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Traditional Spotted Dick

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A quintessential British dessert, Spotted Dick represents everything that is delicious about traditional English cooking.ย  Tender steamed pudding dotted with succulent currants is drizzled with a luxuriously rich and creamy vanilla custard (recipe included).ย  It’s pure heaven!

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional best english original currants custard suet butter steamed pudding british

What is Spotted Dick?

“Spotted what?”  I hear you.  That’s the most common question from the snickering lips of Americans the first time they hear the name of this legendary British steamed pudding, Spotted Dick.  I was among that giggling crowd when I first moved to England for a 7-year stint, being quite naive to British terminology beyond what I had picked up from my favorite older British sitcoms (e.g., Fawlty Towers, Black Adder, Monte Python, etc).  And what’s interesting is that despite its immense popularity over the course of at least two centuries, time seems to have lost the origins of its quirky name.

What is the Origin of Spotted Dick?

While “spotted” seems simple enough (i.e., the “spots” throughout the pudding from the dried currants), “dick” is the more puzzling of the two terms.  Was it referring to the nickname of someone named Richard?  Some have wondered if comes from an old English corruption of the word pudding to “puddick.”  But who knows?  The mystery of Spotted Dick goes on.

The first known recorded recipe of Spotted Dick is found in the mid-19th century cookbook, The Modern Housewife or Mรฉnagรจre, by Alexis Soyer, one of Britain’s first celebrity chefs who seems to imply that the pudding had already been around for some time.

In any case, Spotted Dick has remained high in popularity over the centuries to the extent that you can find if in tin cans, manufactured by Heinz, in every British grocery store.  That was my first exposure to the stuff.  I still remember going into a grocery store in England and picking up a can of Spotted Dick on the shelf and thinking “what IS this??” as I showed it to my mom and we both started giggling like school girls.

For my British friends who are wondering what the fuss is all about, you’ll have to Google the name for its anatomical reference to see what Americans find so amusing about it.  To tell you myself would make me blush ;)

But to continue, I’ve never been able to get excited about the canned stuff, but homemade?  That’s an entirely different story.

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional best english original currants custard suet butter steamed pudding british

Spotted Dick is just one of many great traditional British dishes I was introduced to during the nearly 7 years I lived in England after moving there from Germany.  Those were among the best years of my life and I will always consider the UK my second home.  My husband also spent two years in England and Wales long before we met.  He loves the UK as much as I do and we have both traced our ancestry far back to medieval times; my husband to Cornwall and mine, well, all over the British Isles.

There are many places throughout the UKย that we consider favorites. ย Below are two of my favorite villages in England’s Cotswold region. Castle Combe, in Wiltshire on the southern-most edge of the Cotswolds, has often been named as the ‘prettiest village in England.’ ย Originally it was a British hill fort which became occupied by the Romans and later the Normans because of its strategic proximity to The Fosse Way. ย During the Middle Ages it became an important center for the wool industry and in more recent years has been a popular tourist site and setting for numerous films, including the original Dr. Doolittle with Rex Harrison, a Spielberg film, and Downton Abbey. The buildings are several centuries old and listed as ancient monuments. ย Their stone construction with thick walls and roofs made from spit natural stone tiles are all typical of Cotswold architecture.

castle comb cotswolds england

Bibury is another village situated in the Cotswolds and many consider it the most picturesque.  It’s located in the Gloucestershire region of the Cotswolds and has also been referred to as “the most beautiful village in England” as well as one of the most charming towns in Europe.

kimberly killebrew daring gourmet bibury cotswolds england

Arlington Row (below), with its cottages dating to the 1300’s, is one of the most photographed scenes in the Cotswolds.  Bibury is also home to the world’s first horse racing club, The Bibury Club, formed in 1681.

A popular tourist attraction and setting for several films (including Stardust and Bridget Jones’ Diary), it was also a favorite spot of Henry Ford.  On one of his trips to the Cotswolds he attempted to buy the entire row of houses in Arlington Row and have them shipped back to Michigan to be reassembled there in Greenfield Village.  Thank goodness the English said “NO.”

arlington row bibury cotswolds england

It’s a charming notion to imagine the residents of Castle Combe and Bibury during the Victorian Age sitting down at the table behind these vintage stone walls enjoying a plate of Spotted Dick drizzled with custard sauce at the end of their meal.

