The best hot cross buns in Sydney

Pastry maestro Andy Bowdy is waking up early to bring his HCBs to the masses again. Not only are the brioche buns brushed with a spiced sticky glaze, but the fruits inside have been soaking in brandy, Campari and whisky since Christmas – yes, give or take three months. Drop by Saga's website to order half a dozen of these bad boys just in time for the long weekend – or drop in store and pair your sweet treat with one of their flaky tarts while you're there. 

The fragrant HCBs from Black Star Pastry are a spicy, citrusy flavour bomb. This is a main event kind of bun, packed with mouth-tingling orange peel, zest and covered in a shiny coat of sweet, frankincense syrup. New to their line-up this year is the hot cross bun's chocolate counterpart. They've teamed up with chocolatier Koko Black to ensure the little chocolate chips hidden in each bite are nothing but decadent. The best part? They're vegan (but you would never know). Get yours from any of the outlets around Sydney, from Rosebery to the CBD to Moore Park to its Newtown store. 

Clovelly Road's Tuga Pastries are bringing their signature Portuguese warmth to Easter baked goods this year. You can treat yourself to one, or a dozen, hot cross buns by pre-ordering on their website, here, or heading in store. This year Tuga Pastries are also introducing a folar de pascoa for the first time. Traditionally this is a sweet bread made for Easter, but you can bet that Tuga are pulling out all the stops with glorious braided brioche, dollops of nutella and cute litle Easter egg garnishes. 

You wouldn't expect a Michelin-starred dumpling chain to round out a list of the city's best hot cross buns, but we've veered a little off-course for good reason. DTF's chocolate hot cross baos are non-traditional, but still fluffy: grab a dozen of the steamed morsels in-store, or order a frozen pack online – just make sure to heat them up so the gooey, chocolate filling inside each bun oozes out. 

It appears that dessert mash-ups are really a thing this Easter and it just wouldn't be Tokyo Laminton without a Frankenstein's monster of an HCB with a hint of Australia's favourite sponge. This particular "bun" is brightened with the use of yuzu and soaked in a Sakura glaze. Pre-order it together in a pack with their hot cross lamingtons. Yum. 

There's a rustic quality to Nadine Ingram's baking across the board at Flour and Stone, and it extends to her Easter buns, which are still sweet and spicy without going into full cake territory. These ones aren't intensely fruity, and they keep the raisins and peel small, too. Order online.

Yves Scherrer's Clovelly pâtisserie is selling hot cross buns with classic fruits that feature a sneaky French touch of pain d'épices. Ooh la la! Order online for pickup or home delivery. Don't forget to order your goodies by Thursday April 6 to pick them up in time for Easter Sunday.

This Easter offering is all about French curves rather than right angles – their "not cross buns" are marked with an ‘S’ instead of an ‘X’. These sweet little buns are light and airy and only use a very limited amount of peel in their dried fruit mix. They also add cranberries for a little extra tart kick and opt for smaller raisins for more even fruit distribution throughout the spiced bread. You can even order online and pick up in-store.

The latest addition to the Quay Quarters family, Bar Mammoni is an all-dayer that's serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as late night cocktails. But what we're here for now is their Hot Cross Bun. $5 each, 4 for $16. The dough is made fresh daily and it is more light and fluffy, like a brioche dough. The mix of goji berries with currants add a nice tang. Available from now until April 8.

Do you like raisin toast? Of course you do. And what’s better than fruit toast? Hot cross loaves. Bourke Street's iteration is lighter and fluffier than your average bun, having more in common with a fruit bread than a sweet pastry. Big, juicy sultanas and scant orange peel complete the effect – you can also get them toasted and buttered on-site if you want a handheld snack in a hurry. Pick up in store. 

We've veered away from the traditional hot cross bun again – but for good reason. These two local makers have put a seasonal spin on their care packages, fashioning the humble hot cross bun into crumpet form: the hot cross bunnies have the same warm, comforting spices, as well as a scattering of raisins and fragrant orange peel. Basically, they're the ideal base for a thick smear of hand-churned butter. Order the deluxe box for some local honey and Single O coffee thrown in. You can find the bunnies online, and they'll deliver to your door all around NSW.  

Dried fruit can be divisive, but if you're the sort of person who likes a few choice sultanas as opposed to a free-for-all in your hot cross buns, you'll want to lock down a six pack from Bake Bar. These are a people-pleasing bun. Soft, white and fluffy; low on spice and fruit; and they develop a lovely crisp shell when you chuck them in the toaster. Also, in a very inclusive move, Bake Bar sell a gluten-free bun made from tapioca, sorghum and besan flours. Order them online here.