2 weeks Ago By Vita Molyneux
As you'll soon discover in this article, I'm not much of a baker. While I consider myself an excellent cook, baking involves more science than I can handle, so I usually avoid it. However, when I came across this recipe for the British classic spotted dick (go ahead and laugh), it seemed straightforward! The best part? No oven required, which is perfect since mine is unreliable at best.
All you need to do is combine all the ingredients in a bowl and steam it for an hour and a half! What could possibly go wrong? Well, after purchasing all the ingredients for this pudding and mixing them together, I realized we don't own a steamer. Thinking on my feet, I figured I could use some balls of tinfoil and a heat-safe plate to hold my dessert while it steamed. The plate would rest on the foil, keeping it above the boiling water, and the fact that spotted dick is wrapped in parchment paper meant no mess! Genius, if I may say so.
With that obstacle overcome, I started mixing. Even for a novice like me, this recipe was a breeze. It came together quickly and easily, and the citrus zest made my kitchen smell incredible.
After an hour and a half of steaming, it was time to dig in. To my surprise, it was delightful - although it's not my typical kind of dessert, it was tasty and moist with just the right amount of citrus to prevent it from being too sweet. I opted for cranberries instead of the traditional currants and was pleasantly surprised - they added a delightful tartness, and when paired with rich custard, it was simply scrumptious.
250g self-raising flour Pinch of salt 125g shredded suet 180g currant (I substituted cranberries as I couldn't find currants) 80g caster sugar Finely grated zest of 1 lemon Finely grated zest of 1 small orange 150ml whole milk plus two to three tbsp (I used oat milk as that's what I had on hand) Custard to serve (I used store-bought because I prefer convenience) Combine the flour and salt in a bowl, then add the suet, sugar, currants (or your chosen substitute) and zested citrus. Incorporate the milk and mix until you achieve a moist dough consistency. You may need to add a bit more milk if it's too dry.
Shape the mixture into a log approximately 20cm long, and loosely wrap it in baking paper. Place this roll into a steamer and steam it for 1.5 hours - remember to keep an eye on the water level to prevent it from drying out.
Once done, remove, allow to cool slightly and serve sliced with custard..
