matilda chocolate cake

if you’ve ever craved that giant chocolate cake in matilda, this recipe is for you. moist, rich and fudgy chocolate cake layered between a silky smooth fudge frosting. have a big, fat slice of this cake with a cold glass of milk for the ultimate chocolate dessert!

why you will love this matilda chocolate fudge cake recipe

• the nostalgia!! – i don’t know about you, but ever since i watched matilda all those years ago, i’ve been dreaming about having a thick, fudgy slice of chocolate cake like the one in the movie. and this cake is exactly that.

• easy recipe – this matilda chocolate cake might look difficult to make, but it really isn’t as complicated as it seems. this is coming from someone who doesn’t bake cakes that often, and is also not great at decorating cakes. the best thing about making this matilda chocolate cake is that it really doesn’t have to be neat. great for bakers of all levels!

• impress your friends and family!! – this matilda cake looks really impressive, and is a great cake for special occasions. this would be so great as a birthday cake!

learn how to make matilda chocolate cake

to make this matilda chocolate cake recipe from scratch, we’re going to start off by whisking together the dry ingredients for our cake – flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar and dark brown sugar – in a large bowl. in another large bowl, we‘ll whisk together some eggs, oil, milk, white vinegar and vanilla extract until combined. add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk them together until you get a thick chocolate cake batter. add hot coffee and whisk that in until combined, then split the matilda chocolate cake mix into three greased and lined cake pans. bake the cakes, then remove them from the oven and let them cool completely.

for the matilda chocolate cake frosting, add granulated sugar to a pot. sift in cornstarch and cocoa powder, and whisk these together. gradually whisk in cold milk until combined. heat up the mixture until it thickens, then remove from the heat. stir through some chopped chocolate, cold butter and vanilla extract, then set the frosting aside to cool.

once the matilda cake frosting is thick and cool, spread it on top of each cake before layering them together. then, cover the sides of the cake with the icing until completely coated, and we’re done!

matilda chocolate cake ingredients

• flour – i’m using plain flour or all purpose flour in this matilda chocolate cake recipe.

• cocoa powder – i’m just using regular, unsweetened cocoa powder to give this matilda chocolate cake colour and a rich, chocolate flavour. i also use cocoa powder in the frosting.

• dark brown sugar – i like to make this decadent matilda inspired double chocolate cake with dark brown sugar for added flavour, and to keep the cake layers extra moist and fudgy.

• granulated sugar – this moist chocolate cake recipe uses a mix of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. i also use granulated sugar for the matilda cake frosting.

• vanilla extract – optional, but a small amount will add a nice, subtle vanilla flavour to the cake and the chocolate icing.

• baking powder and baking soda – using a mix of baking powder and baking soda in the cake batter helps make the cake rise.

• salt – a small amount of salt in the chocolate cake mix and in the fudge frosting will help balance out the sweetness in this matilda chocolate cake.

• eggs – this matilda cake recipe is made using three large room temperature eggs.

• oil – use any neutral tasting oil. adding oil to the cake batter will help keep the matilda chocolate cake soft and moist.

• milk – i’m using full fat whole milk in the cake batter for the matilda cake layers as well as in the fudge frosting. use room temperature milk for the chocolate cake mix, and cold milk for the frosting.

• vinegar – i like to add a bit of distilled white vinegar to the milk before adding it to the chocolate cake batter. this will help make the cake extra moist and soft.

• coffee – i like to mix boiling water and instant coffee and add it to the chocolate cake mix at the end. this will make the matilda cake extra fudgy and moist, and will also deepen the chocolate flavour in the cake.

• cornstarch – i like to use cornstarch or cornflour to make the matilda cake sauce for between the layers and for the outside of the cake. the cornstarch will help thicken up the icing without having to use heavy cream.

• chocolate -i add chopped chocolate to the fudge frosting near the end to deepen the chocolate flavour and give the frosting a bit more richness. i prefer to use dark chocolate, but if you feel that this won’t be sweet enough for you, feel free to use semi sweet chocolate or a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate. you can use chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.

• butter – add cold, unsalted butter to the fudge frosting at the end for added shine and glossiness.

tools:

• a jug or mug – we’re going to need a jug or mug to mix milk and vinegar and set it aside before adding it to the other wet ingredients.

• 2 large bowls – we’ll need 2 large bowls for the dry ingredients and wet ingredients. everything will go in one bowl at the end, so make sure that it’s large enough to hold all of the matilda chocolate cake mix.

• whisk or hand mixer – we’re going to mix the cake batter using a whisk or electric mixer. i prefer using a whisk so that i don’t over mix the batter, but this is up to you. you’ll also need a whisk for the fudge frosting to ensure that it’s smooth and lump free.

• 3 equal sized cake pans – this matilda chocolate cake is a 3 layer cake, so we’re going to split the chocolate cake batter between 3 equal sized pans. i’m using 7.5 inch cake pans for this recipe. you can also use 8 inch pans if you have those.

• parchment paper or baking paper – lining your cake pans with parchment paper will make it easier to get the cakes out once they’re done.

• wire rack – i place the cakes on a wire rack so that they can cool properly.

