grown up chocolate rough

Edit: 2026 see recipe update below

Outside it was hailing. The steep green hills were shrouded in precipitation and it felt like the school holidays from my childhood all over again. Marooned in the suburbs all I could do was go with the flow and revert to what I used to do when school was out in winter.

Either bake or have a tantrum.

I chose chocolate rough.

My mother, the baker’s daughter, always had homemade biscuits or slices in the tins for a snack after school. Chocolate rough, a thin biscuit base with a slab of chocolate and coconut icing, was a family favourite. I doubt that I’ve eaten it since I left home.

Other than having a stab at converting the recipe to metric without the aid of the internet or other references (I ended up mistakenly cooking it at 150 c, it took twice as long but worked just fine) compared to the original recipe I’ve reduced the sugar and added more cocoa, as well as concocting a wickedly adult icing. Not being a fan of the over-sweet, I went for 85% chocolate for the icing. Though initially worried it would be too bitter, the combination balanced out perfectly. For this version a thinner layer of icing is better. It made a richer, more grown up slice than the original recipe. For children, or for those who are not a fan of dark chocolate, make the icing as directed in the original recipe (see photos below).

Update: This could be easily veganised - I reckon replacing the butter with (semi solid) coconut oil would be fantastic. The chocolate I use is already vegan and it's a lovely egg-free recipe. Likewise for the wheat-free/gluten-free folk, the flour is used to bind rather than for a fluffy texture and is easily replacable.



Shirley’s chocolate rough
(A note on quantities: This yielded 2/3 of a small baking tin. I’d recommend you double the quantities if you wish to use a Swiss roll or medium sized tin)

Original rejig (see below for update)

115 gm butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tab cocoa
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup coconut (shredded)


Heat the oven ti 175C.

Cream butter and sugar, then mix in the remaining ingredients with a wooden spoon. The mixture will be a little on the dry side but don’t worry. Press into a greased tin, until even. It only needs to be about 2 cm deep.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Allow the biscuit base to cool a little in the tin til it is firm to touch but still warm.


Icing

100 gm chocolate (70-85% cocoa solids)
20 gm butter
1cup coconut

Melt chocolate carefully in a double boiler, then stir through butter and coconut. Remember to ice while the base and the icing are still warm.

2026 edit - to hopefully fill the whole pan next time

So I got the urge to make this again but despite reading the note about increasing the recipe, I mistakenly believed that the tin I was going to use was smaller than the one form home. 

On the upside I remembered to adjust the temperature for fan forced oven, dropping the heat to 155-160c and 10 minutes was perfect.

The topping though wasn't quite enough, nor when it cooled looked as glossy when set. 1 cup of coconut seemed a tad too much compared to the amount of chocolate

I've crunched the quantities and adjusted recipe with a few tweaks for next time.

155 gm butter
125 gm sugar (I used rapadura)
1,5 tab cocoa
155 gm flour
1 1/3 tsp baking powder
1  cup ( coconut (shredded)

Heat the oven to 175 C/155C fan forced.

Cream butter and sugar, then mix in the remaining ingredients with a wooden spoon. The mixture will be a little on the dry side (actually quite crumbly but don't underestimate the work of the butter)  but don’t worry. Press into a greased tin, until even. It only needs to be about 2 cm deep.

Bake at 175 C f(or 155c fan forced) for 10 minutes.

Allow the biscuit base to cool a little in the tin til it is firm to touch but still warm. It really does miraculously start to firm up even though still feels warm!


Icing

180 gm chocolate (70-85% cocoa solids)
25 gm butter
1 1/4 cup shredded coconut 

Melt chocolate carefully in a double boiler in a bowl in the residual heat in the oven (once base finished cooking and heat turned off) hen stir through butter and coconut. Remember to ice while the base and the icing are still warm.

Shirley's original recipe