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
Jamaican Easter Spice Bun — Highly Spiced Jamaican bread, soft, tender studded with raisins and fruits . Absolutely delightful anytime!
- 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
- 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, Cinnamon and all spice
- 1 cup cherries optional to top bun
- 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.
Hi,
your recipe allows for us to change the servings which is great. I was wondering what serving amount I should select if I am using a reg loaf pan.
Thank you!
Hi Susan,I would go with 8-10 servings .
Hi can I blend the fruits , cuz I don’t like feeling the whole fruits in cakes or breads and how would I incorporate the blend fruits
I haven’t tried it myself though, but I don’t see why it won’t work. So yes you can. Please do let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy! 🙂
Going to try this! Is there a ration of the spices for the 2 1/2 teaspoons spice mix?
I am going to try this recipe but one question…do you cover the pan with foil? Do you add water in a pan in the over to keep the Bun moist? I really hate a hard outer crust if you will!
Hi Fay. I don’t do those, however the bun still comes out moist. But perhaps you can cover it with foil halfway through the baking.
Thank you. I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Awesome!
I made this, its in the oven as I write Can’t wait to try it. I did find though that I had to heat the liquid ingredients through a bit, as the butter went solid again and looked awful but was ok once warmed through.
I was so looking forward to making this for 2 Jamaican friends coming to my home on Scotland next week for a holiday. I have had this Easter Bun whilst staying in Jamaica and loved it.
I converted the measurements by tapping on the metric button on the recipe page as I don’t have American cup measures.
I did think that 7.39g of cinnamon and 12.32 g of the mixed spice combination was excessive but that is what the conversion said.
The cake once cooked was a disaster so at nearly midnight I made another batch and googled tablespoon to gram conversion and it says 14g = 1 tablespoon ( butter that is for grams of butter. 1/2 tbls of cinnamon does not weigh 7grams.
I then at nearly midnight made another batch using tbls and teaspoons for the weighing of the spices but completely forgot to do that for the baking powder and put in the weight in grams 9.86g – hence another disaster as cake completely sunk and will end up in the bin.
Better weight measurements are needed if converting from US to metric.
Hi Fiona,
I am So Sorry to hear about this.
Will look into it.
Thanks for the feedback
Hi
I made this bun for the office last week and it was well appreciated. Everyone loved the taste the Guinness that you get as an after taste, just flavorful.
Love it. Another great recipe
It’s Easter Sunday and I woke up wanting bun and cheese! My husbands family is Jamaican ❤️ I am Dutch and we also use many of the spices in our specullaas cookies.
I doubled the recipe. I didn’t have any beer so I used cherry coke with a bit of rum, ACV, and even some balsamic vinegar. I used less sugar and honey because of the coke. I tasted the batter and it was the right sweetness for me. The cake turned out amazing. The only thing I think I would change is to add more allspice or something as I would have liked flavour. Maybe not using beer was part of the problem too I’m not sure. Thanks for the recipe!
Made your spicy bun twice with much success. I was pleasantly surprised at how moist it was. I’m accustomed to the yeast buns during this season but so glad I found this recipe. Great taste, less work. Thank you fotr sharing. Incidentally, does this bun freeze well?
Thanks . It does freeze well. Tightly wrap in Saran Wrap or plastic wrap.
May I ask how long it can be kept frozen I have a store bought one that has a months expiry date but want to freeze it for about the same time, as I have to go somewhere for a month and prefer to keep it home.
It sure can. Tightly wrap and place in a ziplock bag . Then remove and reheat in the oven on low heat(250-300 degrees) until heated through.
Thanks so much for the recipe! I just baked two today. The first one, I used all Guinness, and the second one was half milk/half Guinness for liquid. Can’t wait to dig in!
Great! Thanks for taking the time to let me Faith.
Hey Imma! I just wanted to thank you for this amazing recipe! My boyfriend and I are both Jamaican so it’s been such a joy being able to recreate the taste of home over here in the UK. My coworkers are all huge fans of this as well – I had to bake more the demand was so high! I’m planning to make another for my family Easter gathering and I know it’s going to be a hit!
Thank you so much Tamara!!! So happy to hear this!
Thanks for getting back with me. My husband’s co-worker is Jamaican and has never made a bun. She is going to bake your recipe too. Happy early Easter !!!
Hi! I just came across your Easter Bun recipe. I am going to make it this Easter- 2018. I have a couple questions:
-Are the cherries on top and in the batter maraschino or candied?
– My husband and I do not drink alcohol. Can I use the name brand drink called Malta?
– Is browning used for flavor and color? Will it make a big difference if I don’t use it?
