It’s hot cross fun as battered bun takes over from chippy’s Creme Egg creation
EASTER is a time for chocolate and hot cross buns – so what do you get when you cross the two and cook it in a deep-fat fryer?
A delicious seasonal dessert, that’s what.
Battered Creme Eggs are so last year at the Cod’s Scallops chain of chippies in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. This year it’s all about another Easter favourite.
Take one hot cross bun with Nutella in the centre, made in-house by the team led by owner John Molnar. Coat it in batter and deep fry for three minutes on each side. Once cooked, it’s dusted with vanilla sugar and hey presto, it’s good to go – either for takeaway or eating in one of the chippy restaurants in Carrington, Wollaton, Wilford or Long Eaton in Derbyshire.
Luke Ellis, manager at the Long Eaton shop in Tamworth Road, said: “It’s very similar to the festive doughnut. It’s the first time we’ve done the hot cross buns – we normally do Easter eggs. This time John’s got the great idea of hot cross buns. It’s very moreish.”
The hot cross buns are £2.50 or £5.50 with soft serve ice cream and will be available all over Easter until April 6.
“I think they’ll be very popular. We gave some to the staff last week and they kept asking for more. We’ll get some tasters out on the counter this week to let people try them. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, we’ll look after you,” added Luke.
So what’s the verdict? Everything’s better with batter. I love all the twists, such as deepfried mince pies, black pudding, and haggis that the Cod’s Scallops have done in the past. While I liked last year’s battered chocolate egg, you needed an exceedingly sweet tooth to appreciate it. The batter, chocolate and gooey fondant were too sickly for me.
But this hot cross bun is much more like it. The outside is light and crispy and the vanilla sugar gives it a nice crunch. The inside of the bun is soft and warm and dotted with juicy sultanas. A generous amount of luscious Nutella oozes out – it’s like cutting into one of those chocolate fondant puddings.
With the soft serve ice cream, it’s a blissful combination of hot and cold. I’m not sure I could eat this after a plateful of fish and chips but I’d be tempted to hop like the Easter Bunny down to the chippy and order it with a coffee.