Sponge Toffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

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.

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.

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. Think you can save time by bringing the syrup to a full rolling, popping boil in order for it to darken more quickly? Think again.

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.

If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

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).

Burnt toffee is bitter and inedible. You may be able to stop it burning by plunging the pan into iced water.

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.

Undercooked toffee won't be anything more than a caramel sauce. But overcooked toffee will be just slightly crunchier (almost unrecognizably).

Once the butter has melted, stop stirring and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, cook, stirring only 2 to 3 times, until it turns a dark amber color and the temperature reaches 285 degrees F (137 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, 20 to 30 minutes.

Why add baking soda to toffee? ›

This toffee is cooked initially to 310°F (154°C), then the salt and baking soda are added, creating carbon dioxide. The foaming and bubbling aerate the candy somewhat, making the texture lighter and the candy easier to bite into.

Cook the toffee until it is a beautiful deep golden brown. That's right around 285-290 degrees F on a thermometer.

Both honeycomb and sponge candy are made by boiling sugar and a golden syrup of some kind. To get the iconic texture of either, baking soda is added. This common baking ingredient responds to the compounds in the mixture creating air bubbles of varying sizes.

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.

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.

Overmixing

Overworking the batter, especially if it contains gluten, will result in a tough, chewy cake. You'll often see the instructions, “mix until just combined,” in cake recipes. This means to stop mixing as soon as you see that all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

If your sugar syrup isn't hot enough, it will make your honeycomb very chewy. The best way to make sure your sugar is at the right temperature is to use a sugar thermometer. The mixture should be at the 'hard ball' stage, which is normally between 121-130 degrees Celsius.

Toffee basics

Toffee is a hard candy made by cooking a sugar syrup with butter to the hard crack stage, 300–310°F (149–154°C), and then pouring it out to cool. It can have inclusions or not, and it can be made either very dense and hard or can be lightened by adding baking soda when the candy is almost done cooking .

If you find that your candy is very sticky and chewy it's most likely because you didn't cook the brown sugar and butter long enough. Make sure it comes to a good roiling boil and continues to boil for the entire 3 minutes. This toffee will be slightly chewy, but it shouldn't be very sticky or super soft.