Quick and easy, Mocha Squares have a chocolate oat base with coffee icing. Teatime or coffee break favourite.
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
If you like this...
...Why don’t you try:
Chocolate Mint Crispies
Millionaires Shortbread
Polish Cake
Flapjack
Mocha Squares
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
Equipment
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.
Chauntelle says
Looking forward to trying this recipe, can I use a coffee espresso rather than instant coffee?
Susie Collings says
Hi Chauntelle, If your espresso is strong it's probably fine. I would use 3 tablespoons which is 45ml. Cheers - Susie
Chauntelle says
Finally got around to trying this with an espresso and everyone’s loved them! Great recipe, thanks.
Judy says
Hi, should this spring back like a sponge when its cooked?
Susie Collings says
Hi Judy. This is a more biscuits base so it won't spring up like a sponge. Cheers- Susie
Rachael Haran says
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 🥰
Susie Collings says
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
Julia says
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 😛
Susie Collings says
Hi Julia, Glad you like this recipe. It's one of my mum's favourites 🙂