1. The night before add the raisins and rum to a small bowl and mix. Cover and let soak overnight.

2. The next morning add the lukewarm water and milk (or plant-based alternative) to the bowl of your food processor. Crumble the yeast and mix in until completely dissolved. Let sit for about 10 minutes so that the yeast can bubble up a bit. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, orange zest, butter, and the egg. Knead the dough for about 8-9 minutes to get a smooth (but quite sticky dough). Place the dough on a floured surface, add the raisins on top, and knead in. Add the dough back to the bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes – the volume should have doubled pretty much.

3. While the dough is rising you can prepare the streusels by adding flour, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a small bowl. Rub everything between your fingers to get different-sized streusels. Place in the fridge until needed again.

4. Place the dough again on a floured surface, divide it into 8-10 portions, and shape it into small balls. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Place the dough balls in a circle, about 0.8 inches (2 cm) apart from each other, on the baking sheet. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for another 25-30 minutes. The dough balls touch (or almost) touch each other.

5. While the dough rises a second time preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). For the cross decoration mix the flour, water, and a dash of vanilla extract in a small freezer bag. You want a thick and not too runny mixture you can pipe onto the dough – adjust with a bit more flour or water if necessary.

6. Whisk the egg yolk with a tiny bit of water and brush the dough balls (buns) evenly with it. Cut off a tip of the freezer bag with the flour mixture and pipe crosses on top of the buns. You can start with a line (actually a circle) that goes over all buns and then make the shorter lines to create the crosses on the buns. The consistency of the flour mixture is perfect if the lines stay in place and do not slide away or thin out.

7. Sprinkle the wreath with the streusels from the fridge and bake for 35-40 minutes. The hot cross buns should have a nice golden brown color and the crosses should be clearly visible. Take out of the oven and brush the browned parts of the buns with some warmed jam (apricot or orange) to get a shiny surface, then let cool down on a wire rack. Serve and enjoy your Easter brunch/breakfast!