Hot cross buns are a beloved Easter tradition, but what happens when chocolate takes center stage? Prepare to be surprised, because this year’s supermarket hot cross bun taste test by consumer advocacy group Choice has crowned a chocolate bun as one of its highest-rated winners ever—and it’s sparking some serious debate. But here’s where it gets controversial: the top spot wasn’t claimed by a traditional fruit-filled bun, but by Woolworths’ Bakery Chocolate Hot Cross Buns Made With Cadbury Milk Chocolate Chips, priced at just 73 cents each. With an impressive 95% score, it’s one of the highest ratings in Choice’s decade-long history of bun testing.
This year, Choice put 15 buns to the test from major retailers like Coles, Woolworths, IGA, Aldi, and Bakers Delight, spanning traditional fruit, chocolate, and gluten-free varieties. The Woolworths chocolate bun stood out for its sensory trifecta—it looked, smelled, and tasted like chocolate, according to culinary expert Brigid Treloar, who also judges chocolate at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. Treloar noted it was rare to find a bun where the chocolate flavor remained consistent whether toasted or untoasted.
But this is the part most people miss: Woolworths’ winning bun contained only 19% chocolate, compared to the runner-up, Coles’ Bakery Choc Chip Hot Cross Buns, which had 25% chocolate but scored a lower 75%. So, what’s the secret? Treloar suggests it might be the addition of cocoa powder, which could have amplified the chocolatey experience.
For traditionalists, fear not—Coles Finest Luxurious Fruit Hot Cross Buns took the top prize in the fruit category for the second year running, scoring 85%. Treloar praised its generous mix of fruits (not just sultanas) and its strong spice aroma, which she found lacking in many competitors. “Without that spice,” she explained, “it’s hard to tell a fruit-filled bun from a plain one.”
Interestingly, the runner-up in the fruit category, Woolworths’ Traditional Fruit Hot Cross Buns, scored 73% but cost nearly half as much as the Coles winner ($0.73 vs. $1.38 per bun). Meanwhile, buns with overly moist fruit scored lower, as the liquid tended to “leach out” or create “wet pockets” inside the bun.
In the gluten-free category, Woolworths swept both subcategories. Their Free From Gluten Fruit Hot Cross Buns scored 77%, while the chocolate version scored 70%, both priced at $1.38 each. Treloar noted that this year’s gluten-free buns looked more like “normal hot cross buns” than ever before, though they had a slight chemical aroma that toasting helped mitigate.
But here’s the real question: Is a chocolate hot cross bun a delightful innovation or a sacrilege to tradition? And does a lower chocolate content truly matter if the flavor is exceptional? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—we’re eager to hear whether you’re team chocolate, team fruit, or somewhere in between!
