Seafoam Candy Honeycomb Sponge Toffee Recipe – Baker Recipes (2024)

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.

Seafoam Candy Honeycomb Sponge Toffee Recipe – Baker Recipes (1)

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.

Print RecipePin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 10 people

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

Seafoam Candy Honeycomb Sponge Toffee Recipe – Baker Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between honeycomb and sponge candy? ›

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.

Is sponge candy the same as seafoam candy? ›

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.

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.

What are the ingredients in Fowler's sponge candy? ›

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.

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 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.

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.

Does sponge candy go bad? ›

Any kind of heat or humidity causes the sugar in Sponge Candy to break down and get gooey. It does not mean that it is old – on high humidity days, Sponge Candy can start to break down the very same day that it's made! This is why a lot of candy makers don't make Sponge Candy in the summer.

Why do bubbles form in sponge toffee? ›

Baking Soda – if you ever wondered how those beautiful airy bubbles form in sponge toffee, the secret is baking soda. The base of this treat is sugar, honey and water that is melted together. Once a spoon of baking soda is added in the mixture puffs up and all the wonderful bubbles are formed!

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.

Why does honeycomb taste weird? ›

The honeycomb tastes like the honey inside the comb. So honeycomb from different plants and trees will have a different flavor. Most people prefer a mild tasting honeycomb, like acacia, clover or gallberry (holly). You can also find wildflower honeycomb at some markets, which is generally darker in color.

Does honeycomb candy go bad? ›

Nigella's Hokey Pokey, or honeycomb candy, (from Nigella Express) is made from sugar, syrup and bicarbonate of soda and so theoretically should not turn bad for some time. The main problem is that it will soften over time, so the conditions of storage will be the main factor in how long the Hokey Pokey lasts.

Why is it called sponge candy? ›

All of these names highlight an unforgettable quality that makes sponge candy unique: its light and airy texture. Sponge candy is a toasted toffee confection that has teenie tiny air bubbles within the filling. The toffee section, or the “sponge”, is completely coated with milk or dark chocolate.

What states have sponge candy? ›

Making sponge candy the old-fashioned way

Many parts of Buffalo and Western New York may take claim to the origin of sponge candy, however, the unique candy is popular in many areas of the country.

What is another name for sponge candy? ›

Some other monikers that sponge candy goes by are honeycomb toffee, sea foam, puff candy, and fairy food. All of these names highlight an unforgettable quality that makes sponge candy unique: its light and airy texture. Sponge candy is a toasted toffee confection that has teenie tiny air bubbles within the filling.

What is a sponge candy? ›

Sponge Candy is Erie's signature candy and it's simply delicious. In other parts of the country it's also called seafoam, honeycomb or cinder toffee, or hokey pokey. Each bite offers the creamy smoothness of Stefanelli's Candies Milk Chocolate with the melt-away crunch of toffee filling.

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