Quinoa Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

Why do I do it? I buy ingredients with absolutely no recipe in mind so they stay in the back of my cupboard for months. Anyone for evaporated milk, Dulce de Leche, sugar paste - anyone ............... anyone at all?  It was the same with a packet of quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah or ke-NO-ah, but I guess you knew that already!). I didn't buy the quinoa for any particular recipe, and to be honest I didn't even know if it was a baking or a cooking ingredient (like I said before, I don't get out much!).   I just figured it would be a nice addition to my already jam packed baking cupboard.

I read in a New York Times article that quinoa could be used in baking, perfect for using my quinoa - I'd have to wait another while to get rid of my packets of red and blue of sugar paste!   Quinoa is a seed that can be used in place of rice in your diet.   It has a very high protein and iron content and is high in magnesium, phosphorous, copper and manganese.   It seems to be fast becoming the new super food and from a quick trawl of the internet, it's journey into the baking world has been relatively recent.

Quinoa seeds have oil in them so they can be substituted for part of the butter in a recipe, while the germ part of the seed replaces some or all of the flour.  For my first time baking with quinoa I wanted to bake something simple so that if it turned out horribly wrong, at least I wouldn't be wasting ingredients and time making it all. So I picked Chocolate and Peanut Butter Muffins. The cooked quinoa replaced all the flour and the butter content is very low (only a total of 60g, including the peanut butter).

Overall, I was really happy with these muffins.  I could probably have cooked the quinoa for a little longer as the overall texture of the muffin was a little bit too crunchy - I'll know next time.  Also, they didn't rise as well as flour based muffins.  But they were perfectly cooked inside and tasted exactly as you would expect Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins to taste.

If you can get your hands on these Peanut Butter Chips, then grab them all.  They really change an ordinary peanut butter muffin, biscuit, brownie etc into something amazing.  I got these in Fallon & Byrne in Dublin but you can also get them on-line

Quinoa Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins (extremely) loosely based on a Mary Berry recipe for American Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 10 muffins

Ingredients

30g butter, softened
30g crunchy peanut butter
75g caster sugar
2 large eggs
200g of cooked quinoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
150g plain chocolate, roughly chopped
50g peanut butter chips

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).  Grease and line 10 muffin holes or line with paper cases.
Beat the butter and peanut butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Using a wooden spoon, mix in the quinoa and vanilla, then add the cocoa powder and baking powder together.  Ensure that it is well incoroprated into the mixture.  Fold in the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
The mixture will be much thiner than a normal muffin mixture but persevere and it'll turn out fine!
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
These still tasted great 3 days after they were baked.

Oaty Coconut Nutella Secrets

I've always been a little smug that very little TV is watched by little people in our house.  Sometimes I'd give my right arm to sit them in front of Peppa Pig or Fireman Sam for an hour while I sit down and have a triple espresso and a can of Red Bull to kick start fading energy levels.  But in a vain attempt to be a martyr, instead I'll get them to help me bake a batch of biscuits.  What could be better for them than helping me mix all the ingredients, roll the dough into little balls, lick the bowl, then eat a biscuit as soon as they're cool from the oven - right?  I deserve a pat on the back or even a medal - hopefully the National Parents Council, or the like, will see this post!! 

It recently got me thinking that maybe I shouldn't be so smug.  Maybe sitting down to watch a little bit of TV might be better for their health (and weight) than tucking into a batch of sugary, buttery biscuits that we've just made. I think I should revisit my TV rule - I'm not giving my medal back though. In the meantime we'll just have to eat our way through these little beauties.

They are oaty, nutty biscuits that are crunchy on the outside and just a little bit chewy in the middle.  They have a dollop of Nutella on top and a spoonful of Nutella in the middle that's hidden away until you bite into them. I ran out of Nutella halfway through the process so had to use G&B's Chocolate Hazlenut Spread - delicious.  I made them first using a shortbread biscuit dough but I think they work better with the texture of the coconut and oats.

Makes about 15 cookies

Ingredients
140g (5oz) plain (AP) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g (4oz) rolled oats
50g (2oz) dessicated coconut
125g (4.5oz) butter, softened
175g (6oz) soft brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
50g (2 oz) hazlenut, roughly chopped (plus additional for decoration)
15 tsp hazelnut chocolate spread (plus additional for decoration)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).  Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
Measure out the flour, baking powder, oats and coconut and set aside.  Beat the sugar and butter together until creamy, then slowly beat in the egg and vanilla.  Beat in the flour, baking powder, coconut and oats, then fold in the hazelnuts.  Put the bowl in the fridge for about 15 mins to harden slightly.
After 15 mins, take the bowl out of the fridge and roll a tablespoon of dough into a ball and place on the parchment paper.  Use your thumb to mould out a hole in the cookie until you have what looks almost like an empty birds nest (don't make the hole all the way through the cookie).  Fill the hole with a teaspoon of hazlenut chocolate spread, then use a small piece of dough to put a lid on the cookie.  Ensure the filling is covered with the lid and use your fingers to attach the lid to the base of the cookie. 
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden at the edges.
Cool on a wire rack.  When cool, smear 1/2 teaspoon of hazlenut chocolate spread on the top of each cookie and top this with a little chopped hazlenuts.

