Arise my Honeycomb, arise

When you say honeycomb, most people think of the waxy structure used by bees to store their honey. But I am talking about honeycomb made of sugar and bicarbonate of soda. Made famous by the Cadbury Crunchie bar. This golden bubbly treat is very temperature sensitive and when the soda is added will suddenly double in size, which can catch many people off guard and result in burns, so please be careful.

It’s simple, quick and easy to make, is an excellent gift and will enhance any dessert to the next level simply by scattering a few lumps on top.

I must warn you though, I think that this confectionery was developed to increase trade for dentists, as it has a tendency to stick in the teeth and threatens to pull out fillings. You have been warned of the sweet dangers.

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

200g sugar

100g golden syrup

50g water

15g bicarbonate of soda

Melted dark chocolate (optional)

Method

1. Cover all sides of a large loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Heat sugar, water, golden syrup, in a large pan so the honeycomb can expand easily. Heat to 163C while brushing down the sides of the pan with water to prevent the mixture from becoming crystalline.
3. Sieve the bicarbonate of soda to remove lumps.
4. Once the mixture reaches 163C sieve in the bicarbonate of soda evenly over the surface and stir in quickly using a plastic spatula.
5. Pour into the container. Leave to cool for 1 hour.
6. Cut into small chunks. This is difficult as it’s very brittle. Store in a dry sealed container.
7. (Optional) Dip a chunk of the honeycomb into the chocolate with the flat side of the honeycomb chunk down. Cover about half way up and then scrape the excess chocolate off on the side of the bowl to prevent a “foot” from forming. This is when there is a thick layer of chocolate at the bottom of the treat which gives an unpleasant mouthfeel when eating it. Place the dipped honeycomb on to baking paper and leave to set.

Tip: Keep the smaller pieces and crumbs as they can be used on top of desserts or on ice-cream.