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    Home » Cakes and Desserts » Biscuits and cookies

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    Mocha Squares

    Mocha Squares on a white plate

    Quick and easy, Mocha Squares have a chocolate oat base with coffee icing. Teatime or coffee break favourite.

    Jump to Recipe
    Mocha Squares have a chocolate oat base with coffee icing.
    Mocha Squares

    This is another of my mother's recipes that I've made for years, although not so much recently - so I was pleased to re-discover it.

    All the traybakes I mention below are great for feeding crowds, e.g. if you're making something to cater for an event. They're also an easy way to provide something sweet for a party or family gathering - much less fiddly than icing individual cakes if you're in a hurry.

    Cocoa vs Drinking Chocolate

    The base of the Mocha Squares are made in a similar way to Flapjack, but with a lot of cocoa to give a good chocolate flavour. When you're making chocolate cakes, traybakes or biscuits, you need to make sure you use what the recipe calls for.

    Drinking chocolate is cocoa with added sugar and usually milk powder, so the chocolate flavour is diluted and sweetened. Fine for a drink, but no good for baking. I use Green & Black's as a good quality cocoa, but not the most expensive, and you get a good chocolate flavour.

    If I'm using a brand that doesn't seem as strong, I might add extra cocoa and correspondingly less flour. Of course, you can adjust your proportions yourself if you have a preference for more or less of a chocolate flavour.

    Helpful Tools

    • Magic liner – Cut to fit the traybake tins and roasting tins you use most. You wash it every time. Nothing sticks and it doesn’t need greasing

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    Mocha Squares have a chocolate oat base with coffee icing.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Mocha Squares

    Mocha Squares have a chocolate oat base with coffee icing.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Teatime
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: Mocha, oats, traybake
    Servings: 24 pieces
    Author: [email protected] Cooks

    Ingredients

    For the Mocha Squares:

    • 250 g butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)
    • 250 g granulated sugar
    • 250 g self-raising flour
    • 150 g rolled oats
    • 50 g cocoa powder, not drinking chocolate
    • Pinch of salt

    For the Icing:

    • 80 g butter
    • 325 g icing sugar
    • 1 tablespoon instant coffee (15ml)
    • 40 ml hot water
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    Equipment

    Swiss roll tin or shallow baking tray 25x35cm
    Magic liner or
    Three Silicone Baking Mats in various sizes
    Silicone baking mat OR
    Baking parchment

    Instructions

    Preparation:

    • Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/ gas mark 4/ 350°F
    • Line the base of the baking tin with baking parchment, a silicone baking mat or a piece of magic liner

    For the Mocha Squares:

    • Melt the butter in a large saucepan on a LOW heat
    • Add the vanilla extract
    • Stir in the remaining ingredients so that everything is well combined
      (Sugar, flour, oats, sieved cocoa, pinch of salt)
    • Press the mixture into the tin and cook for 15 minutes
    • Cool in the tin

    For the Icing:

    • Melt the butter in the microwave or on the hob
    • In a cup mix the instant coffee and hot water
    • Sift the icing sugar into a bowl
    • Add the melted butter and coffee to the icing sugar
    • Stir gently to combine, then beat well
    • Spread the icing over the cooled base
    • Leave to set, then cut into squares.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cal says

      March 20, 2022 at 6:25 pm

      Sadly, mice got into the old family recipe file, and I despaired of ever finding mum's old mocha squares recipe - but here it is! Thank you so much, you've made my day 🙂

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        March 23, 2022 at 2:11 pm

        Happy to help! It's one of my mum's favourites 🙂

        Reply
    2. Fiona says

      March 17, 2022 at 6:17 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious...I halved the amounts and uses my trusty 9"x9" tin..worked perfectly😁

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        March 18, 2022 at 12:51 pm

        Hi Fiona, Glad you like it 🙂

        Reply
    3. Chauntelle says

      July 23, 2020 at 9:26 pm

      Looking forward to trying this recipe, can I use a coffee espresso rather than instant coffee?

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        July 24, 2020 at 2:52 pm

        Hi Chauntelle, If your espresso is strong it's probably fine. I would use 3 tablespoons which is 45ml. Cheers - Susie

        Reply
        • Chauntelle says

          September 24, 2020 at 6:49 pm

          Finally got around to trying this with an espresso and everyone’s loved them! Great recipe, thanks.

          Reply
    4. Judy says

      May 10, 2020 at 10:45 am

      Hi, should this spring back like a sponge when its cooked?

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        May 10, 2020 at 1:31 pm

        Hi Judy. This is a more biscuits base so it won't spring up like a sponge. Cheers- Susie

        Reply
    5. Rachael Haran says

      April 23, 2020 at 10:27 am

      5 stars
      So glad I found this recipe!!! My local cafe used to sell this.. And I made a trip specially for this tray bake... Love it!! Sadly they stopped selling it&wouldnt divulge the recipe.. However I was having a moan years later to my husband & he found you!!! Yeah... Oh the memories... Its an easy, tasty tray bake.. That gives a great coffee kick.. Thanks for sharing 🥰

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        April 23, 2020 at 10:42 am

        Hi Rachael, That's great! My mum used to make this and I found it again when I 'borrowed' her hand-written recipe book. What a nice husband you have - I hope he likes thjis too. Cheers - Susie

        Reply
        • Julia says

          November 22, 2020 at 7:08 pm

          Simple & beautiful, tested a slither without topping & decided to serve with just cream. Delicious & a great chocolate recipe when I discovered that I hadn't got any eggs, will definitely make again 😛

          Reply
          • Susie Collings says

            November 26, 2020 at 8:04 pm

            Hi Julia, Glad you like this recipe. It's one of my mum's favourites 🙂

            Reply

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    Hi, I'm Susie. Mostly I love cooking and baking, but combining work and home life often leaves me feeling that providing healthy, tasty food for my family is a chore. On those days I am decidedly an Everyday Cook...

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