I hate when I can’t figure something out and get it to work.

Failure, failure, failure.  That is all my efforts to replicate my favorite candy have added up to—zilch, zero, nothing, except a pan of burnt sugar to clean up.  And, yet, I continue to try.  If you have ever had sponge candy, you know that the potential gain is greater than the pain (and literally the burns from bubbling hot sugar syrup).

If you’ve never heard of sponge candy, it is best described as burned and aerated sugar dipped in chocolate.  Ok, maybe it doesn’t sound so great, but it really truly is.  If you know the British candy bar Aero, sponge candy is similar.  Where I grew up in Western New York, just outside of Buffalo, you can buy sponge candy everywhere, even at the gas station.  It is not exclusively local or even unique to Buffalo, but we do seem to love it.  Just about any candy store sells it.  I especially looked forward to getting it around the holidays when I was a kid.  My mom would buy boxes from our school fundraisers and I would savor the pieces that my sisters rationed out to me by biting off the chocolate from each side and then plopping the burnt sugar hunk in my mouth so it would melt and become syrupy. 

I call upon you, dear readers, to see if you have the handy hint that I just don’t seem to have mastered in all my attempts.  The interior of the candy—the sponge part—is made by heating a sugar mixture and then causing a chemical reaction using vinegar and baking soda to “aerate” the sugar and as it cools it becomes solid.  I have tried many recipes and achieved aeration, only for the sponge to “fall” and become dense and hard (too hard to eat, and one last week, even get it out of the pan, which I ended up throwing away).  I have scoured the web and really made this a huge research project, but to no avail.  Anybody have some experience with this?  This Buffalo-gal living in Minnesota would love to know.

By the way, my husband took pity on me and ordered me two pounds of sponge candy from a candy maker in Buffalo, Bella Mia Chocolate Shop, since he knew I wanted some so badly.  I guess I will share some with him.  Help me out talented readers!  (Thanks in advance!)

Sponge candy is sometimes known by some other names: molasses puffs, honeycomb, and seafoam...have you had any of these?  Tell me about it.

Tags:  chocolate, sponge candy, Western New York, seafoam, honeycomb

BeachMommy said:
Maybe the candy maker in Buffalo, Bella Mia Chocolate Shop will bestow pity on you and help you achieve success? It couldn't hurt to ask.... Good Luck!
10/7/2009 9:09:15 PM

pombo1 said:
When I was a kid we called this stuff hot air and store bought had the chocolate coating but the home made no chocolate. I still make a christmas time but if you ever get the choc going woud like to know too
10/16/2009 2:33:30 PM

bakers1 said:
I've never heard of this candy but I found a recipe for it. See below: Sponge Candy Ingredients 1 cup sugar 1 cup corn syrup (dark) 1 TBS vinegar 1 TBS baking soda Directions Using a heavy saucepan, stir everything but the baking soda over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Now let the syrup continue to heat without stirring until it reaches 300° F. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in 1 TBSP of baking soda–this will cause the syrup to foam and puff up. Next pour the foaming syrup into a buttered 9×9 pan (do not spread or move the syrup with any utensils, allow it spread itself) . Once it’s cooled and hardened, break the candy into pieces and enjoy.
10/20/2009 11:33:58 AM

polllk14 said:
I have made this recipe for several years, usually around Christmas time for family get-togethers. There were a few attempts that did not turn out as I hoped, but I finally got the hang of it and was able to perfect it. There are a few keys to the success of this recipe though. First, it is important to use the candy thermometer. This type of candy is a "hard crack" candy, so when drizzling some of the melted sugar mixture into cold water should give a candy that snaps when you break it--if the candy is still a little sticky or gooey, you need to cook it longer. Second, when adding the baking soda, stir very fast to ensure good incorporation of the soda and no lumps. It is also important that the baking soda be fairly fresh. The pan that you will be pouring the candy onto should be ready for you. When I make it I line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil--no buttering necessary. It simplifies breaking the pieces and also cleanup. I've found that the cookie sheet works better because the candy spreads out more and it is easier to make the pieces more uniform. I live in Wisconsin, so when I cool the candy, I usually just set it out in the garage, since it's usually cold outside when I make it. I hope this helps :)
11/15/2009 11:15:29 AM

polllk14 said:
I have made this recipe for several years, usually around Christmas time for family get-togethers. There were a few attempts that did not turn out as I hoped, but I finally got the hang of it and was able to perfect it. There are a few keys to the success of this recipe though. First, it is important to use the candy thermometer. This type of candy is a "hard crack" candy, so when drizzling some of the melted sugar mixture into cold water should give a candy that snaps when you break it--if the candy is still a little sticky or gooey, you need to cook it longer. Second, when adding the baking soda, stir very fast to ensure good incorporation of the soda and no lumps. It is also important that the baking soda be fairly fresh. The pan that you will be pouring the candy onto should be ready for you. When I make it I line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil--no buttering necessary. It simplifies breaking the pieces and also cleanup. I've found that the cookie sheet works better because the candy spreads out more and it is easier to make the pieces more uniform. I live in Wisconsin, so when I cool the candy, I usually just set it out in the garage, since it's usually cold outside when I make it. I hope this helps :)
11/15/2009 11:20:43 AM

polllk14 said:
I have made this recipe for several years, usually around Christmas time for family get-togethers. There were a few attempts that did not turn out as I hoped, but I finally got the hang of it and was able to perfect it. There are a few keys to the success of this recipe though. First, it is important to use the candy thermometer. This type of candy is a "hard crack" candy, so when drizzling some of the melted sugar mixture into cold water should give a candy that snaps when you break it--if the candy is still a little sticky or gooey, you need to cook it longer. Second, when adding the baking soda, stir very fast to ensure good incorporation of the soda and no lumps. It is also important that the baking soda be fairly fresh. The pan that you will be pouring the candy onto should be ready for you. When I make it I line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil--no buttering necessary. It simplifies breaking the pieces and also cleanup. I've found that the cookie sheet works better because the candy spreads out more and it is easier to make the pieces more uniform. I live in Wisconsin, so when I cool the candy, I usually just set it out in the garage, since it's usually cold outside when I make it. I hope this helps :)
11/15/2009 11:22:15 AM

polllk14 said:
I have made this recipe for several years, usually around Christmas time for family get-togethers. There were a few attempts that did not turn out as I hoped, but I finally got the hang of it and was able to perfect it. There are a few keys to the success of this recipe though. First, it is important to use the candy thermometer. This type of candy is a "hard crack" candy, so when drizzling some of the melted sugar mixture into cold water should give a candy that snaps when you break it--if the candy is still a little sticky or gooey, you need to cook it longer. Second, when adding the baking soda, stir very fast to ensure good incorporation of the soda and no lumps. It is also important that the baking soda be fairly fresh. The pan that you will be pouring the candy onto should be ready for you. When I make it I line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil--no buttering necessary. It simplifies breaking the pieces and also cleanup. I've found that the cookie sheet works better because the candy spreads out more and it is easier to make the pieces more uniform. I live in Wisconsin, so when I cool the candy, I usually just set it out in the garage, since it's usually cold outside when I make it. I hope this helps :)
11/15/2009 11:23:45 AM