to them.

One of the simplest and most fun confectioneries to make at home is cinder toffee, also known as honeycomb or sponge toffee.

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.

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.

Low and slow

Simmering the syrup for English toffee to the requisite 300°F temperature can (and should) be a slow process — up to 20 minutes or so. Don't hurry this gradual transformation; syrup that doesn't reach 300°F, or close to it, will make candy with timid flavor and chewy (not crunchy) texture.

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).

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.

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 states have sponge candy? ›

However, what we do know is that sponge candy began to appear in Northwestern PA and Western NY around the 1940s and 50s. Small, individually owned candy shops began to make sponge candy and it quickly became a favorite among locals.

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.

The exact origin of sponge candy is unknown, but Fowler's, one of the earliest chocolate makers in Buffalo, claims to be the original and authentic maker's of Buffalo best Sponge Candy. Fowler's Chocolate Shoppe began in 1910 after Joseph Fowler sold his sweet treats at an expo in Buffalo.

Its name “cinder toffee” is thought to come from its appearance, which resembles the cinders and coal used in traditional British fireplaces. The treat's texture and taste, reminiscent of caramelised sugar, made it a favourite among people of all ages.

If the sugar is in a hard ball stage, it should be firm to the touch, and harder to mould as it cools down. The colour is also a good indicator, the mixture should be an amber colour. If it's any darker than that, it means your sugar is too hot and the honeycomb will taste burnt and bitter.

Sponge candy is made from a few simple ingredients. Sugar, corn syrup, water, vinegar, and baking soda are what create the magical filling of sponge candy. Traditional toffee is hard, brittle, and buttery, but the secret to sponge candy is air.

According to Fowler's Chocolate “Sponge Candy is a light and crunchy but delicate toffee made from sugar, corn syrup, and baking soda. The recipe is very simple but produces a very unique flavor reminiscent of toasted molasses.” Even better it is then (usually) coated in chocolate—yum!

The difference between caramel and toffee is greater, as caramel has a more liquid consistency and is usually pure sugar (it doesn't contain butter or flour). Still, the taste of caramel, fudge, and toffee is relatively similar, as they are all made from mostly sugar (as well as butter in the case of fudge and toffee).

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.