Raspberry and White Chocolate Rugelach

I'm turning into my mother.  Actually, it's worse than originally feared.  I AM my mother.   It wasn't meant to be like this, I'm too young for this to happen to me.  How has this manifested itself? 

1. I bring a "picnic" when we go out for the day so we don't have to spend money unnecessarily - who needs fancy food when you can have homemade jam sandwiches?

2. I have absolutely no idea what is No. 1 in the pop charts.

3. When I come home from almost anywhere, I immediately take off my "good clothes" and get back into my jeans.

4. I say things like "When I was young" and "Ah, you'll have a cup of tea".

5. My kids think I look like a clown when I wear make up.

6. I don't know how, nor do I feel the urge to learn how, to download music from iTunes.

In an effort to appear less Mummsey (yes, it's a word!) and a bit more with it, I put on my Topshop jumpsuit, wedge heels, hoopla earrings and false nails (no I didn't) and decided to bake something that not only had I never baked before, but that I'd never even heard of before (yes I did). 

Rugelach is a pastry made with cream cheese then filled with a cinnamon sugar and a variety of other things which usually include jam, nuts and dried fruits.  There are a few stages to it but if you divide the stages between two days (Day 1-Make the dough, Day 2-Form the cookies and bake) it really isn't difficult.  And it's delicious - which is always a plus!

Rugelach, adapted from an Ina Garten recipe.

Ingredients

For the dough

100g (4oz) cream cheese

100g (4oz) butter, cold

150g (5oz) plain (AP) flour

For the filling

2 tbsp raspberry jam

2 tbsp demerara sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

50g (2oz) pecans, roughly chopped

50g (2oz) raisins

100g (4oz) white chocolate chips

For the glaze

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp demerara sugar

1/4 ground cinnamon

Method

For the dough

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and pulse until it all begins to come together.  Divide the mixture in two, flatten each into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For the filling

Gently heat the raspberry jam in a saucepan until it becomes runny.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in one bowl.

Combine the nuts, raisins and chocolate together in another bowl.

For the glaze

Combine the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

When you are ready to make the cookies, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Take both pieces of dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured surface roll each into a 12 inch disc.  With a pastry brush (or a spoon), divide the jam between each piece of dough and spread a thin gloss over the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the jam and lastly sprinkle the nuts, chocolate and raisin mixture over each disc.

Using a pizza wheel or a very sharp knife, divide each piece of dough evenly into 16 triangles.  Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that it becomes a little crescent.  Place each piece on the baking sheets.  There is no need to leave much space between them as they do not spread very much.

Place in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).  With a pastry brush, coat each cookie with milk, then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 20 mins until golden.  Allow to cool on a wire rack.

 

Boston Cream Cupcakes

1. Cut down on chocolate
2. Get rid of tummy weight so that I don't look 5 months pregnant
3. Shave legs more often - even when it's wintertime
4. Say "I love you" more

Why bother with New Years resolutions.  By February 1st plans of lifestyles being overhauled have been thrown by the wayside for another year as we continue to wear trousers (must shave legs) and punish ourselves for eating another slice of chocolate cake. 

The only New Years resolution I have this year is to concentrate better and not try to do 3 things at once , especially when I don't do any of those 3 things properly.  I gave this resolution a test run yesterday when I made my own custard for these Boston Cream Cupcakes.  In my world, making custard FROM SCRATCH is pretty big so I closed the kitchen door, turned the radio (and the kids) off and concentrated on what I was doing.  As it turned out, making custard wasn't difficult at all.  Why have I been avoiding it all these years? 

Two things to say about these cupcakes:
1. Don't fill the cases any more than 2/3 full with batter.  You'll be filling the baked and cooled cupcakes with custard, they will end up being quite tall so you will need to start off with buns that are not very tall;
2. Homemade custard is very pale in colour (totally different to the shop bought powdered stuff) so don't expect a huge contrast between the colour of your sponge and the colour of the custard.

