Spotted Dick Recipe

Spotted Dick is a classic British recipe, often served as a pudding during school dinners. 

Traditionally, spotted dick is made with dried fruit and suet, and is cooked by steaming it. It is possible to make it without suet, which I will detail further on.

Spotted dick tastes best with fresh custard, but is equally tasty with some vanilla ice cream!

How To Make Spotted Dick

You can make spotted dick in a pudding basin, or if you don’t have one, you can roll it into a cylinder shape.

What You Need:

For more concise ingredients and instructions please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• self raising flour
• suet/butter
• caster sugar
• currants or raisins
• grated rind of lemon
• milk
• pudding basin, foil, large saucepan or steamer (for steaming option)

Different Ways To Cook Spotted Dick

There are various different ways to cook spotted dick, my preferred way is steaming in a saucepan, but you can cook it using different methods.

Steaming

Steaming is the traditional way to cook a spotted dick. Either use a steamer and cook it for 60 to 90 minutes, or place a saucer or trivet in a large saucepan and place the covered pudding basin on top of it. Add boiling water to the saucepan so that it comes to about halfway up the side of the pudding basin. Cover the saucepan.

Keep an eye on the water level as it steams to make sure it doesn’t get too low. If it does then top up with some more hot water.

The pudding is ready when it gently springs back when pressed. Remove the baking paper and carefully lift the pot out of the saucepan (use oven gloves).

Turn the basin upside down onto a plate and slice before serving.

Oven Baked 

If you want to reduce the cooking time, spotted dick can be baked in an oven, but this will alter the texture and taste compared to a traditional spotted dick. Fill a baking tray with water and place it at the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven (220°C/fan 200°C/Gas Mark 6). Cover the spotted dick with foil and place in the oven – the cook time should be around 35-40 minutes.

Microwave 

If you want super quick spotted dick, you can cook it in a microwave. It will have a completely different texture to the traditional boiled/steam option – much like microwave treacle sponge. Cook it in a microwave safe bowl, covered with cling film, leaving a gap to allow the steam to escape. Cook for 5 minutes on full power and then allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.

If you’ve got the time though, and to do this marvellous pudding justice, I recommend the traditional method of steaming it! 

Making Spotted Dick Without Suet

Suet is used in steamed puddings as it has a higher melting point, making the texture fluffier, but you can substitute it with an alternative fat such as butter. Just use the same amount of butter as you would suet.

What To Serve With Spotted Dick

Custard is usually served with spotted dick, but you can also serve it with ice cream, or cream.

Why Is It Called Spotted Dick?

 The dried fruit (the currants and the raisins) are the ‘spots’ in the pudding, and the word ‘dick,’ according to this source;

 “dick may be a corruption/contraction of the last syllable of pudding, a corruption of dough, or from German dick (“thick, viscous”)”

More Popular British Desserts

• Microwave Treacle Sponge Pudding Cake
• Apple Crumble
• Apple and Cinnamon Cake
• Treacle Tart
• Lemon Drizzle Cake

Is spotted dick one of your favourites? Let me know in the comments what your favourite British pudding is!

Spotted Dick Recipe

By Liana Green

Spotted Dick is a classic British pudding that has been enjoyed by generations over the years!

4.35 from 35 votes

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Course Baking Recipes

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings 6

Calories 507 kcal

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 225 g self-raising flour
• 60 g caster sugar
• 115 g suet or butter
• 140 g raisins or currants
• 150 ml milk
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• butter for greasing

Instructions

 

• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, suet/butter, dried fruit and lemon rind.
• Add the milk and stir together until a soft dough forms – it should be a soft dropping consistency.
• Transfer the mixture to a greased pudding basin or bowl and level the top so that it is flat. If you don’t have a suitable bowl you can roll it into a cylinder (on a floured surface).
• Cover the bowl, or cylinder, in greaseproof paper, followed by foil over the top. If you are covering a cylinder allow enough space for the pudding to raise within the paper.
• If you are steaming the spotted dick, place a trivet, or an upturned saucer in the bottom of a large saucepan. Place the pudding bowl on top. Pour boiling water in the saucepan so that it comes about half way up the sides of the bowl.
• Place the lid on the saucepan and cook for around 90 minutes – check back often to make sure the water doesn’t boil dry.
• The pudding is ready when it gently springs back when pressed.
• Remove the pudding from the bowl and serve with warm custard or ice cream!

Notes

To Oven Bake

1. Place a baking tray filled with water on the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven (Gas Mark 6/200°C).

2. Place the pudding bowl/cylinder on a shelf above the baking tray and cook for 35 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 507kcalCarbohydrates: 77gProtein: 7gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 482mgFiber: 4gSugar: 40g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an estimate.

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