Spotted Dick is very, very easy to make and if you’ve never had a steamed pudding before you will be especially tickled to give this a try.   Not overly sweet, the sweetness comes mostly from the currants and the custard sauce, which is an absolute must.  If you try serving Spotted Dick without the custard sauce the Dickensian police of Victorian England will parade into a time machine and come clobber you over the head with a wooden billy club.

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional best english original currants custard suet butter steamed pudding british

Three Ingredients for Making Proper Spotted Dick

Caster Sugar: Caster sugar is the form of sugar traditionally called for in Spotted Dick and most British baking. ย While very popular in the UK it’sย virtually unheard of here in the U.S.. ย And while it can be found in some gourmet specialty shops it’s very expensive, which is silly because all it is is finely ground granulated sugar. ย You can make it yourself simply by grinding regular granulated sugar in a coffee or spice grinder for a few seconds. That said, though caster sugar is the traditional choice it really isn’t necessary because after 90 minutes of steaming the sugar is going to completely dissolve, whether caster or granulated. So the choice is yours.

Dried Currants: Despite their name, dried currants aren’t actually currants at all, they are in fact a small variety of raisin known as zante raisins. They are widely used in British baking and are preferred over raisins in many baked goods, including Spotted Dick, because 1) they’re smaller, remain a bit firmer and don’t get mushy, and 2) instead of being overly sweet they have a slightly more tart flavor.

Shredded Suet: Every traditional recipe for Spotted Dick calls for it as do many other British pastries and pies, resulting in a superior texture.ย  ย It can be difficult if not near impossible to find in many areas outside of Britain and in more modern times many people are replacing suet with butter anyway. ย Butter works just fine but the beef suet has definite advantages.ย Suet has a high melting point and so as the pudding cooks small pockets are formed where the suet is slower to melt, resulting in a lighter, more spongy texture. The brand below, Atora Shredded Beef Suet, has been around since 1893, a household name for over a century. It’s very expensive though outside of the UK and you can very easily make your own beef suet: check out my tutorial on How to Make Beef Tallow!

beef suet

Traditional Spotted Dick Recipe

Let’s get started!

Place the flour, baking soda, salt and beef suet or butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.

pulsing butter, suet and flour in food processor

Add the milk, lemon zest, vanilla extract and currants and stir until combined.

dried currants, lemon zest, and vanilla added to the flour mixture
combining the mixture to form a thick batter

Spoon the batter into a generously greased pudding mold.

I’m using one of 4 pudding molds I own.  The one in the picture holds a quart (about one liter) but most of my other ones are larger, and that’s fine, too.  The smallest pudding mold (1.5 liters) with the best reviews I’ve found on Amazon is this one.  A great place to find pudding molds is in thrift shops.  I found two of mine at Goodwill.  The other two I brought with me from Europe.

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional best english original currants custard suet butter steamed pudding british

Place metal cookie cutters, a folded dish towel or crumpled tin foil on the bottom of the stock pot.  The pudding mold cannot come in contact with the bottom of the pot or it will scorch the pudding.

Lower the pudding mold into the boiling water so that the water comes up to the halfway point of the mold.  You’ll likely need to weight the pudding mold down with something heavy to keep it from bobbing up and down in the water.  I use a plate and then put something heavy on top of it, like another bowl.

Cover the stock pot, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer undisturbed for 1 1/2 hours.  Check the water level periodically and add more water as needed to keep it at the halfway point of the pudding tin.

pudding mold

Remove the pudding mold from the water bath and let it rest for 15 minutes.  Invert the pudding onto a plate.

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional best english original currants custard suet butter steamed pudding british

Cut the spotted dick into wedges.

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional best english original currants custard suet butter steamed pudding british

Place a wedge of the pudding on each plate.

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional best english original currants custard suet butter steamed pudding british

Serve the pudding warm with hot English Vanilla Custard.