I've used my own sponge recipe which makes 12 cupcakes (it's a Vanilla Birthday Cake recipe and if you double the quantities, you will have 2x23cm sponge cakes).  The custard and frosting are taken from The Hummingbird Bakery "Cake Days".

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the sponge
110g butter softened
110g granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
90g self raising flour
75g plain flour
120ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling
250ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg yolk
50g caster sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cornflour

For the frosting
200g icing sugar
50g cocoa powder
80g butter, softened
20ml milk

Method
Line a muffin tin with paper cases and preheat the oven to 180C.
In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Combine the flours and add in 4 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla, beating well after each addition.
Spoon the batter into the paper cases til they are about 2/3 full.  Bake for about 20-22 mins until the tops are golden.
Remove cupcakes from tin and allow to cool completely before icing.

While the cupcakes are cooking, make the filling.  Pour the milk and vanilla into a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Meanwhile whisk the remaining ingredients together by hand in a bowl until smooth and well combined.
Once the milk is boiling, remove from the heat and pour 4-5 tablespoons into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it, then return the mixture to the saucepan of hot milk, stirring to incorporate.
Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to the boil, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.  Boil for at least 1 minute and once thickened tip the custard into a bowl and cover with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming, then leave to cool completely.

To make the frosting, whisk all ingredients (except the milk) together on a medium speed until sandy in texture.  Gradually pour in the milk, then increase the speed and whisk til light and fluffy.
Using a sharp knife, make a hole in the centre of each cupcake, about 2cm in diametre and 3cm deep, reserving the scooped out pieces of sponge.  Spoon the custard into the hole of each cake then replace the lid, trimming it if necessary.
Divide the chocolate frosting between each cupcake and smooth the tops with a palette knife.

   

 

 

Cranberry, Rum and White Chocolate Cookies

1. Christmas Presents - Check

2. Enough bottles of wine to last us 'til Easter - Check

3. Turkey and Ham for the Big Day - Check

4. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire - Check

5. Jack Frost nipping at my nose - Check

5. Christmas Baking - ...............................

All you bloggers have been busy little elves over the past few weeks putting the rest of us to shame with your Gingerbread Houses, Christmas Fruit Cakes, Christmas Pudding, Yule Logs.  I've looked at them all and if the truth be told, I may have salivated over some of them.  But I haven't baked anything with a Christmas theme - Christmas baking doesn't go down so well in our house so I would be the one scoffing the lot.   Granted, I would do it gladly but my rotund middle wouldn't thank me for it!

To keep everyone happy, Christmas baking this year will be a Baileys Cheesecake, Tiramisu (can that even be classed as baking?), Nigella's Puddini (Christmas pudding and melted chocolate rolled into truffle sized balls) and these Choc Chip cookies.  After that, I feel no guilt in saying that I'm putting my feet up and digging into the tin of Roses.

To make these cookies a little bit special, I've soaked the fruit in a few tablespoons of rum but I've drained most of it out so don't worry about getting an alcohol kick - the taste is extremely subtle as I drain off most of the alcohol.  If you'd prefer, just leave out the rum altogether and I guarantee you these cookies will still taste amazing.

Adapted from Nigella Lawsons "Feast"

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients
2 tablespoons dark rum
75g dried cranberries
140g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
75g rolled oats
125g butter, softened
175g soft brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
50g pecans, roughly chopped
140g white chocolate chips

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the cranberries in a small bowl and add the rum.  Set aside for at least an hour, stirring every now and again so that a little bit of rum hits each cranberry.
Combine the flour, baking powder and oats and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat again.  Beat in the flour mixture then fold in the chocolate chips and the pecans.
Drain the rum from the cranberries and fold them into the mixture.
With the dough in the mixing bowl, leave it in the fridge to set for 10-15 mins.
Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls with your hands and place them on a lined baking sheet.  Then squish the dough balls down with a fork.
Bake for 15 mins after which they should be golden at the edges.  Allow to cool slightly on the baking tray for 5 mins before they cool fully on a wire rack.

Virtually Fat Free Malted Chocolate Cake with "Forget The Diet" Icing

Dear Santa,

Thanks so much for the present you brought me last year – the baby that I asked for “magically” arrived in Oct.  So well done on sorting out that one for me.

This year I would love some time please.  Yep, that’s it, plain and simple, no wrapping paper required, just some more time added to each day.  Time to get back into running again.  Time to bake what I want to bake as opposed to something that can be quickly bunged in the oven with a sigh and a “sure, it’ll do”.  Time to spend with my wonderful husband doing things other than taking care of “business”, i.e. the rearing of 3 kids that sees a lot of our conversations interspersed with phrases such as “keeping the show on the road”, “heads above water”, “God, I need sleep” (me), “you can’t leave me with the 3 of them” (him).