-Can you eat Velveeta cheese instead of Tastee Cheese with this?
As you can see- I am totally going to make this! I have read all your reviews and it sounds like it makes an awesome bun! I can’t wait to bake this! Thanks so much.
Hi Verlina, the cherries on top are maraschino and yes you can use Malta and Velveeta cheese works as well – What ever cheese rocks your boat.
Yes browning is used for both flavor and color . Hope this helps ! Happy Cooking !!!
I tried this recipe and it came out great.
Guinness gives it great color and flavor.
Just Mix a little bit of honey with maple syrup
And brush the top 2-3 times for beat results.
Awesome ! Thanks for taking the time to share with us. Happy Holidays!!!
What is Jamaican Browning. What does it consist of
It’s burnt sugar . Sold in Caribbean Markets and some supermarkets depending on location.
Followed recipe exactly, except put one cup raisins only instead of fruits and cherries. It came out amazing! Family and friends loved It!
So pleased to hear Simone! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi there, Can I use real cherries soaked in Rum or will it get soggy?
Real cherries would do just fine.
Hello Imma,I love love this bun!! I make it when ever I feel I deserve a treat! It is so lovely. Pls can I use a non alcoholic malt drink to replace the Guinness? I want to give it as a gift to someone who doesn’t take alcohol. Thank you
Hi Lizzy ! You sure can. Another reader tried them with malt and loved it . Thanks!
So I tried the recipe last night and it came out great!! I did not have Guinness and so I used malt beer. I love it! Thanks again for such an easy and straightforward recipe!
Lesa
Awesome! Glad to hear it worked out well for you with malt beer. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
I just made this bun and it was exceptionally great. I am Jamaican and I have never tasted a bun so great. The one bought in the store is way too sweet and dry so I opted to use yours and I am grateful. I kind of added some other stuff but I can tell you your recipe SELLOFF. Thanks so much.
Fantastic!! Thanks for letting me know.
What is the breakdown of the 2 1/2 teaspoons spice mix. Is it 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon allspice?
I used this measurement; 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon allspice and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. It’s more of personal preference. You can always switch it up.
Made this for my dad this Easter and he loved it! He’s vegan, so I subbed the egg with found flax seed, mixed in spelt flour and used agave instead of white sugar. You wouldn’t have known I changed a thing! Tasted like I bought it fresh out a Caribbean vegan bakery! Can’t wait to try all your vegan recipes! Thinking I’ll try the doubles first ;). Thank you for sharing all these incredible recipes.
I have been skeptical about using flax seed to replace eggs in baking. You, my friend, have just convinced me to give it a try. Am sure other readers would benefit from this too! Thank you so much for sharing Alana.
P.S you are going to go crazy for the doubles , can’t seem to get enough of it.
Have a Great Day!!!!!
Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for such clear and easy instructions! ☺
Lesa
Hi lesa! Glad to hear you find it helpful. Do let me know how it works out for you.
Made this today, solid recipe! Serving with Tastee Tin cheese. Very pleased.
WOOHOO! Glad to hear it was a success!
I’m married to a Jamaican and today he said he wanted bun for Easter and I came across your recipe.I followed all the instructions without changing anything and I must say it came out perfect.THANKS for sharing the recipe and will be coming back on your page for more recipes.
Awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know .
Happy a Great Easter!!!!
I WAS LOOKING FOR JAMAICAN EASTER BUN RECIPES AND I CAME ACROSS YOURS…YOU DID NOT SAY WHAT SIZE LOAF PAN YOU USED…I HAVE COUNTED THE CHERRIES ON TOP….WAS IT ONE OR TWO SIX INCHES LOAF PAN YOU USED….THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY
It’s 9x 5 Loaf Pan.
Hello! Can anyone who’s already made this let us know how it turned out? Every time I try to make something like this it’s a catastrophe 😀 Too dry, won’t rise, tough or too “cake-y”
Does it have that real “solid”kind of bun texture? Almost chewy but not quite? Tell me quick before I go and buy the guinness 😀
Um… you know a “cup” of Guinness? How big is a cup, please? Take pity on a poor Brit!
Apart from that, apologies for my previous daft question, I can see that several peeps have tried it and loved it! Off to buy a tin of Guinness now 😉
No worries ! . Ask all you want. A cup is about 235 ml or 8 ounce. Happy Cooking!!!
Thanks so much Imma. I hope i can make this in a stove oven? I do not have a gas oven yet.
I will be making this bun this week end ,are you a Jamaican chef?
Awesome! Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
Hi Imma
Your bun looks so yummy I would love to make it but family member has allergy to eggs. Pls can leave out the egg. Or an alternative.
