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Matilda Chocolate Cake gets its name from the classic 1996 movie, “Matilda.” Its moist chocolate cake layers are covered in a smooth, glossy frosting making it a decadent dessert perfect for any celebration!
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If there’s an iconic chocolate cake, the one from “Matilda” would have to be it! There’s a scene (and trust me, I remember it clearly as this is one of my favorite movies!!) where Bruce Bogtrotter eats an ENTIRE cake in front of the student body.
But not just any kind of chocolate cake. It’s gotta have dense, moist, chocolate-y cake layers with swirls of glossy chocolate frosting to really replicate that chocolate cake scene!
After some trial and error, I can honestly tell you that this is THE BEST chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. Yeah, that’s a big statement…and I mean it 1000%. It starts with my Homemade Chocolate Layer Cake base, which has been my go-to dark chocolate cake for years. But what makes this delicious recipe extra special is that fudgy, glossy frosting! Mmmmm!!
Ingredients Needed (Amounts in Recipe Card Below)
- All-Purpose Flour
- Sugar
- Cocoa Powder – Unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not dutch cocoa powder)
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Vegetable Oil
- Buttermilk – Store-bought or make your own buttermilk; for best results, bring the buttermilk to room temperature before mixing.
- Large Eggs – For best results, bring these to room temperature before mixing.
- Vanilla Extract
- Hot Coffee or Boiling Water
- Salted Butter
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Heavy Cream
- Sour Cream – Use full-fat sour cream rather than low-fat or “light”
Why do you add coffee to the cake batter?
When you add a hot liquid to cocoa powder, it helps it “bloom,” meaning it enhances the flavor of the chocolate. You can “bloom” the chocolate with any hot liquid (milk, water, coffee, etc). However, I always choose coffee for my chocolate cake.
Why do I use coffee? Because coffee actually brings out even more chocolate flavor. Are you concerned you’ll taste the coffee? You won’t! I know it seems odd, but really it just helps deepen the flavor of the chocolate!
What pan size should I use?
You’ll see that this Matilda Chocolate Cake recipe calls for two 9” round cake pans. However, there are a couple other options, too, in case you don’t have the 9” round pans:
- 9×13” pan + 6 cupcakes
- Three 8×8” round cake pans (baking time will be several minutes less)
- Two square 9×9” pans
How to make Matilda Cake
You’ll start by making a homemade chocolate cake. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) and the wet ingredients (all but the coffee) in a separate bowl. Add the wet to the dry and stir until mixed. Add the coffee in a slow steady stream and mix until combined.
Pour the cake batter into the parchment-lined pans and bake. Take a look at the cakes after about 30-35 minutes. If it needs more time, continue to bake. Let them cool on wire racks for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack.
When the cakes are cooled, make the frosting. The frosting is really the shining star in this fudgy chocolate cake!! Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the chocolate chips, stirring until melted.
Add the sugar, cocoa and salt. It’ll be grainy at this point but don’t worry, it’ll smooth out soon! Add the heavy whipping cream and sour cream and cook on low until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool completely to thicken before frosting the cake.
How do you store the chocolate cake?
Matilda Chocolate Cake is really best at room temperature. Therefore, if I’ll be eating the cake soon after completing it (within a few hours), I’ll just leave it at room temperature.
If it’s much longer than that, I’ll carefully cover with plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Then, remove it from the fridge about an hour before serving so it comes to room temperature.
Can I freeze leftover cake?
Absolutely! I freeze leftover cake all the time. I typically cut my cake into slices and lay them in an airtight container with sheets of waxed paper in between. Then, when I want a piece of chocolate cake, I can easily just grab one and thaw it out!
Other Delicious Chocolate Dessert Recipes
Fellow chocolate lovers, you know I’ve got some recipes that’ll be right up your alley! Here are a feppw of the most chocolate-y and decadent!
Chocolate Cobbler – It’s like a chocolate lava cake, but wayyyy easier and just as delicious!
Chewy Homemade Brownies – These homemade brownies are dense, chewy, chock-full of chocolate and have a beautiful shine on top!
Hot Chocolate Poke Cake – This poke cake has all the elements of a delicious hot cocoa!
Cheesecake Brownies – Turn a box brownie mix into rich, fudgy brownies with a swirl of cream cheese filling!
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Follow us on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook so you never miss a recipe!! And as always, thank you for following along with my blog, making my recipes, liking and sharing on social media and any other way you support Dance Around the Kitchen! -Kelsey
Matilda Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Layers
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup hot coffee
Glossy Chocolate Frosting
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Cake Layers
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease two 9" round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda to your mixing bowl (I use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment). Stir until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined, add in the coffee slowly so you don't cook the eggs.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir slowly until combined. Then mix on high for two minutes, scraping the sides halfway through.
- Distribute the batter between the two prepared pans.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (A few moist crumbs sticking to the toothpick is fine, but you don't want it gooey).
- Cool for a few minutes. Run a butter knife around the outside of each pan, and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
Glossy Chocolate Frosting
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted.
- Add the sugar, cocoa and salt and whisk together. (It will be a little bit grainy at this point, which is fine).
- Whisk in the cream and sour cream. Continue to cook on low heat until hot and smooth, but do not let it boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Let the frosting cool in the fridge (it'll thicken) until it's at the right consistency.*
- Stir the frosting until smooth and frost the cake.
Hello Kelsey. I have made this cake three times. The flavor is amazing but every time I make the cake the icing comes out runny no matter how long I let it sit even refrigerating it. My question is, is the sugar measurement supposed to be powdered sugar?
Hello! I’m so glad you like it! It needs to be granulated sugar. If you want it to be a little more thick, try reducing the heavy cream to 2/3 cup and see how it goes! ~Kelsey
Definitely THE BEST chocolate cake ever! I made it for a friend last year & she requested it again this year. I decided to double the batch in hopes of increasing the “wow” factor. I’m a little nervous about cooking a double batch of frosting in one pan – have you had success with that?
Thank you
SO happy to hear that, Heather!!! I love that she requested the same cake this year – as long as the pan is big enough to hold it all, it should work great! ~Kelsey
My fiance requested I make her the Matilda chocolate cake as its been a childhood dream of hers to try it. This was my first time ever baking a cake ever so I followed the steps to a tee and it turned out amazing! Rave reviews from my fiance and her family.
Is this frosting pipable?
It’s really not. It’s not a runny frosting, but I don’t think it would be good for piping. ~Kelsey