This recipe used to belong to June who was well known in the family for her baking. It’s also an old New Zealand favourite.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 oz/110gm butter
• 1 dessertspoon sifted cocoa
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup coconut

Method:

Beat the sugar and butter to a cream. Combine all the remaining dry ingredients and add to the butter/sugar mix. Press into a shallow 8 1/2 in/75 cm tin and bake at 180 C/350 F for 20 minutes (if you are using a fan-forced oven  then you will need to lower the temperature by up to 10 degrees centigrade and/or adjust the time). Ice and then cut into slices while still warm in the tin. When cool store in an air-tight container.

Icing:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1 dessertspoon cocoa
• 1 tablespoon butter
• hot water to mix

Mix icing in to a smooth paste.