This is the Coles Easter Hot Cross Buns Sticky Date Inspired, inspired by the flavours of sticky date pudding and made with real dates and caramel-flavoured pieces folded through the dough.

Each pack contained four buns, each approximately 6 × 6 × 5 cm in size. They featured a medium tan-brown crumb with a similarly coloured cross on top, studded throughout with darker brown pieces of date and caramel. The aroma was immediately reminiscent of sticky date pudding—rich, fruity, and warmly sweet.

After heating in the microwave (20 seconds for one bun or 30 seconds for two), the cross developed a mild chew, while the bun itself became exceptionally soft and tender. The dates were generously distributed, contributing a slightly denser, fibrous chew characteristic of moist date flesh. Caramel chips were also plentiful but did not overwhelm the palate with sweetness; instead, the natural fruitiness of the dates balanced the caramel notes and prevented the flavour profile from becoming one-dimensional.

Overall, these were enjoyable and well-balanced, offering a convincing nod to sticky date pudding in hot cross bun form—though not quite compelling enough to repurchase over the apple and cinnamon variety.

This Coles Easter Hot Cross Buns Sticky Date Inspired contained 320 g. It was produced in Australia and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2026.