When is a bun not a bun?

His parents were very old if they lived in the 18th century😁
A Northern colleague calls a cupcake a bun so maybe a regional thing.

Isn't a bun traditionally the sort with dried fruit...
Like a "currant bun"

I'm from the North West Oreo
We had cobs, barm cakes and rolls.
Can't think of buns - but maybe...

Buns are presumably all dough-based I would think.
Iced buns
Chelsea Buns
etc

Definitely a regionally thing
I was born in the midlands but my parents were from the north east now I'm living in Ireland, married to my 2nd Irish husband
Buying/ordering food in restaurants can be very complicated lol

Regional

When is a bun not a bun?
When it's a Black Bun.

It’s a regional thing. A friend from Sheffield alway called what I call fairy cakes, buns.

I was brought up in Yorkshire, fairy cakes are buns there !

So-called fairy cakes were always buns where I grew up: Yorkshire and Lancashire.

I always thought the term "fairy cake" came from the States.

OldFrill

When is a bun not a bun?
When it's a Black Bun.

Still a bun really though, OldFrill. A Scottish speciality. It's a lump (bun) of fruit wrapped in pastry, isn't it?

When it’s in the oven!

I think 'bun' covers all kinds of small, sweet cake-like things.

Agree with Baggs - we always called small, sweet cakes, buns.

We used to call small cakes buns. I was brought up in the north west. No such thing as a bread bun existed, only barm cakes or rolls.

Now I’ve moved to the south (many years ago now) I call small sponge cakes cupcakes. I have never called them fairy cakes. I bake often and sometimes make cupcakes. I never buy them. Shop bought ones are disgusting, over sweet and artificial tasting.

We never called them fairy cakes or cup cakes they were buns. Mum made them , sometimes iced ( if we were very lucky!) but often with currants in. I can see them now in Mums kitchen - happy days!!

Even those ones you cut a cone out of at the top, in to the hole of which you put some butter icing, and then stuck the two halves of the cone back in like ears.... they were still buns 😀

My adopt. Mother came from Yorkshire and would agree with you watermeadow regarding buns and fairy cakes.
US fairy cakes are called cup cakes or they were when I was in NY in 2008.

Witzend

It’s a regional thing. A friend from Sheffield alway called what I call fairy cakes, buns.

Yes, from Yorkshire too- we had chocolate buns, butterfly buns, snow buns all kinds of buns if they were baked in a little fluted case.

I never heard of fairy cakes, and certainly cup cakes or muffins until recently.

I miss proper buns!

Shelflife

I was brought up in Yorkshire, fairy cakes are buns there !

They were always just 'buns' in my little corner of West Yorkshire too.
There were sometimes recipes for 'fairy cakes' in books and magazines, but I remember thinking that sounded very twee.
I never heard anyone call them called 'cup cakes' back then.

Baggs

Even those ones you cut a cone out of at the top, in to the hole of which you put some butter icing, and then stuck the two halves of the cone back in like ears.... they were still buns 😀

On special occasions, we made butterfly buns with real cream (whipped) instead of the usual butter icing. Mmmm, lovely.

Must try that OnP, maybe with a spot of jam underneath the cream 😋

Fairy cakes are what we called butterfly buns (NW).

watermeadow

I looked up bun recipes only to find lots of fairy cakes. To me, buns are made from a yeast dough which you knead and leave to rise.
Fairy cakes are made from a cake mixture - butter, flour, sugar and eggs.
My husband used to call small cakes buns so I had to divorce him but he does not seem to be alone in this depravity. Is it a regional thing? Or an 18th C thing ( his parents were old)

A fairy cake is a fairy bun when you live in Devon.