Sponge Candy turns a short list of pantry ingredients into crisp, airy pieces with a deep, cooked-sugar flavor. This handwritten version combines sugar, dark corn syrup, and vinegar, then adds baking soda just before pouring the bubbling mixture into a buttered pan. The accompanying newspaper clipping connects the recipe to the Candy Barrel and its owner, Mrs. Viola Smith, giving this little card a welcome bit of confectionery history. Its most important instruction is wonderfully brief: “Don’t spread.” Left undisturbed, the candy sets with the porous texture that gives it its name. Once cool, it breaks into irregular chunks, ready for a candy dish, a small gift bag, or a sweet bite alongside coffee.
Ingredients
- Butter (just enough to grease a 9 × 9-inch pan)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup dark corn syrup
- 1 tbsp vinegar (type unspecified on the card)
- 1 tbsp baking soda
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the pan
- Lightly butter a 9 × 9-inch pan.
- Measure the baking soda and have it ready before cooking the syrup.
Step 2: Combine the syrup ingredients
- Place the sugar, dark corn syrup, and vinegar in a large, heavy saucepan with plenty of room for the mixture to foam.
- Stir over medium heat until combined and the sugar dissolves.
Step 3: Cook until brittle
- Bring the mixture to a boil and continue cooking, avoiding unnecessary stirring.
- Cook until a small amount dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads that snap when bent.
- A candy thermometer provides a modern guide: the hard-crack stage is 300–310°F (149–154°C). Begin checking at 300°F. Exploratorium
Step 4: Add the baking soda
- Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Immediately stir in the baking soda, mixing quickly and thoroughly just until incorporated.
- The mixture will foam and expand.
Step 5: Pour without spreading
- Immediately pour the foaming candy into the prepared pan.
- Do not spread, press, or flatten it.
Step 6: Cool and break into pieces
- Leave the candy undisturbed until completely cool and firm.
- Break it into irregular pieces.
Tips
- Prepare everything first: The candy must be poured promptly after the baking soda goes in.
- Use a roomy saucepan: The mixture expands considerably when the baking soda is added.
- Measure the soda carefully: The card specifies 1 tbsp; adding extra can leave an unpleasant taste.
- Break up soda lumps beforehand: This helps it incorporate quickly.
- Respect the “don’t spread” instruction: Let the foam settle naturally in the pan.
- Choose a dry day: Humidity can make finished candy sticky.
- Store airtight: Once completely cool, place the pieces in a tightly sealed container.
- Optional chocolate finish: Dip cooled pieces partly in melted chocolate and let them set before packing.
Nutrition
Calories: 112kcalCarbohydrates: 29gSodium: 280mgPotassium: 5mgSugar: 25gCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.2mg