Food News

Hot cross everything this Easter

Why stop at buns? Spices and raisins have been added to plenty of other sweet things around the country.

By Sophie McComas
Pidapipo's gelato-stuffed hot cross buns
This Easter, everything from gelato and shakes to pastries has been given the fruit and spice treatment. Here are our picks.
Sydney café Reuben Hills is serving hot cross buns in the form of a frothy spiced shake. To make it, milk is blitzed with buttered hot cross buns, strained and mixed with raisin syrup and rum and raisin ice cream. The shakes are dusted generously with Mörk  chocolate powder and are available over the long weekend only.
Reuben Hills' hot cross bun shake.
In Melbourne, gelato shop Pidapipó has teamed up for a second year with Baker D Chirico to release a limited run of gelato buns. Gelato made from Hunted+Gathered milk chocolate, gianduia and hazelnut is sandwiched between hazelnut and dark chocolate hot cross buns, guarenteed to make a big delicious mess, no doubt. They're available from all Pidapipó locations until Easter Monday, 17 April.
Esquire head chef Brenden Gradidge is capping off his dégustation menu in Brisbane with a Pop-Tart style pastry filled with minced fruit, candied orange peel, ginger, brandy, spices and burnt vanilla. Baked to order and served warm with a scoop of hay-infused ice-cream, it's an "extremely buttery end to our Easter menu," he says.
Famous for its brownies, Brisbane's Dello Mano is topping its fudgy, rich original brownies with a Belgian white chocolate cross this Easter. Available in luxurious boxes of 16, it's probably wise to share these around.
Shortstop is bringing back their hot cross doughnuts to both Sydney and Melbourne stores this year. These beauties are yeast raised and studded with brandy-soaked fruit and spices. They've also been annointed with a glossy honey glaze and a cross of cinnamon sugar. They're only making 100 per day. We'll take 20.