Hot cross muffins are a delicious twist on the traditional Easter treat. Packed with warming spices, raisins and orange flavour with an icing cross on top, they're perfect for when you want all the taste of hot cross buns without the hassle of making them from scratch!
Are you ready for another Easter bake?! Today I'm sharing my hot cross muffins recipe, which are essentially regular muffins with all the flavours of a hot cross bun. I'm talking sticky apricot glaze, warming spices and juicy raisins. They are SO GOOD!
Ingredient Notes
Here's everything you need to make these delicious hot cross bun muffins...
- Milk: I recommend whole milk for the best flavour and texture but semi-skimmed or even soy milk will work too.
- Apple cider vinegar: This acidic ingredient reacts with the milk to create homemade buttermilk, which gives the muffins a subtle tang and helps to keep them soft. If you don't have apple cider vinegar, you can use lemon juice but it usually doesn't curdle the milk as well as the vinegar in my experience.
- Eggs: For binding the ingredients together and adding structure to the muffins. We'll use 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, which again helps to achieve a softer texture. Nobody wants crunchy muffins, do they?!
- Butter: Make sure your melted butter is not too hot when you add it to the mix, or you might end up cooking the eggs! Let it cool for about 5 minutes before adding it to the bowl. Dairy-free butter will work too- I recommend the blocky kind over the spread.
- Caster sugar: Caster sugar is best for baking but if you don't mind a slightly grainier texture, you can use granulated white sugar instead.
- Vanilla extract: This flavour pairs perfectly with the warming spices.
- Self-raising flour: Gives our muffins their rise without needing to add extra leavening agents. If you only have plain flour, you can add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a pinch of salt to the recipe separately. Don't get this confused with baking soda as they are not the same thing.
- Spices: For that classic hot cross bun flavour, I used some cinnamon and all spice which did the job perfectly. If you want to get extra fancy, you can add a small amount of other spices such as ginger or nutmeg.
- Sea salt: Helps to enhance all the other flavours in our muffins and balance out the sweetness.
- Raisins: Of course, I just had to add some raisins! I used 100g which I found to be just the right amount. You can swap these out for any other dried fruit you like such as dried cranberries or apricots.
- Orange zest: Or lemon zest.
- Apricot jam: We'll use this to create a sweet, glossy glaze on top of our muffins. It really transforms them from a regular old muffin to a hot cross bun muffin!
- Icing sugar: AKA powdered sugar, to make our icing crosses.
Equipment
- 12-hole muffin tin: Plus 12 muffin cases. Make sure the holes are quite deep as this will help the muffins grow upwards rather than outwards.
- Mixing bowls: A large one for the muffin batter and a smaller one for the icing. You'll also need a heatproof bowl (or saucepan) to melt the butter.
- Utensils: A wooden spoon for mixing, a couple of teaspoons and tablespoons for measuring, a grater to zest the orange, and a pastry brush for adding the apricot glaze.
- Wire rack: This allows air to circulate, preventing soggy-bottomed muffins.
- Piping bag: To neatly pipe the icing crosses onto the muffins.
- Food scale: Imperial measurements are fine in a pinch but if you're looking for repeatable results, use a food scale, which ensures accuracy.
How To Make Hot Cross Muffins
Step 1: Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases and preheat your oven to 160°C (or 140°C if you're using a fan oven).
Step 2: Add 150ml milk to a small mug or bowl then stir in 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for about 5 minutes- it will become thick and curdled like buttermilk.
Step 3: Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl along with 2 medium eggs and 1 egg yolk, 150g of melted butter, 180g caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Mix well until it becomes smooth.
Step 4: Next, add 280g of self-raising flour, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of all spice and a pinch of salt. Stir everything together until you have a smooth muffin batter.
Step 5: Now lightly coat 100g of raisins in a small amount of flour. Then add them to the muffin batter along with the zest of 1 large orange. Mix to combine.
Step 6: Divide the batter equally between your 12 cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Meanwhile, as your muffins are baking, mix 1 tablespoon of apricot jam with 2 tablespoons of water. Brush this glaze onto the muffins immediately after they come out of the oven.
Step 7: Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 8: When the muffins are cold, prepare your icing by mixing 100g of icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk together. Transfer it to a piping bag and carefully pipe a cross onto each muffin.
Step 9: Let the icing harden at room temperature then enjoy your muffins!
Top Tips
- Tossing the raisins in a bit of flour before adding them to the batter helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. The raisins can be swapped out for any other dried fruit that you like.
- The apricot glaze not only adds a lovely hot cross bun flavour but also helps to keep the muffins moist. Don't skip this!
- If your icing is too thick, add more milk to loosen it and if it's too runny, add more icing sugar.
FAQs
These muffins keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. It's best not to put them in the fridge as this will dry them out faster.
Yes, these freeze beautifully. Just pop them into airtight containers and freeze for up to 2 months. Alternatively, you can freeze them on a baking tray until they're solid then pop them into freezer bags. To defrost them, just let them sit out at room temperature for an hour or two.
You can try substituting the self-raising flour with a gluten-free self-raising flour blend. If your flour blend doesn't already include it, I'd recommend adding ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum to prevent a crumbly texture.
More Easter baking recipes
I hope you like these hot cross muffins. If you try them at home, please leave a rating and comment below to let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Easy Hot Cross Muffins
Ingredients
- 150 ml Whole milk (½ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 1 Tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
- 2 Medium Eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 150 g Butter, melted (⅔ cup)
- 180 g Caster sugar (¾ cup)
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 270 g Self-raising flour (2+¼ cups)
- 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon All spice
- Small Pinch Sea salt
- 100 g Raisins (⅔ cup) lightly coated with 2 teaspoons flour
- 1 Orange, zested
Topping
- 1 Tablespoon Apricot jam
- 2 Tablespoons Cold water
- 100 g Icing sugar (¾ cup)
- 1 Tablespoon Milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160°C (140°C for fan ovens). Line a muffin tin with 12 cases.
- Whisk the milk and apple cider vinegar together in a small bowl or mug and leave it to sit for 5 minutes. It will curdle and become thicker.
- In a large bowl, combine the milk mixture, eggs, egg yolk, melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- Add the self-raising flour, cinnamon, all spice, and salt to the bowl then mix well until you have a smooth muffin batter.
- Stir in the raisins and orange zest then divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cases.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. While the muffins are baking, prepare your apricot glaze by mixing the jam and water together. Brush this on top of the muffins as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the icing by mixing the icing sugar and milk together until smooth. Pipe it into each muffin in a cross shape.
- Let the muffins sit at room temperature until the icing is firm then enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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