Spotted Dick in a Mug in 5 Minutes

Ah, that wonderfully traditional British dessert whose name inspires titters among those who misinterpret the origin of its name (its name represents a spotty-faced schoolboy; the spots are the raisins).

Spotted Dick can be made the old-fashioned way, by steaming the batter for an hour or so. But, of course, the old way uses a lot of energy. So, here is an alternative preparation method that will let you enjoy lovely spotted dick pudding from scratch in only 5 minutes while also shaving dollars off this week's carbon credits budget.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons plain or all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons whisked egg
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• 1 dash vanilla essence

Preparation

• In a greased mug, thoroughly mix the flour and sugar then beat in the egg until the mixture is smooth
• Stir in the oil, milk and vanilla essence and whisk thoroughly until the batter is entirely smooth
• Stir in the raisins
• Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes (dependent on the power of your oven)

John's Notes
This recipe is so simple that I wonder why I ever made Spotted Dick the old-fashioned way. I was in a big rush this morning but I still had time to make this recipe for my breakfast! Try it for dessert with Birds Custard (thoroughly mix one teaspoon of Birds custard powder with 1 cup of coffee cream and microwave for 1 minute for the creamiest custard you ever tasted).

By the way, this recipe can go very wrong if you don't measure the ingredients carefully. Especially, do not use more egg than recommended. I tried it with a whole egg and the resulting pudding was heavy enough to use as a ship's anchor.