My mother says she always remembers these having a lemony yellow cross instead of a white one. Anyone familiar with that? Could I do it with lemon curd? Or a thick lemon merengue pie-like filling? Cathy, I have no memory of hot cross buns having any kind of true lemon cross on top - I'm betting that might have been a local variation. You could certainly add a touch of lemon oil to the white frosting, but I don't think lemon curd or lemon meringue filling would be a good option, as they're sticky, wouldn't hold their shape particularly well, and might require refrigeration... PJH

• Reply