M&S Red Velvet Hot Cross Buns (Ocado) By @Cinabar

I have been loving hot cross buns this year, especially all the new varieties, and I have some great ones to write about. Starting off we have these Red Velvet Hot Cross Buns from Marks & Spencer.

To say these hot cross buns are a bit different is an understatement. For a start they are burgundy in colour. They do still have the traditional cross on top though. They are flavoured like red velvet cake, complete with chocolate chips throughout and a dollop of white chocolate icing in the middle.

I split one in half and could immediately tell these were not meant for toasting. I sometimes risk chocolate chips in the toaster, but the gooey filling felt like pushing my luck a bit too far. I was not even sure whether to add butter, but in the end I spread on the tiniest amount.

When I tried one the flavour was incredibly indulgent. The bun itself is sweet and soft, with the chocolate really coming through. Because I had added a little butter I also ended up spreading the icing throughout, which made it more evenly distributed. That added a sweet, creamy flavour that made the whole thing feel more like a cake than a traditional hot cross bun. It is definitely a proper treat. Even if they are not suitable for toasting, I am seriously impressed.