Thanks Herma
Hi Herma! You can use 1/4 cup apple sauce or vegetable oil to make up for the egg. Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks!
Thank’s very much for ur guick response. I will let you know.
Herma
Hi Paulette,
I have a question in your spice bun recipe you have 1 cup dried fruits (cherrys and Raisins) and 1 cup candied fruit (mixed peel) are both needed
No they are not. One cup(cherries) is optional to top bun. The other(raisins, candied fruit) for the bun. Have updated recipe to make it less confusing!!!
Ya man so good ,one of the best from Jamaica
It sure is Paulette.
Hi you’ve put a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice..but what are the quantities of each?
It depends on your preference , and doesn’t make that much difference . You can use 1 teaspoons cinnamon, I teaspoon allspice and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.
What temperature do you bake it at? I see you pre-Heat at 350…?
Thanks! I made this once before and burnt it slightly so trying again today!!!
Thank you!
Louisa Spencer
Hi Louisa! You bake at 350. Sometimes it might be your oven. If you feel it’s browning too fast then lower the temperature to 325 degrees.
I just, by chance, started following you on instagram and when I saw this bread and the rich colour I almost screamed, at work no less. I can’t wait to try it n serve it to my mum and siblings. Am seriously waiting for more inspirational updates. Thanks for making my month.
AWESOME! So glad you are here. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
I usually buy the shop bought version but not any more! This is SO much better. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Looks amazing and it tastes amazing!
No more store-bought! Totally Agree. Thanks for taking the time to let me know .
This is one of the best recipes. I’m from the Caribbean and it sounds authentic. I’m making it now for Easter 2016.
Thanks Kathleen! Do let me know how it works out for you. Happy Cooking
Hi immaculate,
Since I came across your site some years ago, my jollof rice became worthy of the name JOLLOF. I was given a Jamaican spice bread by a friend and loved it to so much I decided to look for a recipe.
I was a bit wary about most of the recipes online on till I came across this one on Pinterest. The picture looked so good and then I saw it was by you. I am sold.
Will be making this tomorrow.
You recipes are amazing.
Yay! Femme. Glad to hear you are going to make this bun on the weekend. Thanks for the vote of Confidence. Do tell how it works for you. Happy cooking.
I can only imagine how glorious this smells when it is baking!
Sara, the smell is Heavenly!!!
Great recipe I look forward to trying it.
Are you able to put this recipe in grams?
Absolutely! Recipe updated.
Thank you so much ☺
I’m making for family today
I have actually been thinking of making gread with Guinness so I am quite excited to see your spiced bun version with it it. Looks lush.
Thanks Bintu. You are going to totally dig it!
Can I use rum instead of Guinness?
You sure can. If you can handle the alcohol content.
Can’t wait to try this!! What is browning and where can l get it??
Browning is burnt sugar- found in most Caribbean or International Super Markets. Lately they are making an appearance it some major super markets depending on neighborhood. If you can’t find it just replace it with molasses.
Just made this, did not have honey but still turned out very good!! Thanks for another great recipe
Can I use Brandy instead of Guiness or is it a must to use guiness?
No, it’s not a must to use Guinness- its optional. Brandy would work as well- but you might have to dilute it, according to preference.
Thanks for sharing Immy
I have never baked with Guinness. So I will have to keep this recipe in my repertoire to test out the flavours. I will skip the browning though as I don’t consume beef.
I love how rich this looks. Yummy!
Shreyashi, You are going to love baking with Guinness.
Sheryashi you can make your own natural browning by using burnt sugar.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Lovely bread! I can’t wait to reproduce it 🙂
A thin slice, a cuppa coffee and I can enjoy my afternoon reading <3
You sure would John.
I love the idea of adding the Guinness to this! It is such a beautiful dish and it looks tasty too. It would be a great hostess gift to bring to a dinner party too during this season! Thanks for sharing!
Great Idea Sarah! I usually offer them during this season to family and friends .
What a gorgeous bread, Imma. I don’t take alcohol so I’ll have to go without the Guinness. 🙂
Get it anyway you can AiPing.
Alcohol evaporates at relatively low temperatures so after baking with guinness or any alciholic product the only thing left in the finished baked priduct are the flavours assocuated with the alcololic addituve. All accohol is gone.
Thanks for sharing some helpful insights, Dwight.
This sounds incredible!
I make the all the time for my customers. Check out my Facebook page
Caribbean Queen of Kent
I can’t wait to try this…. guinness in my bread? ITs like a present sent from heaven! Your photos always make me want to cook immediately and this recipe is no exception! Pinned it!