Equipment
Ingredients
Pudding Dry Mix
- 250 g self-raising flour, sifted
- 125 g shredded suet
- 75 g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 75 g caster sugar
- 2 g salt
Fruit and Liquid
- 150 g currants
- 1 lemon zest
- 150 ml whole milk
Butterscotch Sauce
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 100 g dark brown soft sugar
- 125 ml double cream
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 2 g sea salt
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 758 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 89 g
- Fat
- 42 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 47 g
- Sodium
- 362 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 25 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 76 mg
- Potassium
- 340 mg
- Calcium
- 104 mg
- Iron
- 1.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 28 mg
- Phosphorus
- 124 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 212 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.16 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.19 mg
- Niacin
- 1.5 mg
- Folate
- 29 mcg
- Water
- 52 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Generously butter the inside of the pudding basin. Place a large pot on the stove with a trivet or inverted saucer inside, and fill with enough water to come halfway up the side of your basin. Begin heating the water.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, shredded suet, breadcrumbs, sugar, salt, currants, and lemon zest. Stir until the fruit is evenly distributed.
Gradually pour in the milk while stirring. Mix to form a firm but soft dropping consistency dough. If it is too dry, add a splash more milk; if too wet, it will be heavy.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared basin. Cut a sheet of parchment paper and a sheet of foil. Lay them together and make a pleat (fold) in the center to allow the pudding to expand as it rises. Place over the basin (foil side up) and tie securely with kitchen twine under the rim.
Lower the basin onto the trivet in the boiling water. The water should reach halfway up the basin sides. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and steam gently for 90 minutes. Check water level halfway through and top up with boiling water if necessary.
Ten minutes before serving, prepare the sauce. Melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbling.
Pour in the cream and vanilla extract. Whisk gently and let it bubble for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the sea salt.
Carefully remove the pudding basin from the steamer. Remove the foil and paper. Invert a deep serving plate over the basin and flip to release the pudding. Slice and serve hot with the butterscotch sauce.
Chef's Notes
- The pleat in the foil lid is crucial; the pudding will expand significantly during steaming, and without room to grow, it becomes dense.
- For a true 'Spotted Dick' appearance, ensure the currants are well-tossed in the flour mixture before adding liquid to prevent them sinking to the bottom.
- Suet is the traditional fat here because it has a high melting point, which creates small pockets of air in the sponge as it steams, resulting in a distinctively open texture that butter cannot replicate.
- If you do not have a steamer, this can be cooked in a slow cooker on 'High' for 3-4 hours with water halfway up the basin.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Keep pudding wrapped tightly; store sauce in an airtight jar.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze pudding slices individually. Sauce may separate upon thawing but can be whisked while heating.
Reheating: Microwave pudding slices for 30-60 seconds. Reheat sauce gently on stove or microwave, stirring frequently.
Troubleshooting
Pudding is heavy or tough
Cause: Over-mixing the dough or old self-raising flour
Fix: Cannot be fixed; serve with extra sauce to mask texture
Prevention: Mix gently until just combined and ensure leavening agents are fresh
Water inside the pudding basin
Cause: The foil/paper lid was not tied tightly enough
Fix: Slice off the soggy top layer before serving
Prevention: Tie the string very tightly under the rim and trim excess paper to prevent wicking
Cultural Context
This dish is a variation of the famous British 'Spotted Dick,' first attested in the mid-19th century. The 'spotted' refers to the currants, while 'dick' is widely believed to be a dialectal corruption of 'dough' or 'pudding.' It was traditionally a way to make a filling, energy-dense dessert using economical ingredients like suet and dried fruit.
