Jamaican Easter bun is a sweet quick-bread made with stout, warm spices and candied fruit. It is often enjoyed with cheddar cheese, earning it the nickname "bun and cheese."

Sometimes, the best recipes come from the people closest to us. This Jamaican Easter bun recipe is no exception.
This recipe comes from my close family friend, Lisa, whose mom used to bake this for her.
Sadly, Lisa's mom is no longer with us, but she kindly shared her mom's recipe with me so I could share it with you.
As Lisa's mom wrote on her original recipe, "the bun taste nice... it really nice."
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What is Easter Bun?
Easter bun (spice bun) is a traditional Jamaican recipe, similar in flavour to English hot cross buns.
The ingredients for this recipe vary from household to household. For example, stout seems to be a common ingredient, but some people prefer to use wine instead.
You can sweeten the dough with molasses, honey or brown sugar (or a mixture). Some people like to add mixed peel, while others leave it out.
Lisa's mom's recipe uses brown sugar, browning, stout and a sweet strawberry syrup to add flavour and colour to the baked bun. This version does not have yeast.
I used the same ingredients from Lisa's mom's recipe, but reduced the quantities to make just one loaf.
Since this isn't my recipe, I consulted Lisa and my friend Brian (also of Jamaican heritage) to help me write this blog post.
They shared what they usually include in their Easter bun recipe, how to serve the dish, what to eat it with and more.
This Caribbean recipe reminds me of my mom's Trinidadian Sweet Bread, which we often make at Christmastime.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are basic (all-purpose flour, baking soda, etc.), but here are some descriptions and substitutions that you may find helpful.
- Butter: I used salted butter. Substitute with margarine.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a caramel flavour to the bun and glaze. Substitute with white granulated sugar.
- Strawberry Syrup: This is a sweet Strawberry flavoured syrup that Lisa's mom used specifically in her recipe. Substitute with strawberry or guava jam.
- Stout: I used Guinness, but you can use any stout. Substitute with red wine or a non-alcoholic stout.
- Browning: This ingredient is integral to many Caribbean dishes. It's made from deeply caramelized sugar and sometimes contains salt. The liquid is very thick. Substitute with molasses.
- Raisins: I used dark raisins. Substitute with golden raisins, currants, or omit entirely.
- Mixed Candied Fruit: I used a combination of candied citrus peels and candied cherries (not Maraschino cherries). Substitute with only candied citrus peel, only candied cherries, dried fruit, or omit the fruit entirely.
- Ground Allspice is a unique spice that tastes like a combination of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You can use just cinnamon and nutmeg or the mixture below.
Allspice Substitute: Combine ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves and ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg. This will give you 1 teaspoon of spice blend, and you can measure the ¾ teaspoon for this recipe from there. Put the rest into an airtight container and save it for later.
Remember, while these substitutions can work well, they might slightly alter the recipe's taste, texture, or overall outcome.
See the recipe card for the complete ingredient list and recipe instructions.
How to Make Easter Bun
This quick bread recipe is similar to making a cake: You combine the dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine them before baking.
The only difference here is that we will warm up the wet ingredients first.
Prepare the Wet and Dry Ingredients
Step 1: In a saucepan, melt butter, sugar, syrup, spices, browning and vanilla. Remove from heat and pour into a mixing bowl to cool.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Step 3: Once the wet ingredients have cooled, pour in stout and mix until combined. Then add the beaten egg.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, one large spoonful at a time.
Tip: Make sure the stout and egg are at room temperature. This makes it easier to incorporate them into the dough.
Finish the Dough
Once the wet and dry ingredients have been incorporated, it's time to add the fruit, prepare the loaf pan and bake.
Step 5: Gently fold the raisins and mixed fruit into the dough. Tip: If you're worried about the fruit sinking to the bottom of the loaf, you can lightly coat it with flour before adding to the dough.
Step 6: Grease loaf pan with butter and dust with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Adding a piece of parchment to the bottom of the pan is also helpful.
Step 7: Once you pour the batter into the loaf pan, it gets baked in a 325°F oven with a water bath underneath.
To set up the water bath, place your loaf pan on top of a larger pan and place in the oven. Then add boiling water from a kettle to fill the large pan until it reaches about halfway up the loaf pan.
You could fill the pan with boiling water before placing it in the oven, however I don't recommend it as you could easily burn yourself this way.
What is a Water Bath?: A water bath (or bain marie) is a technique where you place a large pan of water directly beneath the pan you're baking in. This allows for gentle cooking.
How to Eat Easter Bun
You can enjoy this sweet, flavourful loaf in a few different ways.
First, it's typical to enjoy a slice or two of bun with cheddar cheese. The cheese's saltiness balances the bun's sweetness and makes for a very tasty bite.
Another option is to eat a warm slice with some butter. Of course, you can enjoy it on its own as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many people enjoy eating bun with cheddar cheese. You can use white or orange cheddar, although some people prefer marble cheese or Kraft singles. You can also eat it with just butter. It pairs well with tea, coffee, or milk.
No, the glaze is optional. It does add a bit of sweetness and a bit of shine to the loaf, but the bun will still taste great without it.
I hope you enjoy making this Jamaican Eater Bun recipe!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below—I'd love to hear from you!
Recipe
Jamaican Easter Bun
Ingredients
- 4 oz salted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup strawberry syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup stout (Guinness or other)
- 3 teaspoon browning
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup raisins washed with warm water and drained
- ½ cup mixed candied fruit (citrus peel and/or cherries)
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon warm water
Equipment
- loaf pan 9 x 5 inches
- mixing spoon
- silicone spatula
- whisk
- large baking pan
- cake tester
Method
- Grease and flour a loaf pan. Cut a rectangular piece of parchment and place it inside the greased pan on the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Then add sugar, syrup, spices, browning and vanilla extract. Stir with a spoon to combine.
- Once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is a smooth consistency, remove the pan from heat. Pouring the warm mixture into a heat-proof mixing bowl, using a silicone spatula to scrape out the pan.
- In another mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda with a whisk.
- Once the wet ingredients have cooled, pour in stout and stir to combine. Then add the beaten egg and combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients one large spoonful at a time, and whisk to combine. Repeat until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients.
- Use a spoon to gentle fold in the raisins and mixed fruit into the dough. Then pour into the prepared loaf pan.
- Boil water in a kettle (you'll need this for baking the bun).
- Place the loaf pan onto a larger pan and place into the oven. Pour boiling water from a kettle into the larger pan until it reaches about halfway up the side of the loaf pan.
- Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven but leave in the pan.
- Make the glaze by combining the remaining brown sugar with warm water. Brush over the top of the loaf immediately and return to oven for 5 minutes.
- Allow loaf to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and set on a cooling rack. Allow loaf to cool completely before slicing.
- Serve with butter or cheddar cheese slices.
Shareba Abdul says
This Jamaican Easter Bun recipe was shared with me by a family friend — it was her late mother’s recipe, and I’m honoured to pass it on. It’s rich, moist, and full of flavour. I hope it brings a little tradition to your table this Easter.