Easter is almost here!
Fancy getting creative in the kitchen this Easter? Looking for some fun, festive, and delicious ideas to get you inspired? Don’t worry – we have you sorted!
By far one of the most popular festive treats you’ll see around the country during Easter is Hot Cross Buns. They are traditionally a spiced sweet fruit bun, known for their distinctive cross marking on the top. Typically, you will find Hot Cross Buns in Commonwealth countries like Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Each year over 100 million buns are sold across the country, and while we may be familiar with the more traditional fruit flavour or chocolate chip if you’re looking for something sweeter – more Hot Cross Bun flavours seem to be trending each year! Now if you take a stroll through your local supermarket over Easter (or really anytime from December 26th it now seems!), you will see salted caramel, raspberry white chocolate, mocha, brioche, and even jalapeno cheese varieties stocking our shelves.
So, for all our creative cooks out there wanting a challenge (or maybe looking for ways to keep your kids busy these school holidays), look no further for your yearly dose of Easter baking inspiration. We have searched far and wide for the most unique, adventurous, and (hopefully) delicious Hot Cross Bun recipes. Creating this list of six Hot Cross Bun recipes you MUST try this Easter Season!
1. Blueberry Pie
If you have a sweet tooth – this one is for you! Deliciously combines the traditional spiced cinnamon flavours of a Hot Cross Bun with fresh blueberries and a rich pie-crust crumble. Still pretty safe but gets you experimenting with some fruit alternatives on the classic base.
https://www.delicious.com.au/recipes/blueberry-pie-hot-cross-bun/8tyeodyn
2. Honey-Glazed Brioche
Learn some new skills with this buttery brioche Hot Cross Bun – loaded with your favourite dried fruits, glazed with honey, and topped with a zesty orange icing. Creating this sophisticated take on the original recipe will make you feel like a real French Chef this Easter!
3. Maple & Pecan with Bacon Butter
If you love bacon this is your match! Bringing these to your Easter get-togethers will be sure to impress and appeal to everyone (except vegans sorry!). Deliciously sweet from the maple syrup and pecans, but also salty and savoury from the bacon butter – this will be a hit.
https://www.delicious.com.au/recipes/maple-pecan-hot-cross-buns-bacon-butter/8cqbjeqp
4. Chocolate Chunk
The one you have been waiting for – who doesn’t love a rich chocolate chip Hot Cross Bun at Easter! This recipe is a mix of your traditional spiced fruit base and big chunks of chocolate chips that are sure to cure any sweet tooth.
https://simply-delicious-food.com/chocolate-chunk-hot-cross-buns/
5. Raw Hot Cross Buns
For all health food lovers or those trying to make a *few* healthier choices around Easter – check out this Raw Hot Cross Bun take on the classic baked bun. You still get all those delicious cinnamon flavours with your favourite dried fruits, but no need to worry about feeling guilty for eating the whole batch (you can save that for after you’ve eaten six Cadbury bunnies in one sitting later!).
https://ascensionkitchen.com/raw-hot-cross-buns/
6. Stout Infused
Beer lovers we have saved your favourite for last! This one is simple – pick your favourite stout and get baking. Packed with all your favourites you can really customise this recipe to be full of all the things you like most in a Hot Cross Bun.
https://drizzleanddip.com/2015/03/12/stout-hot-cross-buns/
So now we are leaving you with the hardest question of all – which one will you be trying out first?! During our search we found so many other varieties of Hot Cross Buns it was hard to pick just six. If you are struggling to pick just one to make yourself, think about adding a Hot Cross Bun making competition as part of your Easter festivities. Not only does it give everyone a fun Easter themed activity to add to your calendar, but you also get to try several different flavours without all the work!
For more Easter themed goodness, check out our previous Easter Blogs;
If you’re looking for something else to get you into the Easter spirit don’t forget we have our HUGE Easter Egg Raffle at The Westport Club on Sunday 3rd April. There are over 50 prize packs to be won filled with all your chocolate favourites and some special surprises for the kids. Sit back and relax for the afternoon, enjoying our stunning river frontage views and delicious food & drink – all while being in with a chance to win big!