Enjoy!

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional best english original currants custard suet butter steamed pudding british

For more traditional British and Irish treats try my:

spotted dick recipe authentic traditional British English

Traditional Spotted Dick

This famous traditional English dessert is irresistibly delicious and is sure to win you over!
4.96 from 120 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine english
Servings 6 servings
Calories 498 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Place metal cookie cutters, a folded towel, or crumpled tin foil in the bottom of a large stock pot to prevent the pudding mold from touching the bottom of the pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Generously grease a 1.6 liter pudding mold.
    .
  • Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and suet (or butter) in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the milk, lemon zest, vanilla extract and currants and stir until combined. Scoop the batter into the prepared pudding mold and secure it tightly with the lid.
  • Lower the pudding mold into the boiling water so that the water comes up to the halfway point of the pudding mold. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer undisturbed for 90 minutes (3-4 hours if using suet as it has a very high melting point and needs that amount of time to melt and create the "pockets" throughout the pudding that yields the characteristic light/spongy texture associated with suet-based puddings). You'll likely need to weight the pudding mold down with something heavy to keep it from bobbing up and down in the water. ย I use a plate and then put something heavy on top of it, like another bowl. Check the water level periodically and add more water as needed to keep it at the halfway point of the pudding tin.
  • Remove the pudding mold from the water and let it sit for 15 minutes. Invert the pudding onto a plate. Slice into wedges and serve warm with English Custard Sauce.
  • See NOTE about reheating.

Notes

*Caster sugar is simply granulated sugar that has been very finely ground. It is the most popular form of sugar in British baking and is especially suited to items with a short baking time or delicate items like meringue. Because it’s so finely ground it dissolves more quickly. However, after steaming this pudding for 90 minutes, regular granulated sugar will definitely be dissolved. The choice is yours: Buy caster sugar, grind your own using a coffee or spice grinder, or simply use regular granulated sugar.
* REHEATING: The key is just to do it in a way that doesnโ€™t dry out the pudding or render it overly moist and mushy. Two methods: Reheat the same way you cooked it by removing the wrapping and returning the the pudding to the mold to steam it for 3/4 to 1 hour or until hot. Or reheat it in the oven: Wrap the pudding in foil and reheat at 300ยบF (150ยบC) for an hour or until hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 498kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 6gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 282mgPotassium: 433mgFiber: 2gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 655IUVitamin C: 1.2mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 2.8mg
Keyword Spotted Dick
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet December 17, 2016

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




4.96 from 120 votes (101 ratings without comment)

152 Comments

  1. I made this the other day and used King Arthur Gluten Free flour. The flour is a 1:1 substitute. The result was really dense. I also used the beef suet I had shipped from England to the states. I’ve read that spotted dick can be either dense or spongy…so I’m wondering if the flour was the reason mine came out dense. I made it as practice for a friend of mine from England who has to be careful with gluten…so I want this to come out right. Has anyone else made this with GF flour? Any suggestions? The taste is good though!

    1. Hi Dave, I’ve done quite a bit of gluten free baking and very honestly, you’re just never going to get the same texture results subbing GF flour. GF flour lacks the elasticity of gluten and no matter the tricks and tips we implement, it’s never going to rise as much, resulting in fewer air pockets and a denser texture. That said, I am not a GF baking expert and more than happily welcome any feedback from readers who have had great results.

  2. This was my first time attempting to make spotted dick as previously I had only ever had it from the tin. Your step by step photos and instructions were enormously helpful and my pudding came out beautifully. We had our kids over and everyone loved it, including your vanilla custard. Thank you for this wonderful, authentic recipe!

  3. This was so delicious! The texture was moist and soft and the flavor delicate and so scrummy. I made your vanilla custard to go with it. High praises all around.

  4. Caster sugar is called superfine in the US. I’ve bought it at the supermarket, but you can also get it in shops selling candy-making supplies. It’s also referred to as bartender’s sugar. Not found at the neighborhood liquor store, but probably at restaurant supply

  5. I lived a number of years in England and had this on maybe two occasions. The other day something came to mind that triggered that memory and upon doing an online search I found your recipe. It came out even more delicious than I had remembered. I made your vanilla custard to go with it. This will not be the last time I make them both.

