Hot on the desiccated coconut-dusted heels of the invention of what we at Time Out dubbed the ‘cramington’ – a croissant and lamington hybrid – the team from Sydney’s Banksia Bakehouse have added whole extra layers of seasonal flair to their cube-shaped pastry invention. In a three-way crossover that we never knew had to happen, the cramington has been merged with the humble hot cross bun in what they’ve dubbed the ‘hot cross croissant’ – and we're immediately calling the 'hot croiss bun'.
But these aren't buns, hun, they're pastries. Just like the cramington, the hot cross croissant is crafted from croissant dough and moulded into a cube shape using a special cake mould. This results in a crisp outer pastry ‘shell’ topped with an icing cross, and inside is a (not so beautiful, but flavour-packed) centre of cinnamon crème patisserie with Australian Sunmuscat sultanas from Tabletop Grapes, a family-owned farm in Billabong, Mildura, Victoria.
Dare we say it, this flaky wizardry pretty much makes the debate about whether to microwave or toast croissants null and void.
“We wanted to create a special Easter treat using our expertise in croissants and patisserie,” Banksia Bakehouse’s Chris Sheldrick said in a statement. “With hot cross buns appearing in supermarkets right after Christmas, we didn’t want to create a traditional-style bun, as we felt customers would be tired of them by the time Easter actually came around.”
The hot cross croissant is available at the CBD bakery during April. You can visit Banksia Bakehouse at Grosvenor Place, 225 George Street, Sydney. It’s open from 7am-4.30pm between Monday and Friday.