Easter Baking: Hot Cross Buns, Simnel Cake and Spring Treats
Three Easter baking traditions - the spiced enriched bun, the marzipan fruitcake, and a lemon spring cake - each improved by making ahead
Easter baking has a longer tradition in Britain than Christmas baking, though it receives less attention in contemporary food media. The hot cross bun - spiced, fruit-studded, marked with a flour cross - has been documented as an Easter preparation since at least the 18th century and probably far earlier, associated with the end of Lent and the return of enriched, sweetened baking after the 40-day fast. The simnel cake, with its layers of marzipan and the eleven apostle marzipan balls on top (Judas is absent, which is why there are eleven rather than twelve), is the traditional Easter Sunday cake.
Both have something in common: they improve with time. Hot cross buns are at their best eaten warm from the oven, but the dough improves over a long, slow refrigerator prove. Simnel cake improves over several days as the fruit absorbs the marzipan and the flavours mellow.
Hot Cross Buns
The most anticipated Easter bake. Spiced, fruit-studded, marked with a flour cross, glazed with apricot - nothing else achieves the specific pleasure of a warm hot cross bun split and buttered on Good Friday morning.
Makes 12 | Active time: 30 minutes | Proving time: 2-3 hours (or overnight in the refrigerator)
The Science of Enriched Dough
Hot cross buns are made from enriched dough - bread dough with added fat (butter), eggs, and sugar that produces a soft, tender, slightly sweet crumb quite different from plain bread. The fat coats the gluten strands and inhibits their development, producing tenderness. The eggs add structure and richness. The sugar feeds the yeast and contributes to the golden colour.
See Brioche and Enriched Dough in the Baking pillar for the complete enriched dough science.
Ingredients
The dough:
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 75g caster sugar
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 7g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
- 300ml whole milk, warmed to body temperature
- 60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 150g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, currants, mixed peel)
- Zest of 1 orange
The cross:
- 75g plain flour
- 75ml water
- Pinch of sugar
The glaze:
- 3 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
Method
Step 1 - Make the dough: Combine flour, sugar, salt, spices, and yeast in a large bowl. Make a well. Add the warm milk, melted butter, and beaten egg. Mix to a shaggy dough.
Knead for 10 minutes (or 7 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook) until smooth and elastic. The dough will be slightly tacky - resist adding more flour.
Step 2 - Add the fruit: Flatten the dough on the work surface. Scatter the dried fruit and orange zest over the surface. Knead briefly until the fruit is evenly distributed.
Step 3 - First prove: Place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover. Prove at room temperature for 1-1.5 hours until doubled in size.
The overnight alternative (recommended): After kneading, place the covered dough directly in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours). The slow, cold fermentation develops more flavour. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before shaping.
Step 4 - Shape: Knock back the dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces (weigh them - approximately 85g each for consistent sizing). Shape each into a smooth ball. Place close together on a lined baking tray - they should be almost touching, which makes them pull apart attractively when baked.
Step 5 - Second prove: Cover loosely. Prove at room temperature for 45-60 minutes until noticeably puffed and the buns are just touching each other.
Step 6 - The cross: Preheat oven to 200°C (fan). Mix the plain flour, water, and sugar to a smooth, thick paste. Transfer to a piping bag or a small zip-lock bag with a corner snipped. Pipe a continuous cross over each row of buns - one long stripe across all the buns in one direction, then a perpendicular stripe. The crosses should be a confident, unbroken line.
Step 7 - Bake: Bake for 18-22 minutes until deep golden brown. The buns should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Step 8 - Glaze: Immediately from the oven, brush the warm apricot glaze over the surface of all the buns. The glaze gives them their characteristic glossy sheen and slightly jammy sweetness.
Eat warm. Split and buttered. Any remaining buns are best toasted the next day - a lightly stale hot cross bun, toasted and buttered, is the superior version.
Simnel Cake
The traditional Easter Sunday cake - a moist, spiced fruitcake with a layer of marzipan baked into the middle and a crown of marzipan balls on top. Improves over several days.
