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Six To Try: Easter Treats That Aren’t Hot Cross Buns
From artisanal chocolates by a pastry chef to a hot cross bun-croissant hybrid, a traditional Portuguese cake and more, there’s plenty of sweet joy to be had this Easter.
Bar Mammoni
Photography: Courtesy of Bar Mammoni
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Photography: Courtesy of Tuga Pastries
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Photography: Courtesy of One More Chocolate / Lorraine Elliott
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Published on 14 April 2022
by Che-Marie Trigg
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It’s not hard to find a tops hot cross bun in Sydney – bakeries across town start pumping them out by the crateload in the lead up to Easter. But when it comes to other treats, it’s less obvious where to start looking; Cadbury and Red Tulip chocolate eggs remain a (delicious) stalwart. So, we’ve rounded up six Sydney spots doing treats that’ll make your Easter a little sweeter – from artisanal chocolate to a traditional Portuguese cake and a hot cross bun-croissant hybrid.
Tuga Pastries , Clovelly and Alexandria
Tuga’s Portuguese DNA comes to the fore this Easter. Alongside plump hot cross buns, it’s doing a traditional Portuguese cake, the pão-de-ló de Ovar. Slightly resembling a Basque burnt cheesecake, it has a delicately crunchy crust on the outside, and is filled with a pillowy sponge and an egg layer that oozes out when you pull it apart with your hands, as per tradition. There’s also a show-stopping chocolate log: chocolate sponge encases a vanilla-cream cheese buttercream, and is crowned with dark-chocolate ganache and a nest filled with Easter eggs; meringue mushrooms decorate the sides. Order for pick-up April 15 to 17.
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Koko Black, various locations and online
Aussie chocolatier Koko Black usually brings something beautiful to the table for Easter celebrations, and this year is no different. This time it has made more than 40,000 bunnies and 20,000 chocolate eggs for the holiday. Its perennially popular, subtly cinnamon-spiced white-and-milk-chocolate Hot Cross Bites are back, as are its nutty praline eggs, which come by the dozen in egg cartons. Plus, there’s a range of vegan treats, including eggs and bunnies, alongside hollow and solid eggs in a variety of flavours.
kokoblack.com
Dr Dough, online
Doughnut-maker Dr Dough’s colourful Easter boxes feature 10 or 20 doughnuts with a range of icings, including the infamous Homer Simpson-style number: bright pink with sprinkles. They come topped with Cadbury chocolate eggs, and you can add on an Easter bunny soft toy if you’re gifting the sweets to a child. Order online for next-day delivery.
Bar Mammoni , CBD
Pocket-sized new CBD bar and cafe Bar Mammoni’s Easter contribution is the Hot X Bussant – a hot cross bun-croissant hybrid. This delicious concoction sees croissant pastry filled with almond cream and topped with a chunk of minced brandy-soaked fruit coated in chocolate. Available until April 16.
barmammoni.sydney
One More Chocolate, Petersham
Pastry chef João Cadete – who was a pastry chef at Petersham Portuguese staple Sweet Belem – opened a chocolate shop, One More Chocolate, down the road from his old workplace back in 2020. There, he’s harnessing 20 years of experience in Portugal and Australia to do beautiful things with cocoa. For Easter he’s handpainted hazelnut praline-lined eggs, created hot chocolate egg “bombs” and is doing brightly coloured chocolate eggs filled with lemon meringue pie, cherry-coconut and hazelnut marshmallow. Online orders have closed; products are available to buy in-store.
onemorechocolate.shop
Gourmet Life , Darling Point and Potts Point
Gourmet Life, which imports luxe food products like caviar and truffles from Europe, has brought some of the world’s finest chocolate to Sydney this Easter. Handcrafted chocolates from France’s Chocolat Chapon and Italy’s Guido Gobino have been brought in to truly impress. Chocolat Chapon is one of the few chocolatiers in France to roast its own chocolate; for Easter it’s doing a white chocolate bunny, a box of jewelled praline eggs and nougat-filled chocolate eggs. Meanwhile, generations of experience go into Guido Gobino’s chocolate, which for Easter includes 500-gram milk- and dark-chocolate eggs (for a very premium $198 each), and chocolate fish. Gourmet Life is open on Saturday and Sunday.