Matilda Inspired Chocolate Cake
As a child, “Matilda” was my absolute favorite movie. I’d wait with anticipation for it to appear on ABC Family, captivated by Matilda’s intelligence and Mrs. Trunchbull’s antics. But most of all, I was enchanted by chocolate cake! I guess you could say I was looking for desserts even at 10 years old! Inspired by those childhood memories, here’s a recipe that promises to bring a bit of Matilda’s magic into your kitchen!
Note: For those beginner bakers – if you do not want to make the cake from scratch, don’t! I promise if you use a box cake, it will be just as delicious. The key to this recipe is in the chocolate ganache frosting. Boxed cakes are a great alternative and with a great filling – is just as great as any homemade cake!
I used 2, 8 inch cake tins with my chocolate cake recipe. If you are using a boxed cake, I suggest using 2 boxes of cake per 1, 8 inch wide x 3 inch tall cake pans. For the chocolate, I used Trader Joe’s Belgium chocolate because that’s what was available. ANY chocolate / chocolate chips will work and taste great!
If you do not feel comfortable making a fully stacked cake yet, try turning this into a sheet cake and spreading the frosting on top OR into cupcakes! This frosting can be piped.
Ratios with ganache: Making a ganache can be kind of tricky at first, but all you truly need is the right ratio! I know, you want to bake a cake – not do any math!
I use a ratio of 3:1 (3 parts chocolate : 1 part cream). For this recipe, I used 1500 grams of chocolate and 500 grams of heated cream. If you do not have a kitchen scale, I HIGHLY recommend getting one because measurements need to exact with baking. If you are using cups – change to 8 cups of chocolate and ~2 2/3 cups of cream.
as always, feel free to reach out to @dolcebakes_ on Instagram for any questions!
Matilda Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Recipe
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup coffee instant or brewed
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- 1500 grams milk chocolate 8 cups
- 500 mls heavy cream (heated) 2 2/3 cups
Assembly
- 1 cup chocolate milk
Instructions
Notes & Prep
- **If you do not want to bake a cake from scratch, YOU DON'T NEED TO! Use the box cake and it'll still be amazing.
- Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C) and place you rack in the center of the oven.
- I used 2, 8 inch pans to get 4 layers. You can use a 9 inch pan, but your layers will be thinner.
- Spray your pan with non sticking cooking spray or butter and flour!
Chocolate Cake
- In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a different large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coffee, milk, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk, until combined.
- Pour the batter into your pans (it will be very watery) and bake for about 35 minutes.
- Poke a toothpick into the center, if it comes out clean your cake is done. If it doesn't, add another 5-10 minutes to the bake time.
- Once your cakes are done, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate until they are completely cool!
Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- Break up 1500 grams of chocolate, while you heat up 500 grams of heavy cream.
- Pour the heated heavy cream over the chocolate and allow for the chocolate to melt.
- Add a plate on top of your bowl and wait about 5 minutes until the chocolate is softened.
- Whisk together until smooth. If you have clumps of chocolate, microwave for 30 seconds to smooth out.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it is firm.
- Once firm, use a hand mixer or kitchen aid to whip until the color gets lighter and the ganache is fluffy.
- If you are not using the ganache right away, you will need to re-whip it in between refrigerating it because it will set hard.
Assembly
- To assemble, cut your cake layers in half.
- Between each layer, pour chocolate milk to keep them moist.
- Add the whipped ganache and repeat with the rest of your layers.
- Create a crumb coat on the outside of your cake to pull in any crumbs and to keep the final coat clean.
- Refrigerate for 15-30 min.
- Add the final layer of whipped ganache and enjoy!
- ***Ganache sets HARD, so make you allow for it to come to room temp before serving. I take mine out about an hour before we plan to serve.
tried this at home and was a 10/10