Makes 1 × 20cm cake | Active time: 45 minutes | Baking: 2 hours 30 minutes
A Note on Simnel Cake's Significance
The eleven marzipan balls on top represent the eleven apostles - Judas is absent from the group. The cake is associated with Mothering Sunday (the fourth Sunday of Lent in the British tradition) as well as Easter Sunday, and its marzipan layer distinguishes it from Christmas fruitcake both visually and in flavour - the almond adds a specific sweetness that Christmas cake doesn't have.
Ingredients
The cake:
- 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 225g soft light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 225g sultanas
- 175g currants
- 50g dried apricots, finely chopped
- 50g glacé cherries, halved
- Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
- 2 tbsp milk (if needed for consistency)
The marzipan:
- 450g good-quality marzipan (bought is fine - home-made is better: 250g ground almonds + 125g icing sugar + 125g caster sugar + 1 egg + 1 tsp almond extract, mixed until combined)
The glaze:
- 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved
Method
Step 1: Preheat oven to 150°C (fan). Grease and double-line a 20cm round cake tin with parchment (the long baking time requires double lining to prevent burning).
Step 2: Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add a spoonful of flour with the last egg if the mixture is curdling.
Fold in the flour and spices. Fold in all the fruit and the citrus zests. The batter should be a heavy dropping consistency - add the milk if it seems too stiff.
Step 3: Divide the marzipan into thirds. Roll one-third into a disc the exact diameter of the tin. Roll the other two-thirds into a long sausage for later.
Step 4: Spoon half the cake batter into the prepared tin. Level. Place the marzipan disc on top. Spoon the remaining batter over the marzipan and level the top.
Step 5: Bake for 2 hours 30 minutes at 150°C until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check at 2 hours - if the top is browning too much, cover loosely with foil.
Step 6: Cool completely in the tin (at least 2 hours). Remove.
Step 7: Brush the top of the cake with the warmed apricot jam.
Step 8: Roll the remaining marzipan into a circle the diameter of the cake. Press gently onto the jam-covered top. Roll the remaining scraps into 11 equal balls. Arrange around the edge of the marzipan top.
Step 9: Toast the marzipan. Using a kitchen blowtorch, toast the marzipan balls and the top surface until lightly golden - the same blowtorch technique as for crème brûlée (see Crème Brûlée).
Alternatively: Place under a hot grill for 3-4 minutes, watching closely - marzipan burns quickly.
Storage: Wrap the cake in parchment and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. It improves over the first week.
Spring Lemon Cake
For those who want something lighter and more spring-like than a fruitcake - a simple, moist lemon sponge with a cream cheese frosting and crystallised primroses or violets.
Makes 1 × 20cm round cake | Active time: 20 minutes | Baking: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 225g unsalted butter, softened
- 225g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 225g self-raising flour
- Zest of 3 unwaxed lemons
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Lemon cream cheese frosting:
- 200g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 200g icing sugar, sifted
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Method: Beat butter and sugar until pale (5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time. Fold in flour and lemon zest. Add lemon juice. Divide between 2 greased and lined 20cm tins.
Bake at 180°C (fan) for 28-32 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.
For the frosting: beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add icing sugar, lemon zest and juice. Beat until light and fluffy.
Assemble: Place one layer on a plate. Spread a generous layer of frosting. Place the second layer on top. Frost the top and sides.
Decoration: Crystallised primroses, edible flowers, or a scattering of lemon zest. The spring cake looks most beautiful kept simple - the pale yellow colour against white frosting and spring flowers is its own decoration.
Pro Tips for Easter Baking
- The overnight hot cross bun prove is worth it. The flavour developed over 8-12 hours in the refrigerator is markedly better than the 1.5-hour room-temperature prove. Make the dough Friday evening, refrigerate overnight, shape and bake Saturday morning for Good Friday.
- Weigh the hot cross bun portions. Uneven sizes produce unevenly baked buns - some over, some under. Each ball at approximately 85g produces consistent baking.
- Don't rush the simnel cake. The long, low temperature (150°C for 2.5 hours) is essential for a moist, dense fruitcake that cooks all the way through without burning. Higher temperature and shorter time produce a burnt exterior and raw centre.
- Make both cakes at least 2 days ahead. Fruitcake improves significantly over 2-7 days. The lemon sponge is best on day 1-2. Plan accordingly.
🔗 Complete Easter Weekend
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