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How to make honeycomb toffee
Honeycomb toffee, also called cinder toffee, is quick to make at home, and dramatic too, as the pan foams up in seconds. Here is a simple method from a golden syrup maker, the science behind the bubbles, and how to fix the usual problems.
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Honeycomb toffee is a sugar syrup that has been blown into a foam, then left to set hard. It goes by many names, including cinder toffee, sponge toffee and, in Northern Ireland, yellowman: see honeycomb toffee and yellowman
A word on safety
The syrup gets extremely hot, and when the bicarbonate of soda goes in, it foams up fast and high. Use a large pan, keep children back from the stove, and let an adult do all the cooking and pouring.
What you need
This follows the chunky golden honeycomb recipe from Lyle's, the golden syrup maker:
- 5 tablespoons golden syrup
- 200 g golden caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
You will also need a large pan, a wooden spoon, and a 20 cm brownie tin, greased and lined.
Method
- Melt. Put the golden syrup and sugar in the large pan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the grains have gone.
- Cook to caramel. Let it simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, until it turns a deep amber caramel.
- Foam. Take the pan off the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda and stir it in very quickly with the wooden spoon. The mixture will foam up at once.
- Pour. Tip it straight into the lined tin, where it will keep bubbling. Do not stir it any further.
- Set. Leave it alone for 1 to 2 hours, until it is hard and brittle, then break it into chunks.
Where the bubbles come from
Bicarbonate of soda gives off carbon dioxide gas. The hot, thick syrup traps the bubbles, so the whole mass puffs up into a foam, which then sets as it cools: see how is honeycomb toffee made?
When it goes wrong
Lyle's gives three common problems:
- Flat honeycomb. Stirring too much after adding the bicarbonate of soda knocks out the air.
- Chewy honeycomb. The caramel was not cooked enough before the soda went in: see why is my toffee not hardening?
- Dark, bitter honeycomb. The caramel was cooked too far.
Keeping it crunchy
Moisture makes honeycomb soggy, so store it in an airtight container, away from damp, and not in the fridge. For a treat, dip the pieces in melted chocolate: see how to melt chocolate
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to sweeties.net.
Questions and answers
Why did my honeycomb go flat?
Stirring too much after the bicarbonate of soda goes in knocks the air out. Stir it in quickly, just until it foams, and pour it straight into the tin.
Why is my honeycomb chewy?
A chewy set is a sign the caramel was not cooked enough before the bicarbonate of soda went in. Cook it to a deep amber caramel. Cooking it far past that point can make it dark and bitter instead.
How do you store honeycomb toffee?
In an airtight container, away from damp, and not in the fridge. Moisture makes honeycomb soft and soggy.
Sources
- Chunky golden honeycomb, Lyle's Golden Syrup
- How to make honeycomb that will leave you buzzing, Lyle's Golden Syrup
- Honeycomb toffee, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- How it is madeHow is honeycomb toffee made?Honeycomb toffee is hot sugar syrup with baking soda stirred in. The soda gives off carbon dioxide, which blows the syrup into a foam that sets hard.
- British heritage sweetsHoneycomb toffeeHoneycomb toffee, cinder toffee or puff candy is a crisp toffee full of bubbles, made by adding bicarbonate of soda to hot sugar syrup.
- British heritage sweetsYellowmanYellowman is a crunchy, golden honeycomb toffee from Northern Ireland, famous at the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle, one of Ireland's oldest fairs.
- How it is madeHow is caramel made?Chewy caramels are sugar and glucose heated to 130°C, then cream and butter added and reheated to 120°C before flavouring. Plus salted caramel.
- Sweet tips and how toWhy is my toffee not hardening?Toffee only sets hard if the syrup reaches the hard crack stage, 149 to 154°C. The usual reasons toffee stays soft or sticky, and how to avoid them.
- How it is madeWhat is glucose syrup?Glucose syrup is a thick syrup made by breaking down starch, usually from maize or wheat. Sweet makers use it to sweeten, soften and stop sugar crystallising.