Jamaican Easter Spice Bun

Traditionally served around Easter, this sweet, moist bun is lightly spiced with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, studded with fruits, and often served with cheese.

Even though this spice bun is eaten year-round, Easter isn’t Easter in a Jamaican household without some bun and cheese. I’ve tried a lot of different brands, but I must say that this homemade version takes the cake, and is now my go-to recipe.

Growing up, I remember having bun and cheese as early as Good Friday, and it was definitly one of my favourite treats of the Easter season.

This descendant of the British hot cross bun, is baked with molasses, flavoured with stout, and has morphed from the traditional rounded shape into a loaf.

If you want to keep this alcohol-free, you can use a non-alcoholic malt beverage in place of the stout. But the stout does lend some natural leavening qualities, as well as gives depth to the flavour of the bun.

Jamaican Spice Bun is often eaten with processed “tin cheese“, but I enjoy it just as well with a few thick slices of old cheddar or Havarti.

Jamaican Easter Spice Bun

Monique Creary

Traditionally served around Easter, this sweet, moist bun is lightly spiced with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, studded with fruits, and often served with cheese.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Snack

Cuisine Caribbean

Servings 2 loaves

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups stout 500mL, such as Dragon Stout or Guinness
• 1 cup brown sugar packed (235g)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter 70g
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 2 tsp browning
• 1 tbsp strawberry jam or orange marmalade
• 3.5 cups all-purpose flour 525g
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup raisins 200g, soaked in water
• 1/2 cup glace cherries 100g, divided with half roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup mixed peel optional

For the glaze:

• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp jam
• 3 tbsp water

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and line two 8.5 x 4.5- inch loaf pans.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the stout, sugar, butter, honey, molasses, browning and jam over low heat. Stir occasionally until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice into a large bowl.
• Add the raisins (draining out the excess liquid) and the chopped glace cherries to the dry ingredients, and mix well.
• Add the beaten egg and vanilla into the stout mixture, whisking thoroughly.
• Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and slowly pour in the liquid ingredients, stirring to combine and being sure to scrape down the sides.
• Pour batter into two prepared loaf tins, topping with the whole glace cherries and mixed peel if desired.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, testing for doneness when a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Melt honey or jam and water together and brush over the hot surface of the baked bun.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan, and at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.

Notes

You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon with mixed spice or ground ginger for a slightly different flavour.

Marmalade can be used in place of strawberry jam if you want your bun to have more of a citrus flavour.

If you don't have raisins, you can use dried cranberries, or even dried, chopped dates or apricots.

Store tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for 3 days at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to a week.

Keyword Easter, spice bun

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