Melbourne’s ultimate guide to beautiful, bougie and bizarre hot cross buns of Easter

They may come loaded with burrata or filled with Pizza Shapes, while some remain true to decades-old traditional family recipes. Here are Melbourne’s best (and worst) Easter hot cross buns.

Croissants, Pizza Shapes and cakes— here is our verdict on Melbourne’s best hot cross buns ahead of Easter.

Don’t get in a bun fight. Here are Melbourne’s best bougie, beautiful and bizarre hot cross buns of Easter.

Beautiful

There’s something different about Baker Bleu’s buns this Easter.

Baker Bleu sourdough: $4 each, half-dozen: $24, dozen: $48

Baker Bleu superfans will notice something different about this year’s HCB mix. The traditional sourdough recipe is now brimming with cinnamon-spiced oranges and raisins. Eat just warmed to preserve that distinguishable Baker Bleu chew, or toast and layer thick in butter. Sour cherry and dark chocolate or raisin and pecan flavours are also available.

Bread Club has nailed the HCB.

Bread Club traditional; $4.30, $23 half-dozen. Chocolate; $4.80, $25 half-dozen

We eat with our eyes and Bread Club’s high-end packaging is something to marvel. Served in swish mint-coloured boxes, bun lovers can enjoy traditional or choc hot XXX. The former is made by a complex three-step, one day process, by folding currants, cherries, blueberries, cranberries and sultanas into a ginger-spiced loaf. Toast and slather thick in Lard Ass butter for best results. While the latter, a butter brioche cocoa base, studs choc chips and toffee for ultimate decadence.

Black Star Pastry’s chocolate buns taste like cake.

Blackstar Pastry x Koko Black chocolate buns: $4.70 each, half-dozen $27, Dozen $50

With it’s cakey texture and chocolatey depth, this power collab can do no wrong. The Melbourne chocolatier adds its 60 per cent dark chocolate into Blackstar’s bun recipe for ultimate pleasure. Have the napkin ready, as those sticky buns are bound to be messy when toasted. All online orders come with Pepe Saya butter.

Bougie

Get a taste of New York City this Easter at Ruben’s Deli.

Ruben’s Deli babka: $9 each, $40 half-dozen

It’s Jewish meets New York meets Easter. Spiked with spices, marinated currants and candied orange zest, New York deli Ruben’s tops off its babka with a special citrus cream cheese. It’s crusty outer shell provides ample crunch amid that sweet raisin rush, squishy loaf interior and luscious icing. Swing by for one or buy the whole wheel (six for $40).

Overindulge like a pro with Penny for Pound and Holla Gelato.

Penny for Pound Easter Gelato Sandwich: $9.50 each, or $35 for take home 500ml tub and half-dozen.

Overindulge like a pro this Easter with Penny for Pound’s HCB gelato sangers. Choose from the traditional, double chocolate or signature sticky date buns, then fill it out with a slab of Holla Gelato’s three flavours: salted brown butter caramel, milk chocolate gianduja, or coffee pecan crunch. Too much? Penny for Pound also sells traditional buns individually for $5 or $24 for half-dozen.

Guy Grossi and his sister Liz Rodriguez, are behind some of the city’s best hot cross buns. Picture: David Smith

Guy Grossi X Hot Cross Buns: $35 half-dozen, $65 dozen

“At least 25 years”. That’s how long Melbourne chef extraordinaire Guy Grossi has been baking hot cross buns ahead of Easter. Enjoy the spice-laden, fruit loaded (sultanas, cranberries and raisins) buns with an espresso when you drop into Cellar Bar, or pre-order half-dozen or dozen for next-day collection.

Frank and Harri nails the large format bun.

Frank and Harri Hot Cross Bun Swirl pull-apart: $46.90

Let’s call this for what it is: a giant hot cross bun cake. Made to order, it’s fluffy-soft interior is pebbled with crunchy and squishy raisins, perfectly spiced and best enjoyed layered in salted butter. Perfect for sharing on Easter morning — or devoured while still warm on the car ride home after pick-up.

Bizarre

Pizza Shapes should

Arnott’s Pizza Shapes Hot Cross Buns: $5 for four pack

Whoever was behind the all-Aussie gimmick needs to be fired. Sure, this weirdly savoury, heavily processed product tastes like your fave TV snack, but you’ll get much better value from the Iced Vovo iteration instead.

Would you try this bizarre Easter creation?

Burrata hot cross bun: $10

This bizarre Easter creation is the result of a South Melbourne Market stall love in. Cobb Lane, UGO Burrata Bar and Cannoleria are behind the burrata hot cross bun. That’s Amore cheese bounces between a traditional HCB, drizzled in Cannoleria’s pistachio spread. As for the bun-atomy, Cobb Lane’s recipe uses Pepe Saya butter, dried fruit and peel. Finished with a sticky orange glaze.

Shun tradition and try Antara's Hot Cross Croissants.

Antara’s hot cross twice-baked croissants: $66 for half-dozen

Melbourne bakery restaurant Antara is doing hot cross buns, with a posh twist. The twice-baked croissants are filled with a festive hot cross bun flavoured frangipane, made with oranges, currants, raisins, sultanas and spices. It’s finished with a royal icing cross.

Is it cake? Yes, it’s Yeahllow’s Hot Cross Bun Slab.

Le Yeahllow’s Hot Cross Cake slab: $13.50 each.

A red-hot contender for the Netflix series Is it Cake? The Hot Cross Cake slab is make with a hot cross bun sponge, plumped with raisins, chocolate chips and layered with Valrhona chocolate cremeaux and all spice whipped ganache. Buy a ‘bun’ or ‘slab’ of six ($75), nine ($109), 16 ($190) or, if you can afford it, 24 ($275).