So anyway big guy, do your best, I’m counting on you.  I’ve made this cake just for you cos I know you’ll come up trumps again this year (no pressure!).

Love

Claire

This cake is adapted from a Nigella recipe.  The malted chocolate powder gives it a lovely taste that's not as rich as your average chocolate cake, so perfect for a kids party. 

Virtually Fat Free Chocolate Cake with "Forget The Diet" Icing

Ingredients

For the cake

150g soft brown sugar

100g granulated sugar

3 large eggs

175ml milk

1 tbsp butter softened

2 tbsp malt chocolate powder (I used Milo, but Nigella uses Horlicks)

175g plain flour

25g cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing

250g icing sugar

1 tsp cocoa

45g malt chocolate drink (again, Milo or Horlicks)

125g butter softened

2 tbsp boiling water

1 x Flake bar or 1 pack of Maltesers or whatever you want to use to decorate the cake

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C.  Butter and line two 20cm loose bottomed cake tins with baking parchment.

Whisk together the sugars and eggs until light and frothy.  Heat the milk, butter and chocolate powder in a saucepan until the butter melts and it is hot but not boiling.

Beat the hot chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar mixture, then fold in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake in the oven for 25 mins or until they spring back when pressed gently.

Allow to cool in the tins slightly before cooling completely on a wire rack.

To make the icing, in a food processor blitz together the icing sugar, cocoa and Milo / Horlicks to remove all lumps.  Add the butter and process again.  With the motor running, add the boiling water down the funnel and process until you have a smooth buttercream.

Sandwich the cold sponges with half the buttercream, then ice the top with what is left.  Stud the edges with pieces of Flake / Maltesers.

Chocolate Brownies

A few weeks ago, Aldi had an offer on running clothes.  It was a week before I gave birth so I was in severe discomfort, only able to hobble, not even able to walk properly.  Between parking the car at Aldi and walking through the car park into the shop, I developed a mild sweat on my upper lip!  What I’m saying is that for the last few weeks of my pregnancy, the simplest tasks became mountainous chores.  Obviously as I couldn’t walk properly so I must’ve looked ridiculous rummaging through the lycra pants and jackets to find a “Small” size that would’ve fitted me in a former life.  Did I imagine it or did I actually hear sniggers from other shoppers as they wondered why this poor woman was fooling herself into believing that she’d ever fit into anything Small again. 

Anyway, I’m highly determined when I want to be and I’ll get there – eventually.  So, sniggers or no sniggers, I bought loads of cut price running gear and I’ve put it all at the very front of my wardrobe.  It will serve as a gentle reminder that although I have a jelly belly just now (it’s only been 2 weeks since I gave birth, cut me a bit of slack!), I’ll get fit again soon and I’ll be able to indulge in my other huge love which is running.  Soon I’ll be able to wear nice non-tent-like clothes again.

In the meantime, before I start my get fit / lose weight / start to look semi normal again regime, I intend to have one too many of these gooey, fudgy brownies, just to get them out of my system.  Definitely not the fuel of the “my body is a temple” brigade.

This recipe is one from the Avoca cookbook.  I’m not sure if it’s Book 1 or Book 2 because it’s a handwritten recipe. 

Makes 8-12 squares

Ingredients

225g unsalted butter

225g dark chocolate (minimum 55% cocoa)

4 eggs

225g dark brown sugar

110g plain flour

80g nuts (I used pecans and walnuts)

Icing sugar to dust

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Melt the butter and chocolate in an ovenproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. 

Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick.  This will take about 10 minutes in a free standing mixer.

Stir in the chocolate and butter mixture.  Fold in the nuts and flour.  Pour into a greased and lined cake tin (30cmx20cmx5cm) and bake for 30-35mins.  Remove from the oven, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to cool.  Cut into squares and dust with icing sugar.

Can't Buy Me Love

Fork Biscuits and Coconut Ice

A perk of this gig is that you get to taste everything you bake, to make sure the fruits of your labour are worthy of putting in print.  Speaking of labour, tasting lots of baked goods does nothing for a lady who’s 8 ½ months pregnant and hasn’t known in months what part of the weight is “baby” and what part is “far too many cakes and buns”.

Part of the fun of baking is actually feeding people, especially when I’m feeding those who look forward to tasting some of my cakes and telling me how amazing they are!  Went to visit my nephews and nieces yesterday so I decided to make some “Fork Biscuits” and some “Coconut Ice” for them as a pathetic attempt to buy their love (my head is lowered in shame even thinking about it!).  They all went down a treat and I left with a smile on my face from ear to ear.  It’s the little things in life that give me pleasure.

