Sunday, November 7, 2010

Sponge Candy


I've never made candy. Well, I've made fudge, which I guess is a type of candy, but other than that, nothing.

When I was a kid, I used to come across a candy bar in the downtown Walgreen's drugstore that was from Australia. It was in a bright purple wrapper with yellow writing (I don't remember the name of it) but it was a chocolate covered sponge and honeycomb type candy. I loved them. The honeycomb just melted in your mouth as soon as you touched it with your tongue. You didn't chew this candy per se, you savored it slowly. Well, guess what?

I came across a recipe by Christine Cushing on Food Network Canada and it was so simple and straightforward, I decided to try it.  It was easy and so delicious. And it was my SPONGE CANDY I used to love as a child. I also made a batch and added some molasses which was great also.

This would be a real fun item to make with your children, although well supervised, given it calls for boiling hot sugar!  But it's fun to watch it boil up and foam when you add the baking soda, and then harden into a delicious candy....

I think you should give it a try, it's quick, easy and delicious! And although it might not bring back childhood memories like it did for me, ya never know, it might create a memory or two for your child(ren).

Ingredients and Method:

Crisco or vegetable oil for greasing the baking dish
2 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cups light corn syrup
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup molasses if you want that flavor of candy

Layer an 13 x 9 baking dish with aluminum foil, and allow the foil to hang over the edges. Spread crisco or
oil over the aluminum foil and set aside.

In a deep heavy saucepan add sugar, corn syrup, and water. Stir once to distribute the sugar and water
and syrup. Begin heating over medium heat and monitor temperature with a candy thermometer.

A lot of sugar boiled recipes always talk about if sugar crystals form on the side of the pan to brush them with cold water. I had no such problem. This stuff just boiled and boiled just fine.

Do not stir but do monitor the liquid as it boils. When it reaches approximately 250 degrees add the vanilla, and the molasses if desired. Continue heating until it reaches 300 degrees (Hard Crack stage)

Remove from heat and sift/sprinkle the baking soda all over the sugar mixture. It will begin to vigorously  bubble up and foam. Stir to evenly distribute the baking soda as much as possible.

Pour molten candy into the prepared dish, scraping the sides of the pan. Let the candy cool completely.

Lift out of the pan using the tinfoil and place on cutting board. I used a piece of waxed paper to cover the candy, and gently broke it into pieces using a small wooden tenderizing hammer. In any event, the object is to shatter the candy into bite size pieces.

Enjoy this melt-in-your-mouth treat!

6 comments:

Dori said...

It's the Violet Crumble. I know this because it was my favorite as well. :) Cadbury's Crunchie is very similar, but not quite as "melt in your mouth" as the Crumble.

If ever I needed a reason to purchase a candy thermometer, this is it. Thanks!

meghamora said...

Oh, man, I was *addicted* to Violet Crumble a few years back. Middle-of-the-night runs to the only store in town that carried it level of addiction. That all ended when Violet Crumble met Crumbling Filling in one of my back molars and sent a bolt of sugary-sweet excruciating pain shooting through my head.

I think I have recovered enough from the trauma to try making this some night, since I have no Violet Crumble source nearby that I know of. ;)

Unknown said...

OMG I love you!! This is my all time favorite Christmas candy from my childhood. My grandma Swenson always had it. You're absolutely right you don't eat it you savor it! Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes!

Nina Richardson said...

I adore sponge sweets and delights because it was easily chewed and digested in the mouth. So there's no need to worry for me if my grannies would exert effort too much on my delights.

Hugo said...

Just did this. It's amazing. Thank you for the recipe. Dipped mine in chocolate and it turned out great. It is like crunchy bars from cadbury's.

Unknown said...

You can still purchase violet crumble at stater bros. However I do want to make some.