  6. Hmm, when learning about spotted puddick and two years in the UK weโ€™re guessing that you may already know, as we do, a Mahonri Moriancumer who had a brother, Jared. Jeffโ€™s ancestry is also Cornish, St Ives and St Just, via Montana in the 1870s.

    We had Welsh cakes just last night at friendsโ€™ in San Diego while watching videos about Gadfield Elm Chapel and Dan Jones!

  7. Custard with spotted dick is certainly lovely, but when we were kids our absolute favourite accompaniment was what amounted, essentially, to a type of “hard sauce” made from equal parts of dark brown sugar and salted butter. The hot pudding would melt the butter and sugar mixture into a lovely grainy butterscotch-y coating we adored. My Mum was from East Sussex and this was how her family would eat steamed pudding if custard wasn’t used, and it is still my favourite.

  8. I forgot!

    7. You donโ€™t โ€œdrizzleโ€ it with custard. Not ever. This is a disgraceful lapse in etiquette. The correct way to use custard is to absolutely smother whateverโ€™s in your bowl ;)

  9. 1. Vegetable suet is fine, it works exactly the same but without the psychological โ€œickโ€ factor.

    2. Itโ€™s called custard, not custard sauce. And if youโ€™re doing it properly you use Birdโ€™s custard powder, which you mix with sugar & milk and heat in pan (or nuke it if youโ€™re a heathen like me).

    3. Who were these English people you met who wouldnโ€™t admit to knowing what dick means? Iโ€™m laughing so hard at that idea, swearing is basically our national sport, and we all find spotted dick hilarious. It sounds like a case of the clap, etc.

    4. BBC recipe also says steam for an hour and a half, and thatโ€™s using the same brand of suet. But this kind of pudding is pretty forgiving, so if you forget youโ€™re cooking and leave it an extra hour itโ€™s not a disaster.

    5. Iโ€™ve never seen a tinned spotted dick.

    6. Cheers! :)

  10. “If you try serving Spotted Dick without the custard sauce the Dickensian police of Victorian England will parade into a time machine and come clobber you over the head with a wooden billy club.” More like your English friends will gasp in horror & disowned you which will hurt much more!

    1. Do not use Hollandaise Sauce! I repeat Do not use Hollandaise Sauce! it is for use on What we call English Muffins only! Bรฉarnaise Sauce will also get you in trouble!

  11. The recipe says 3-4 hours of steam time when using suet. That’s quite a wide margin, so how do I know when it’s done?
    Also, I assume the 5 oz. of suet is fluid ounces and not weight?

    1. Hi Eric, yes there is a margin because there are multiple factors that will influence the cooking speed including how low the “simmer” is and the construction/material of the pudding mold. To check for doneness, you can stick a clean skewer through the foil into the center of the pudding and if it’s done it will come out clean. For the suet, that’s 5 ounces in weight. You can also click on “Metric” to the right of the ingredients list for the measurements in metric.

  12. You should mention that the water added to the cooking bath should be at or near the same temperature as the cooking water. Adding water from the tap will lower the temperature and mess with both the cooking time and the finished pudding. On the rare occasions I make a steamed pudding I keep a medium pot of water at a low simmer to add to the cooking pot if needed.

  13. I canโ€™t wait to make this! Does vegetable suet work just as well? I cannot seem to find beef suet anywhere near me in Georgia. Also, how long do I steam the pudding if using suet versus using butter?

    One more question – is lard preferred to vegetable suet? I can easily find lardโ€ฆ

    1. Hi Cynthia, yes you can use vegetable suet. I don’t have experience using vegetable suet, only beef suet, but my guess is that the steaming time will be about the same as with butter. For the absolute best texture though I strongly recommend beef suet, which you can find at most local butchers. If your butcher doesn’t have any on hand you can ask them for beef kidney fat (also called beef leaf fat) and ask them to run it through their finest grinder. You’ll use the fresh beef suet the same way as the dried suet I link to in the recipe.