This Matilda's chocolate cake is made with moist one bowl chocolate cake layers that are topped and filled with the most luscious and glossy chocolate fudge frosting that is swirled onto the cake beautifully.
This Matilda chocolate cake is inspired by the movie "Matilda" from 1996.
It is a moist chocolate cake that is smothered with glossy fudge frosting that is made not in a traditional way and is perfect for those who don't like the grainy feel of classic buttercream.
The recipe for the chocolate cake layers is adapted from my triple chocolate cake recipe.
For more chocolate cakes, check out my best one bowl chocolate cake, chocolate sour cream pound cake, small chocolate cake, dark chocolate sheet cake, Ferrero rocher cake, and fudgy flourless chocolate cake.
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Why this recipe works
- Flavor- this cake is filled with chocolate flavor from the chocolate fudge frosting to the chocolate cake layers.
- Texture- the texture of this cake is incredibly soft, tender, and moist. You will fall in love with this!
- Ease- this cake is extra easy to make and is made with simple ingredients. It is made in one bowl and with a whisk.
- Fudge frosting- this cake is smothered with the most luxurious and silky smooth fudge frosting.
- Perfect for any occasion- this chocolate cake is perfect for birthdays, parties, holidays, events, or any other occasion!
How to make even cake layers
Our biggest tip to make even cake layers is to use a scale and cake strips. Weigh the chocolate cake batter and divide it into two even pans. Then use cake strips to make sure your cake layers bake evenly and don’t develop a dome on top.
Cake strips give you an evenly baked cake with a flat top.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this moist chocolate layer cake recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Dutch cocoa powder– we like to use Dutch-process cocoa powder for our chocolate cake because we like the deep and rich chocolate taste, but the natural cocoa powder will work great as well!
Baking powder and baking soda – to help the cake rise.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Eggs- To give the cake a good structure. Make sure you’re using room-temperature eggs.
Buttermilk- gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Hot coffee- make a strong hot coffee, you can use espresso or instant coffee, both will work.
Vanilla extract- Vanilla extract Is an essential ingredient for chocolate cake.
Salt- We used kosher salt for this recipe. Salt doesn’t give the cake a salty taste, it helps to enhance the chocolate flavor.
For the chocolate frosting
Chocolate- use the best quality semisweet or dark chocolate bars for the best flavor. using the best quality dark chocolate is very important in this Matilda's chocolate cake recipe.
Butter- we used unsalted butter for the frosting but you can use salted butter and skip the salt.
Heavy cream- use full-fat heavy cream for this recipe. This cant is substituted.
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep two 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the flour, granulated sugar, kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda, sift the cocoa powder, and mix with a whisk.
Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs, and mix until almost combined.
Add the hot coffee and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. The batter should be pretty runny and smooth.
Divide the mixture into two 8-inch baking pans, we suggest using cake strips for even baking. (weight the batter for better results) and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (You can also use a 9 inch cake pan)
Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the frosting won't melt off the cake.
Start making the chocolate fudge frosting. Into a saucepan, add the butter, heavy cream, and dark chocolate, and sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, and kosher salt.
Heat all the ingredients over medium-high heat mixing constantly until the mixture is smooth and melted.
Strain the mixture into a large bowl or baking pan to speed up the cooling process.
Cover the top with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent skin from forming.
Let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then transfer it to the fridge to cool for another 1-2 hours. (depending on the thickness you are looking for)
Remove the frosting from the fridge and assemble the chilled cake.
Pipe a small dollop of the frosting on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
Top the first cake layer with about â…“ of the frosting and spread an even layer using a spatula.
Top it with the second cake layer. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting and make a wave pattern using an offset spatula. If it seems like it's too much frosting, feel free to remove some and save it for your next chocolaty bake.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip the coffee in the cake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Use cake strips! Cake strips give you even and perfectly baked cake layers. Click here for the Amazon link.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be firmer and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
Faq's
The chocolate cake from Matilda is made of rich and moist chocolate cake layers and frosted with chocolate fudge frosting that is glossy and rich in chocolate flavor.
