When is a bun not a bun?

My parents were from Surrey and I was born there, but moved north, where fairy cakes are buns, but I stuck with what my mum called them. To me buns are definitely made with dough of some sort, but I am multilingual, so I go with whatever is being said around me.

Always buns in the North East.

I’m in Yorkshire, too, and I call these mini cakes “buns”. I never call them fairy cakes, little cakes, mini cakes or muffins.
Of course, certain yeast delicacies are referred to as buns, too, such a Chelsea buns.
The thing they have in common, I think, is that they are all sweet.

Up here in north of Scotland when I was a child in the 50's we had home made fairy cakes(small sponge cupcakes) and from the bakers as a treat the yeast based cakes which came in various forms (iced buns sliced with real cream in the centre, pleated buns with dried fruit and a syrup glace and chelsea buns same as pleated but in a circle). My favourite was an iced bun as my mother used to open them up and pop in some home made rasp jam! Cup cakes were just the same sponge mixture as fairy cakes but in larger paper cases which meant there was more toppings - came over from America I also believe - of course they had to be bigger!!!

To me, a bun is a small sponge cake :-) But not as small as a fairy cake. Usually currant buns but can be without currants. Except now they keep calling them muffins (American), whereas to me, muffins - English muffins, are a bread based thing. I've given up! I make buns in muffin tins - they are now just slightly bigger buns. I've heard of fairy cakes but aren't they a bit smaller (shallower bun tin?) or more like butterfly buns? Just confused myself there ha ha. Just by using the word "bun tin" and butterfly buns. So buns are cakes :-)

My bun tin is for buns, mince pies and yorkshire puddings. My muffin tin is for big buns and bigger yorkshire puddings!

Talking of buns and cakes, where have all the Eccles Cakes gone? Can’t see them anywhere- I love them

Don’t they call them cup cakes across the pond? Which are in any case bigger.

Everything's bigger across the pond 😂

MrB is from south Wales. He doesn't remember ever having small iced (or un-iced) cakes but the expression 'cup cakes' rang a bell. Actually he doesn't remember ever having birthday cake either!!!

Me, I'm sticking with buns. Which is kinda odd for me because it is said that the word bun perhaps derives from Old French bugne meaning a swelling, whereas cake derives from Old Norse kaka. Normally I favour more northerly (Norse/Germanic) words, but I suppose I'm covered both ways here since buns are cakes/cake-ish whatever anyone calls them.

Baggs

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.

Don’t they call them cup cakes across the pond? Which are in any case bigger.

My mother always called them fairy cakes as far back as the 50s, which is as far as I can remember.

Oops Lardy cakes, auto correct to blame

But Larry cakes are bread based but with, well, lots and lots of Lard. Shudder…..

Always fairy cakes or butterfly cakes for us in Hampshire where I grew up.

Buns were always yeast based, Currant buns, Cinnamon buns or my very favourite Belgian buns (with icing and a cherry on the top.) Hot cross buns

we had Baps for Burgers or hot sausages, not my favourite type of Bun.

I’m in Oxfordshire now and I think it’s the same here, it is in our house anyway!

Baggs

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?

Black bun is rich fruit cake, like Christmas cake, wrapped in pastry so not bun like. Deep frying optional

gulligranny

Definitely a bun was dough-based, for me growing up in London. A Chelsea Bun was a thing of joy, as was an Iced Finger Bun, very plain but with a delicious white icing on the top.

A cake is something completely different; however, DH calls my rock cakes "rock buns" .. I still love him, though.

I remember those iced fingers and buns were definitely made with yeast dough. Granny didn’t make cakes but used to buy lemon, orange nd chocolate cup cakes in a pack of 6. Mum made rock cakes and plain cakes. I’m also from the SE.

My dad was from South Wales and called it "Lardy Bread"

Lardy cake is an entirely different beast!

My deluded husband was from south Wales. I’m from southern England where we have lardy cakes, which are made from bread dough so not cakes at all.

Well there you are allira.
It’s all about where you were brought up.

madalene

I call small cakes cupcakes nowadays.
Until my grandson informed me that buns are bread, I always called them buns. That’s because, as I said up thread, I was brought up in the north west where small cakes were buns.
I don’t like the name fairy cakes, it does sound a bit twee to me.

They were fairy cakes for as long as I remember, my Mum used to make them for us.

I call small cakes cupcakes nowadays.
Until my grandson informed me that buns are bread, I always called them buns. That’s because, as I said up thread, I was brought up in the north west where small cakes were buns.
I don’t like the name fairy cakes, it does sound a bit twee to me.

Cupcakes are an American invention, invented by an Amelia Simmons apparently.

To us a bun is any small yeasted bread, sweet or not. Sometimes called roll. It's odd really; hamburger bun, dinner roll, hot cross bun. So interchangeable usage of the word, but always yeasted.

A small cake would be a cupcake, iced or not. Less sweet and denser, it would be a muffin.

Yes, of course!

That's the best bun in my picture above. Made with yeast, of course, unwind slowly and enjoy.
Although the fresh buns we had at school break were excellent too.

Yes, Allira but I was referring to the style rather than the size!
Cupcakes and muffins are both huge compared to fairy cakes but are cake rather than a dough product.

Buns
Other styles available!

Cupcakes