My aunt has been making Fork Biscuits for years and years and typical of old recipes that have been passed on, they are as unfancy as you could possibly come across but they are also the most crumbly, slightly chewy, delicious biscuits you’ll taste.  She has always flavoured them with the zest of an orange, but cinnamon, ginger or chocolate chips can be delicious additions.   The ones in the picture are flavoured with orange and white / dark chocolate chips because that’s all I had in the house when I went to make them.  The recipe says to bake them for 15 minutes, but you’ll need to watch them like a hawk from 10 minutes as they very quickly go from underdone to overdone.  They never get a golden brown colour but they’re done when you see a little bit of colour at the edge of the biscuit.

I found a handwritten recipe for Coconut Ice in one of my Mam’s cookbooks.  Again, this recipe is at least 25 years old and I have no idea where it comes from.  Coconut Ice is basically a homemade Bounty bar.  What I love about it is that (a)if you close your eyes you could actually be eating a Bounty bar and (b) because the recipe is so old, it just sticks to the essentials, 3 ingredients and 4 or 5 lines explaining the method.  Simple, no fancy ingredients, no complicated technique and it works.  Delicious!  I haven’t changed any part of the recipe from my Mam so you can see what I mean.

These are both perfect for kiddies birthday parties but they’re too good to be reserved for kids only.  I firmly believe that either of these recipes wouldn’t be out of place if they were wheeled out with a cup of coffee after a dinner party for friends.   

Fork Biscuits.

Ingredients

110g (4oz) soft butter

55g (2 oz) caster sugar

150g (5 oz) self raising flour

Grated zest of 1 small lemon or 1 small orange

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4.  Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

Cream the butter, add the sugar, flour and grated zest and mix until it all comes together.

The dough can be used right away, frozen or kept in the fridge for up to a week until you need to use it.

Form into small balls, the size of a walnut.  Place on a baking tray and flatten slightly with a fork dipped in cold water.  Allow plenty of room for expansion.

Bake for 15 mins.  Allow to cool slightly for 5 mins on the baking trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Makes about 20 biscuits.

Coconut Ice

Ingredients

500g packet of icing sugar

397g tin of sweetened condensed milk

250g packet of desiccated coconut

100g bar of milk / dark chocolate, melted

Method

Mix the icing sugar and condensed milk until smooth.

Add the coconut (reserving 1 tablespoon as a topping) and mix well.

Form into small balls with your hands and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Leave in the fridge to set for about an hour.

Dip each chilled ball in the melted chocolate and top with a little of the reserved coconut.

Makes about 50 walnut sized balls.

An Australian Classic

Lamingtons

I was flicking through a baking book I picked up from the library and saw this recipe for Lamingtons, which took me straight back to 10 years ago (oh God, has it really been that long?) when I did my tour of duty of Australia.  I spent the most amazing carefree year there and although I wouldn’t go as far as to say I found myself in Australia (I mean, does anybody actually say that?!) but it definitely made me more independent, confident and ready to take the odd risk or two.  You gotta hand it to the Aussies for just living each day.

What does that have to do with Lamingtons, I hear you say?  You’re quite right, it has nothing to do with them.  Anyway, library book..........Lamingtons...........Australia.   Lamingtons are sponge cake squares covered in a chocolate icing and dipped in desiccated coconut.  They’re almost as much an Australian stereotype as vegemite or Bondi Beach.  I haven’t made them in years and forgot how good they taste.

Lamingtons - from “Good Housekeeping Easy to Bake Cakes and Bakes”

Ingredients (for the sponge)

125g (4oz) butter, softened

125g golden caster sugar

2 medium eggs

125g (4oz) self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients (for the topping)

200g (7oz) icing sugar

50g (2oz) cocoa powder

25g (1oz) unsalted butter

5 tbsp milk

200g (7oz) desiccated coconut

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C (Gas Mark 4).  Grease and line a 15cm cake tin.

Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until creamy. 

Turn the mixture onto the prepared tin and level the surface.  Bake for about 30 mins until just firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Wrap and store, preferably overnight so that the cake is easier to slice.

To make the topping, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl.  Put the butter and milk into a small saucepan and heat until the butter has melted.  Pour over the icing sugar / cocoa and stir until smooth, adding 2-3 tbsp water so that the icing coats the back of a spoon.

Scatter the coconut onto a plate.  Cut the cake into 16 squares.  Pierce each square of cake through the top and dip into the icing until all sides are just coated, then roll in the coconut and transfer to a plate.

Leave to set for a couple of hours before serving.