• sifter or sieve – i don’t usually sift the dry ingredients in the cake batter, but i do sift the dry ingredients for the frosting to ensure that it’s smooth and lump free.

• pot – we’ll be making the fudge frosting on the stove, so you’ll need a small pot for this.

• cake turntable – this isn’t necessary, but will just make things easier when adding the frosting to the cake.

• offset spatula – again, this isn’t necessary, but will make it easier to spread the frosting evenly over the cake.

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: preheat oven, and grease and line 3 cake pans with baking paper or parchment paper.

step two: in a jug or mug, add room temperature milk and some white vinegar. mix these together, then set this aside.

step three: to a large bowl, add the dry ingredients for the cake layers. add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar and salt. use a whisk to mix all of these together and break up any lumps. then, set this aside.

step four: in another large bowl, add 3 large eggs, and whisk these together. then, add the milk and vinegar mixture as well as some oil and vanilla extract. whisk this all together until combined.

step five: add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk everything together until combined, and you get a thick chocolate cake batter.

step six: add hot coffee to the chocolate cake mixture and whisk it in until combined. the chocolate cake batter will look a bit more liquid and loose at this point.

step seven: split the matilda chocolate cake batter equally between the 3 lined cake pans.

step eight: bake the cakes in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick in the centre comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.

step nine: remove them from the oven and let the cakes cool for about 15-20 minutes before removing them from the pans. then, place the cakes on a wire cooling rack, and let them cool completely.

step ten: make the frosting. sift cocoa powder and cornstarch into a pot. add a pinch of salt, and add some granulated sugar. whisk everything together until combined.

step eleven: gradually pour cold milk into the pot, whisking it in as you pour it in. continue to do this until all the milk has been added, and the mixture looks quite thick.

step twelve: heat up the mixture over low-medium heat on the stove, whisking it continuously as the mixture cooks. the mixture will look thin at first, but will then start to gently bubble and thicken up.

step thirteen: once the matilda cake sauce has visibly thickened, remove the pot from the heat. add the chopped the chocolate to the pot, and whisk it in until it melts into the hot chocolate sauce.

step fourteen: once the chocolate has completely melted into the sauce, add cold butter to the pot, and again, whisk the butter into the hot icing until it has completely dissolved in it. then, add some vanilla extract and stir that through the icing.

step fifteen: let the fudge frosting cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature, and then another 30 minutes in the fridge. once it has thickened up nicely, and is not too stiff, but not too runny, remove it from the fridge and start frosting the cooled cakes.

step sixteen: place the first cake layer on a cake turntable, then add a thick layer of the frosting on top and spread it out into a thick and even layer.

step seventeen: add the second layer on top, and repeat. then, repeat with the final layer.

step eighteen: place the stacked and frosted cake layers in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes so that they can set. once they’re ready, remove from the fridge and cover the rest of the cake with the frosting.

step nineteen: serve with a glass of cold milk, and let’s eat!

tips and notes

• use room temperature milk and eggs when mixing the cake batter – this will just help all of the ingredients incorporate together better and make things easier. if your milk is cold, just place it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds so that it can warm up slightly. add the vinegar to the milk after removing it from the microwave.

• make sure the coffee is hot when you add it to the batter, and add it in at the end. this will just ensure you get a moist, fudgy cake and a deep chocolate flavour. you really can’t taste the coffee at all, but if you’d like to avoid adding coffee to the cake, feel free to just add the same amount of hot water instead.

• be careful not to over mix the batter. whisk ingredients until just combined, especially when mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together.

• make sure you preheat the oven and grease and line your cake pans at the beginning. this will ensure that the cakes bake evenly and that they won’t take longer to bake, and it’s helpful to have everything prepared so that you can just add the batter to the cake pans immediately and bake.

• adjust baking time as needed. every oven is different, so i recommend keeping checking on your cakes for doneness near the end of the baking times. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, but with a few moist crumbs attached. it shouldn’t have wet batter on it. i ended up baking each cake for 25 minutes on the middle rack, and 5 minutes on the bottom rack.

• once your matilda chocolate cake layers are out of the oven, you need to let them cool for about 15-20 minutes before removing them from the pans as they’ll be quite soft and delicate. once they’re cool enough to remove from the pans, place them on a cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting the cake.

• use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. while i add both metric and cup measurements for this recipe, i always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients for most accurate results.

• when making the fudge frosting, make sure to sift the cocoa powder and cornstarch to ensure a smooth, lump free icing.

• make sure not to cook the frosting over too high of a heat. place the pot over low-medium heat, and whisk continuously as the mixture cooks and thickens up. be sure to remove it from the heat before adding the chocolate, butter and vanilla. the chocolate and butter will melt in the hot mixture as you mix them in off the heat.

• you want to make sure to let the frosting cool properly so that it’s thick and spreadable. if you find that it still seems runny, just let it chill in the fridge for longer.

• make sure the cakes are completely cool before you frost them, and allow the frosted cake layers to set before you start icing the outside of the cake.

• i used unsalted butter for the fudge frosting. if you decide to use salted butter, just skip any extra salt.

• i used dark chocolate for the fudge frosting. if you think that this won’t be sweet enough for you, feel free to use semi sweet chocolate or a mix of milk chocolate and dark chocolate.

recipe