If your post‑Easter kitchen looks anything like mine, you’ve got a few hot cross buns hanging around, looking slightly too dry to be exciting. This is when I bring out the magic hot buttermilk syrup, which I usually serve with the iconic South African pumpkin fritter. The addition of this decadent sauce suddenly transforms those buns into a golden, sticky, sweet treat that tastes like you meant to save them for later. Leftovers? What leftovers.

Here’s what goes in:
½ cup butter
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to do it:

In a saucepan on the stove, bring the buttermilk, butter, and sugar to the boil. Stir in the bicarb and the cinnamon and be prepared for frothing! The level of the sauce will rise up quite a bit.
Drizzle the syrup over the hot cross buns and serve immediately