My Spotted Dick Recipe is a classic English steamed pudding with sweet currants and bright citrus, served warm with creamy custard.
- 2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ oz/319 g) self-raising flour
- ⅓ cup (2 ½ oz/71 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 orange
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 11 tablespoons (5 ½ oz/150 g) butter , cold and diced
- ¾ cup (3 ¾ oz/106 g) currants
- ⅔ cup (5 fl oz/160 ml) whole milk
- 1 recipe Crème Anglaise
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Generously butter a 1-liter (about 1 quart) pudding basin. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
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Place a steamer basket in a large lidded pot that will hold the basin. Fill the pot with water to the level of the steamer basket and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
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Bring a kettle of water to a boil and set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, and salt.
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Cut in the butter with a pastry blender (or using your fingertips) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
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Add in the currants and milk and mix until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
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Gently press the dough evenly into the prepared pudding basin.
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Place a circle of parchment paper over the dough, then cover the basin tightly with foil.
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Tie butcher's twine around the foil to seal it, then use additional twine to create a handle.
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Place the pudding basin on the steamer basket and, if needed, carefully add enough boiling water from the kettle so it reaches the bottom of the steamer basket. Cover the pot with the lid.
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Steam the pudding for about 2 ½ hours, maintaining a gentle simmer. Check the water level every 20 minutes and add more boiling water as needed.
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After 2 ½ hours, check the pudding. It should feel firm when lightly pressed. If it is still soft, continue steaming, checking every 15 minutes.
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Lift the pudding from the pot, unwrap it, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
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Run a thin knife around the edge of the pudding basin to loosen the pudding, then invert it onto a serving plate.
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Serve warm slices with a drizzle of Crème Anglaise. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat briefly in the microwave before serving.
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Once fully cooled, cover with new parchment and foil and store the pudding in the fridge for up to 7 days. To re-heat you can steam again for about 45 minutes or microwave until fully heated through. It also can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Use a basin or a bowl. You don’t need a specific pudding basin to make this—it can be made in any heatproof ceramic, stoneware, or stainless steel bowl. I don’t recommend aluminum or plastic.
- Use another fruit. You can replace the currants with the same amount of raisins, sultanas, or another dried fruit of choice (chopped if large).
- Make sure your pudding basin has a lip or rim. This allows you to tie the string securely. If the basin doesn’t have a suitable rim, you won’t be able to secure it properly, and attempting to tie it without one can cause the basin to slip out during steaming, which could be dangerous.
- Leave room. Fill the pudding basin only two-thirds full, as the pudding will rise significantly during steaming.
- Steam low and slow. Keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a vigorous boil. Slow, even steaming gives the pudding time to cook through while keeping it tender.
- In-depth steaming info. If you are confused about how to set up the pudding basin with foil and twine, please refer to the article: How to Steam a Christmas Pudding.
- Always use only boiling water: It’s important to use boiling water and keep the boiling water topped up throughout steaming. Whenever we make a steamed pudding, the first thing we do is put a full kettle on to boil so we have plenty of boiling water ready to add as needed. Using cold or lukewarm water lowers the temperature and slows down the cooking process. For Irish and British cooks, this is second nature when steaming puddings.
- Check the water level. Set a timer for every 20-30 minutes while the pudding is steaming to check the water level. The steam is what cooks the pudding so you need to be sure that it never fully evaporates.