I rarely use a recipe that relies on cocoa, because you’ll never achieve that rich chocolate flavour that comes from melting down a block of Cadbury’s. But this recipe gets a thumbs-up in the flavour department, in spite of the lack of real chocolate. It’s an old recipe, and brings back memories of childhood and school fetes.
Most of us have a crusty old packet of coconut at the back of the larder and it is, I assure you, a most deserving use of an egg (which can be difficult to come by at the moment). I’m posting this because we’re all stuck at home, our cupboards are a bit bare, it doesn’t require fancy equipment and it’s easy enough for kids to make (which is also code for “adults who never learned how to cook”).
Chocolate Coconut Slice Recipe
For the base
150g butter melted & cooled
200g (1 cup) brown sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
60g (1/2 cup) plain flour
45g (1/3 cup) self-raising flour
30g (1/4 cup) cocoa powder
40 g (1/2 cup) desiccated coconut
For the icing
200g (1 1/2 cups) icing sugar
30g (1/4 cup) cocoa powder
20 g butter finely chopped
2 tbs boiling water (add extra water if needed)
2 tbs extra desiccated coconut for sprinkling
Oven at 160C
Method
Place butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl, stir until combined.
Mix flour,cocoa and coconut in a bowl and then add to wet ingredients, stir until combined.
Spread mixture evenly into a lined 20x20cm square tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just firm.
To make the icing, mix icing sugar and cocoa in a bowl. Add butter and boiling water and stir. Spread warm slice with icing and sprinkle remaining coconut over slice.