Why do hot cross buns have a cross in the middle?

Answer 1

They mark Jesus being being vcrusified [killed,tortured or hung] so that's why there's a cross on a hot cross bun

The Hot Cross Bun is a wonderful, rich, spiced tea cake that is usually only available at Easter,there are two schools of thought as to the origins of this seasonal treat.
One version is that it was originally made by the Anglo-Saxons as part of their spring festival honoring the goddess Eostre. This pagan version of the bun had the symbol of an ox horn on top, to represent Eostre. When the Christians adapted the festival into their own religion, they replaced the horn with the cross, so as to make it a more acceptable part of the newly founded Christian holiday.
The other is that Hot Cross Buns were first baked in England in the 17th Century by a widowed mother, whose only son went away to sea. Legend has it that she promised to bake him a bun every Good Friday until he came home. She would hang the bun in her window and pray for her son's safe return. The son never returned home, but the woman continued to bake her buns in faith. When she died, the rest of her unnamed village continued the tradition.
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If the term hot cross buns refers to the American favorite dinner rolls that are available anytine of year then the cross on those buns are mechanically created by the dough extruder used by bakers, the extruders nozel is a circle with a cross brace inside of it,this is done so that the bun breaks evenly into four pieces making it ideal to sop up the excess gravy on ones plate. This version of hot cross buns appeared in bakery's around the US as early as 1896.
With New York bakers claiming to have the best tasting hot cross buns as their ovens were fired with coal rather than wood...

Not everything that has a cross refers to Jesus or Christianity,the cross is an ancient symbol used in numerous beliefs...it is not solely a christian symbol.