Ten Grown-Up Easter Treats to Hunt Down Around Sydney

This year, Easter hunts are not just for the kids. Inventive bakeries, restaurants and other businesses around Sydney are getting busy creating sweet treats and other Easter-themed goodies for an audience that may have outgrown the Easter bunny.

From haute dessert chocolate eggs to all kinds of wild hot-cross-bun creations, here's a curated list of Easter goods worthy of a spot in every Sydneysider's grown-up Easter hunt.

Andy Bowdy and Starward Whisky's Hot Cross Bun at Ace Hotel Sydney

Looking for a hot cross bun with an extra kick? Pastry savant Andy Bowdy has teamed up with Starward Whisky and Ace Hotel Sydney to invent a boozy holiday hot cross bun. Baked to perfection, the top-quality fruit studded throughout each bun is soaked in Starward Two-Fold Wheat and Single Malt Whisky, giving each bite a spiked finish.

Available in limited numbers from Wednesday, April 16–Saturday, April 19, these liquor-laced hot cross buns are served exclusively at Good Chemistry – Ace Hotel Sydney's laneway cafe. As an added bonus, if you purchase two or more buns, you get a complimentary Starward (New) Old Fashioned cocktail at the bar. What's more? Buying a six-pack earns you a free 500ml bottle of this special tipple.

Blueberry Hot Cross Bun at Black Star Pastry

For those with an Instagram algorithm that knows you can't get enough mouthwatering dessert content, there's a good chance you've seen Black Star Pastry's goods. After all, they're the proud creator of the world's most Instagrammed cake. This Easter, they're grabbing headlines again with a special blueberry hot cross bun. 

More evolution than revolution, they've replaced the raisins in traditional hot cross buns with juicy dried blueberries. Then, each bun is topped with a colourful crunchy biscuit crumb, made with dairy-free butter, flour and blueberry purée. Excited? Score a single bun or purchase packs of six or 12 online and in-store until Monday, April 21.

The Easter Egg Cake at Dear Florence

You probably remember wolfing down chocolate crème eggs as a kid (or perhaps as an adult) for Easter. As good as they were, they don't have much on Dear Florence's modern-day version. For the holidays, the Japanese-inspired French patisserie has created The Easter Cake Egg – a lavish reimagining that draws inspiration from the supermarket fave.

Shaped by renowned pastry chef Aoife Noonan, creamy coconut mousse stands in for the egg white, passionfruit curd is used for the yolk and coconut dacquoise delivers that nostalgic spongy texture. Available for pre-order only, the Easter Egg Cake is produced in white chocolate and dark chocolate-coated versions for $32 each.

Scotch Cross Bun at KOI Dessert Bar

Let the expert sweet-makers at KOI Dessert Bar level up your Easter feast with their Scotch Cross Bun. Made in collaboration with Benriach Distillery – the acclaimed maker of Speyside single malt scotch whisky – these boozy buns blend traditional flavours and aromas with contemporary cake design to create a luxe treat bound to impress the fam.

Here, rich vanilla mousse has been infused with autumnal spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, then spiked with currants soaked in Benriach's The Original Ten whisky. Ready to buy? The Scotch Cross Bun is available for $22 at KOI Dessert Bar's Chippendale and Ryde locations for dine-in or takeaway. Every purchase also comes with a free 50ml bottle of Benriach's finest.

Traditional Hot Cross Buns at Humble Bakery

There's no shortage of incredible Easter treats to explore at this time of year. While many look to reinvent the wheel – often with exceptional results – others like Humble Bakery elevate a timeless formula to make it even more special. True to their name, this outfit's hot cross buns rise above most, without forgetting what makes this classic treat such a hit.

So, what can you expect? Perfectly baked and oh-so-fluffy buns with just the right amount of spice and fruit, including ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, apricot and orange peel. Slather on some butter and you're good to go. Available at Surry Hills, Kent Street and Circular Quay stores, these buns are available for $5 each, or in six- or nine-packs for $28 or $40, respectively. 

Fruit Hot Cross Cruffins and Chocolate Hot Cross Cruffins at Lune Croissantrie

First, Lune perfected croissants, so much so that the Australian bakery chain became renowned for its flaky pastries all around the world. Then came cruffins, aka croissant-muffin hybrids. For Easter, the obvious next step was hot cross cruffins, for when you want a hot cross bun, but you're also hankering for a croissant and a muffin.

Lune's hot cross cruffins have been popping up annually for years, but 2025's batch is different. This time, they're made using the acclaimed bakery's signature croissant dough. You can also pick between two varieties this year: the OG and chocolate, both for $10.50 each. Can't decide which one? You can get mixed six-packs featuring both for $63.

Not-Cross Buns at Sonoma Bakery

If you're craving a different take on a traditional hot cross bun this Easter, Sonoma bakery has put its own twist on the dessert. Instead of the traditional cross you'll find at most bakeries, Sonoma adorns its treats with an "S", giving them the name of Not-Cross Buns. Before they're piped with the signature "S", each bun is baked with Sonoma's special blend of raisins, sultanas, candied orange, cranberries and apricot.

They are then brushed with a coffee- and spice-steeped sugar glaze for the perfect finish. The buns are available in-store individually for $4 or in a box set of six for $20. Just pre-order online and swing by your nearest location to collect them.

Yuzu Hot Cross Buns, Lamington Hot Cross Buns and Hot Cross Lamingtons at Tokyo Lamington

The lamington wizards and collaboration kings at the Inner West's Tokyo Lamington have a trio of limited-time Easter treats, all of which are a play on the hot cross bun. The first is a zesty, citrus-forward twist on the Easter classic: a yuzu hot cross bun. Sultanas have been macerated for three months before being added to a Japanese yuzu-unfused spiced dough.

Treats two and three from Tokyo Lamington are hot cross lamingtons and lamington hot cross buns. This might be a little hard to get your head around — the words lamington, hot and cross are used a lot. One is a classic hot cross bun, with the addition of chocolate and coconut, while the other is a lamington infused with all the flavours of a hot cross bun. Obviously, the best way to wrap your brain around them is to head into your closest store.

Hot cross lamingtons are available for $8 each, while the buns are $5 a pop. Alternatively, you can opt for a half-dozen ($27) or a dozen buns ($50), while Easter Packs start at $35 if you want to try them all.

Hot Cross Cubes at Banksia Bakehouse

Known for its multi-layered, cream-filled croissant cubes, Banksia Bakehouse has gotten in on the Easter spirit with a hot cross variety. These buttery blocks are made from the bakery's famous croissant cube pastry, then filled with a cinnamon crème patisserie centre and Australian Sunmuscat sultanas.

They're available in-store and online throughout April. You can pre-order from the Banksia Bakehouse website.

Hot Cross Brûlée Buns and Hot X Gelato Sandwiches at Madame & Yves

Clovelly's Madame & Yves' Easter lineup is full of hot cross bun hybrids. The star of the bunch is the hot cross brûlée bun, which comes filled with spiced custard and coated in a crunchy caramel toffee. Also up for grabs are a classic hot cross bun, a choc cross bun and the crosskie – a Pistachio Papi-stuffed bun topped with a cookie.

For something a little more outrageous, they've also got a hot cross bun gelato sandwich. As wacky as it sounds, you can scoop any gelato between two bun slices, although the team at Madame & Yves recommend café au lait or salted caramel. All of these wild inventions are available in-store on Clovelly Road.