Jamaican Easter Spice Bun — Highly Spiced Jamaican bread, soft, tender studded with raisins and fruits. Absolutely delightful anytime!
This is the time of the year, when Christians abstain from meat and flock towards bread and meat-free goods. I am happy to say I’m one of those Christians. Growing up, during the Lenten Season, especially on Fridays we would only eat bread and water until sunset. Hot cross buns were only reserved for Good Friday and my siblings and I waited for them impatiently. It was the highlight of our Lenten Season. 
Gosh! I miss those days… I always do have a fondness for spicy bread — this Jamaican Spice Bun is no exception. The good thing is it’s eaten year round. However, the Easter Spice Buns are made extra special- sweeter, and studded with dried fruit for the Lenten Season and especially on Good Friday. This is the Jamaican sweeter take on the ever popular hot cross bun.
You can find as many different adaptions to the classic recipe as there are cooks – made with or without yeast. I’m ashamed to say I totally went overboard – trying out different variations and they are all worth making at home. 
My preferred version has a modern twist to it — Guinness — substituting the liquid ingredients of milk for something a little tastier… Guinness Stout. Giving it an incredibly rich brown color. This one below is sans – without Guinness. 
This is made with half Guinness and half milk. 
For those that have never baked with Guinness I think you are in for a treat! Guinness contains a lot of complex flavors and definitely adds depth of flavor to baked goods with mild notes of cocoa and a strong malt flavor- making this bread truly unique and delightful. This amazing bread takes about 15 minutes to prep and is studded with raisins dried fruit. And wonderfully fragrant spices from nutmeg, cinnamon allspice, together with molasses and browning sauce. Yes! Quite a flavorful bread – sure to tantalize your taste buds. 
Traditionally, this is served with hard cheese or you can make a cheese sandwich.
Notes
- Browning is a Caribbean Sauce that is used to darken sauces, stews, or meat and even baked goods. If this is too dark for your liking then you might want to cut back on the browning – or eliminate completely.
Looking for a light airy Hot Cross Bun then check this out!
Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Enjoy!!!!
Watch How To Make It
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Jamaican Easter Spiced Bun
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (or 50 grams)
- ¼ cup honey (or 85 grams)
- 1 teaspoon browning.
- ½ Tablespoon Molasses
- 1- teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup Guinness Stout
- 1 egg
- 1- cup dried fruits cherries, raisin
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2- tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 1/2 Teaspoon spice combination Nutmeg- (3/4 teaspoon), Cinnamon ( 1 teaspoon) and ( 3/4 teaspoon) all spice)
- 1 cup cherries optional to top bun
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with baking spray; set aside
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the following ingredients: brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey, browning, Molasses, vanilla, melted butter Guinness Stout and egg
- In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon allspice and salt, lightly mix. Then throw in the dried fruits
- Then combine wet and dry ingredients until thoroughly
- Scrape down sides.
- Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan , add cherries on top if desired – bake for about 60-75 minutes or until a tooth inserted comes out clean.
- Let it cool before slicing.
Nutrition Information:
Mrs. H says
Heya! Excited to try this recipe. Just curious- where it requires melted butter, is that salted or unsalted butter?
Imma says
Unsalted butter is usually the best option as there is no added salt. You could still use salted butter, but make sure you don’t add any more salt to the batter. Happy baking!
Coleisha says
This bun recipe is delicious. My family loved it. Definitely making this again. No substitutions
Imma says
Thank= you for trying out my recipe, Coleisha :)!
Nicole Chiu says
I was wondering can we bake it in cupcake size and what um would you recommend for time and temperature of oven?
Imma says
Hi Nicole. I have never tried this recipe as a cupcake recipe, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Bake it at 350°F for 15 – 20 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Hope this helps!
Leo says
What about using Dark Jamaican Rum instead of Guiness>
Imma says
Hi Leo. I don’t think that would work for this recipe as the alcoholic percentage and texture are very different.
Natalie Rutherford says
My Jamaican husband and all his siblings have given raving reviews on many occasions as I discovered, tried, and stuck with your recipe! I make this bun for my husband often since it’s so popular I never felt the need to try another. Thank you so much!
Imma says
Hi Natalie, thanks so much for your kind words. It makes me super happy when my recipes are a hit:)
Ino says
What can i use in place of Guinness Stout? Something non alcoholic
Imma says
Guinness 0.0 is non-alcoholic version of the Stout, and it’s supposed to taste about the same. But honestly, I think your fave non-alcoholic beer should work.
Cheryl B says
Great recipe, fam loved it!
Imma says
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!
Mica Rose says
This recipe is DELICIOUS! I made this for my Jamaican boyfriend this Easter and he was so excited about it he sent pictures to his mom and said it was better than the kind he ate back home. It was so nice to see the pure joy on his face when he took a bite & we’re going to be using this recipe every year. Thank you!!
Imma says
Oh my god, thank you so much for such warm feedback. Happy Easter and have wonderful life with my recipes 🙂
Victor says
This recipe is super! I’ve used it several times. So accurate to give an excellent Jamaican experience.
Imma says
Thank you:) There’s more to come, so stay tuned
Angie says
Hi, what size loaf pan do I need ?
Imma says
A standard loaf pan is 5″x9″ or 8.5″x4.5″. Either one should work for this recipe. Hope that helps:)
Donna C. says
This is the real thing! The Easter bun I remember from childhood in Jamaica! Cool overnight for best flavor and enjoy with butter or orange cheese.
Imma says
Thank you:) There’s more to come, so stay tuned
Shannon says
This recipe is easy to make and delicious! I made it for my Jamaican husband as it’s hard for us to find Spice bun where we live and it’s expensive to order. He was surprised and delighted. (I’m American lol) Thank you for this recipe!
Amina says
Amazing to hear your story. We have so many other Jamaican recipes which can help to amaze and surprise your husband. I must say to try those for sure. Thanks for your love!!!
Shannon says
Your recipe was so easy to follow, I will definitely check out your other Jamaican recipes!! Thank you! ❤️
Amina says
Thank you Shannon. Much Love!