Sponge Toffee Recipe – Vanilla Bean Honeycomb Crunch

Difficulty:

3/5

Serves:

25 PEOPLE

Prep Time:

15 minutes

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Sponge Toffee Recipe

Sponge Toffee explodes with airy caramel crunch as baking soda creates dramatic honeycomb bubbles in molten sugar — pure candy-making magic with real vanilla bean perfume. From A IS FOR APPLE “Vanilla and Vinegar,” hosted by Lauren Gulyas, this nostalgic treat captures violet crumble’s shattering texture using precise 320°F hard-crack stage and vinegar’s subtle tang.

The Inspiration

Sponge Toffee (aka honeycomb, cinder toffee, or sea foam) transforms simple pantry staples into addictive caramel crisp through chemistry wizardry — sugar and corn syrup cooked to hard-crack stage (320°F) foams violently when baking soda releases carbon dioxide, creating irregular air pockets that shatter satisfyingly under teeth. Lauren Gulyas showcases this in A IS FOR APPLE, using real vanilla bean for floral depth that elevates beyond extract versions, while distilled vinegar stabilizes the sugar boil and adds barely perceptible brightness mirroring episode’s theme.

From British seaside boardwalks to Canadian hockey arena concessions, sponge toffee endures as irresistible crunch therapy — perfect bite-sized chunks studded in ice cream, crumbled over desserts, or savored solo. Gulyas emphasizes mise en place obsession: pre-measure everything, use massive pot (4x expansion!), sift soda religiously to prevent lumps.

Ingredients

1 cup (250ml) sugar
1 cup (250) light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon (15ml) baking soda sifted
1 tablespoon (15ml) distilled white vinegar
Baking tray 10 inch by 5 inch (25cm by 12.7cm)
Foil
Special tools: candy thermometer

Methods

Line a baking tray with foil.
Measure all ingredients and gather all tools before you start.
Make sure your pot is large enough for the mixture to expand four times its original volume.
Place sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean in a large pot. Set the pot over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon stirring occasionally cook the sugar until the candy thermometer reads 320F (160°C). Carefully remove vanilla bean using tongs.
Remove pot from heat. Working quickly whisk in the vinegar then the soda. Whisk fast just to incorporate the soda but don’t over mix as the form will deflate. This is going to grow 3 times its volume. Quickly pour into prepared tray.
Allow to sit without moving for 30 minutes.
When cool crack toffee into desired chunks and pieces.

Serving Suggestions

Serve Sponge Toffee Recipe with shards piled high in clear glass wine bags or parchment-lined wooden trays for visual drama at parties — the irregular golden bubbles and vanilla-flecked matrix mesmerize guests while shattering sounds create communal crunch symphony as everyone breaks pieces tableside. Crumble coarsely over vanilla ice cream sundaes with chocolate ganache drizzle for Old Dutch-style decadence, or stud warm brownies before baking for hidden crunch surprise; for sophisticated twists, dip half-shards in tempered dark chocolate and sprinkle fleur de sel, creating toffee bark that rivals patisserie cases.

Pair with coffee flights (espresso cuts caramel best) or dessert wine tastings where late-harvest Riesling echoes honeyed notes; kids adore it straight from hand as after-school magic, while adults crush it into pancake topping or cheesecake crust for texture revolution.

Final Thoughts

Sponge Toffee recipe from A IS FOR APPLE “Vanilla and Vinegar,” hosted by Lauren Gulyas, delivers shatteringly crisp honeycomb perfection using real vanilla bean, precise 320°F hard-crack stage, and dramatic baking soda foaming that creates thousands of airy caramel bubbles — transforming simple sugar, corn syrup, and vinegar into addictive crunch therapy that rivals violet crumble or sea foam candy. This foolproof candy-making method emphasizes mise en place mastery, massive pot capacity for 4x expansion, and lightning-fast whisking technique that preserves fragile bubble structure for maximum snap without stickiness, making it accessible for home cooks while yielding professional patisserie results every time.

Find more recipes from A is for Apple here!