Traditional Spotted Dick Pudding Recipe

Despite its rather unfortunate name, spotted dick is a tasty and subtly sweet steamed British dessert bread that your whole family can enjoy. The name comes from the ingredients — traditionally, dried currants, which create the characteristic spots — and an older English name for pudding: puddick. Of course, in the U.S., "pudding" typically refers to a thick custard-like sweet dessert, but in the U.K., puddings are boiled or steamed desserts made with flour. The latter is what to expect when preparing spotted dick. 

Traditionally, a spotted dick is made with suet, or hardened animal fat, which can be somewhat hard to come by in the United States. Fortunately, recipe developer Liz Capozzoli of OwlBBaking has come up with a mostly traditional recipe for a spotted dick pudding using more commonly available ingredients. "The texture of the pudding is surprisingly light and delicate, despite there being no eggs in the recipe," Capozzoli says, adding, "I've never made a steamed dessert before and I loved how moist the final result was. This is not an overly sweet dish but still has excellent flavor, with undertones of caramel from the brown sugar, and the raisins were plump and soft." Especially when paired with her optional rich, creamy custard sauce, Capozzoli's recipe for spotted dick is simple to prepare and will provide a delicious finish for any meal.

To make the batter, you want to start by combining the flour, baking powder, and shortening (or suet) in a large bowl. Use your fingers to crumble the shortening into the flour, working to incorporate the two until the mixture is uniformly crumbly and is free of large clumps. While this is indeed a messy process, it's important to use your fingers rather than a spoon to combine the shortening and flour together, since it'll be very difficult to achieve the desired texture without getting your hands a little grubby.

While you're preparing your batter, you can also be getting your water ready to steam. Add a few inches of water to a large pot of water, and place a steam basket or other separator over the top. Select a pudding mold or heat-safe bowl that fits inside your basket or pot, and grease the inside of the bowl well with butter.

Transfer the batter to the greased bowl, then place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the bowl. "The parchment just needs to be draped over the top in the case that the pudding rises so much that it is best to have a non-stick layer there vs. just foil," Capozzoli explains. Cover the whole thing with aluminum foil tightly fitted to the rim of the bowl. You want to make sure that the foil makes a good seal so that no water seeps through.

Use a long piece of parchment, folded lengthwise into a long, thick strip, to lower the bowl into the steamer basket, making sure it's not actually touching the water. Cover the pot and bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Once the water is simmering, you can lower the heat to keep it at a steady simmer, not a boil.

Once your pudding has finished cooking, use the parchment ends to carefully lift the bowl out of the pot and onto the countertop. Making sure to be careful to avoid hot steam, unwrap the foil and parchment on top of the bowl to check the pudding by inserting a knife or toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, replace the foil and place it back into the steamer for a little longer.

After removing your pudding from the steamer, allow it to cool in the bowl for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a large plate. Serve the pudding warm by spooning pieces into individual bowls. If desired, top it off by drizzling it with the custard sauce.