Taste test: unusual hot cross buns
Hot cross buns are an Easter favourite. But can they work with a twist or two?
A range of strange and out-of-the-ordinary hot cross buns are available from various shops for Easter, which prompted us to wonder if there are any contenders out there that can give the traditional bun a run for its money?
From chocolate to cranberry, we toasted and tried out some of the more unusual buns on offer this year. Are they any good, or should you stick with the classic recipe? Below are the results of our test.
7th place – Asda Double Chocolate
“Tastes like burnt toast.” “Tastes like plastic.” “Not a hot cross bun!” This one got no love at all, with a weird look and a weirder flavour that’s not quite chocolate. Don’t go there.
2.2/10
6th place – Aldi Belgian Chocolate and Toffee Fudge
Aldi’s chocolate bun was also slammed, though it did marginally better than Asda’s effort. “Stop with the chocolate” was the most telling comment, but one went further saying they had to spit it out. “Gross.”
3.5/10
5th place – Morrisons Spiced Bun Loaf
“Tastes like hot cross buns should” said one person, but others disagreed. Many criticised it for being either more bread- or cake-like than a traditional bun, and for not having enough fruit. Interesting idea, but not that special in reality.
4.1/10
4th place – Co-op Milk Chocolate
Despite our chocolate reservations, the Co-op’s buns didn’t do as badly as Asda or Aldi, although they didn’t do that well either. The chocolate was described as “cheap” and “fake” by a few tasters, but a few people actually quite liked this one, scoring it highly for plentiful chocolate – though it was likened to brioche rather than a hot cross bun.
4.3/10
3rd place – Asda Caramel and White Chocolate
Asda’s other entry to our test did a lot better. While some thought them a little bland, others commented on the nice, light texture and subtle flavours. But where was the fruit? A good question that unfortunately remains unanswered. At the end of the day, it still wasn’t a fantastic bun.
4.8/10
2nd place – Aldi Cranberry and Orange
This is more like it, but still a long way from perfection. The zesty orange and sharp cranberry pleased some, who said it offset the sweetness well, but others thought it contained way too much fruit, rather than striking a good balance.
5.7/10
1st place – Sainsbury’s Cranberry and Golden Raisin
Sainsbury’s fruity buns weren’t bad either but people weren’t going mad for the cranberries. “Lovely spices” but it “doesn’t do enough to excite”. While it’s not awful and got some praise, like the Aldi Cranberry and Orange bun, for going a more traditional route, it seems that we’d still prefer a ‘normal’ bun.
6.1/10
These buns made us cross
There we have it – the only bun we want to see on the table this Easter is a classic fruited hot cross bun. None of this chocolate malarkey please, though we won’t say no to a little butter.
Bake your own hot cross buns with this recipe from Richard Bertinet
Have you tried any of these, or other ‘unusual’ versions of the hot cross bun? What did you think? Let us know in the Comments below.
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