Ginger Molasses Sponge Toffee

What is Sponge Toffee?

Sponge toffee is an easy to make candy that’s usually sold in blocks or in chunks / nuggets.

We used to get it at corner stores, farmer's markets, and gas stations... or make it at home.

The technique used to make the candy causes it to fizz up at the last minute, and it hardens full of holes. This gives it an airy, bubbly, almost flaky texture.

I loved the contrast between the appearance (bubbles!), and the crispy texture.

Whether I'd let it melt in my mouth slowly, or chomp through (and pick the sugar off my teeth for a long time afterwards!), it was just a fun food to enjoy.

Sponge Toffee Around the World

Growing up, it was "sponge", but some older people (looking back, probably immigrants or 1st gen Canadians from England, where "Honeycomb" is the term for it) would call it honeycomb toffee.

I always liked that - it's a much cuter / more tasty sounding name than "sponge". Who wants to eat a sponge, anyway?

When I was in Minnesota, it was called "sponge candy" the few times I saw it. It definitely wasn't as commonly available there, as it had been my whole life in Canada.

Via friends, I learned that the same stuff was referred to as "foam candy" or "seafoam" in some other places in the US.

Sponge Toffee - or something very similar - exists around the world, in slightly different variations, and with a bunch of different names.

I love that New Zealanders call it "Hokey Pokey" and put it in ice cream!

As a kid, I enjoyed drizzling ice cream with a bit of corn syrup and topping with the crumbs left over from making a batch of this toffee.

Be very careful with this - sugar burns are no joke! Be sure to use a long handled spoon to mix the baking soda in, keeping your hands clear of the ... volcano.

As you stir the baking soda in, you’ll want to be sure it’s well incorporated, but you’ll also want to be mindful of how much you stir / beat it.

The less you beat it, the higher it will rise, and the bigger the holes will be.

The more you beat it, the smaller the holes will be, the less lift you’ll get, and the denser the final candy will be.

Once you’ve beat it as much as you’d like, quickly pour it into a prepared 9 x 13" pan.

If you’ve been judicious in your mixing, it will continue to foam a bit in the pan - it’s good to not beat the “life” out of it, in the pot.

Then, you let it cool.

If you’d like set sizes / shapes (blocks, bars), you can score the candy with a sharp knife. DO this several minutes after pouring it into the pan, so you don’t affect the rise.

As the candy cools, gently re-establish your score cuts, bit by bit. Once it’s 100% cooled, you can easily break it into the blocks or bars you’d like.

Enjoy!