Yes. You can use 8 or 9-inch cake pans. Take into consideration that the cake layers will be thinner and you will need to bake it for less time.
No! you can’t taste the coffee. Adding the coffee simply enhances the chocolate flavor. So, don’t skip the coffee on the cake!
Storing
This cake will last up to 4 in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out. This cake tastes amazing for 4 days!
Freezing
Freeze this cake after it cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months, some people find the cake tastes better after freezing it.
My tip is not to freeze it decorated or covered with frosting, because it can ruin the decorating of the cake, I suggest freezing the cake and decorating it when you defrost it.
If you’re not looking to impress anyone with your decorating skills, it’s absolutely okay to freeze the cake with the frosting on. You can freeze the whole cake or slice it into slices and then freeze it.
Make it ahead of time
You can make this cake ahead by freezing the cake layers ahead of time. Wrap each cake layer with a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the fridge overnight.
When you are ready to frost and assemble the cake, make the frosting, and assemble the cake as written in the instructions!
Substitutions
Dairy-free- to make this cake dairy-free, replace the buttermilk with almond milk and replace the butter in the frosting with vegan butter. Also, replace the heavy cream with coconut cream.
Egg-free- to make this cake egg-free, replace the eggs with â…” cup of applesauce.
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Zest- lots of people like the orange and chocolate combinations. If you do, add 1 tablespoon of orange zest to this cake to add a zesty orange flavor.
Frosting- Use your favorite chocolate frosting like dark chocolate frosting, chocolate whipped cream frosting, stabilized chocolate whipped cream frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting, etc.
More chocolate desserts
Chocolate poke cake- This chocolate poke cake is made with a moist one-bowl chocolate cake, and chocolate pudding filling, and topped with chocolate whipped cream!
Chocolate fudge cake- This chocolate fudge cake is the most amazing chocolaty, rich, moist, and tender, and is the perfect dessert to satisfy your chocolate cravings!
Chocolate rice Krispie treats- These chocolate rice krispie treats are loaded with chocolate flavor and are gooey, and chewy, take 20 minutes to prep, and are always a crowd-pleaser!
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📖 Recipe
Best Matilda's Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 1 ¾ cups Granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Cocoa powder
- â…” cup Vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 Eggs
- â…” cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Coffee hot
Chocolate fudge frosting
- 315 g Butter unsalted
- 400 g Dark chocolate about 60%-70%
- â…“ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 â…“ cups Heavy cream
- 1 â…“ cups Powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep two 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the flour, granulated sugar, kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda, sift the cocoa powder, and mix with a whisk.
- Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs, and mix until almost combined.
- Add the hot coffee and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. The batter should be pretty runny and smooth.
- Divide the mixture into two 8-inch baking pans, we suggest using cake strips for even baking. (weight the batter for better results) and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (You can also use a 9 inch cake pan)
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the frosting won't melt off the cake.
- Start making the chocolate fudge frosting. Into a saucepan, add the butter, heavy cream, and dark chocolate, and sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, and kosher salt.
- Heat all the ingredients over medium-high heat mixing constantly until the mixture is smooth and melted.
- Strain the mixture into a large bowl or baking pan to speed up the cooling process.
- Cover the top with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent skin from forming.
- Let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then transfer it to the fridge to cool for another 1-2 hours. (depending on the thickness you are looking for)
- Remove the frosting from the fridge and assemble the chilled cake.
- Pipe a small dollop of the frosting on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
- Top the first cake layer with about â…“ of the frosting and spread an even layer using a spatula.
- Top it with the second cake layer. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting and make a wave pattern using an offset spatula. If it seems like it's too much frosting, feel free to remove some and save it for your next chocolaty bake.
Notes
- Don’t skip the coffee in the cake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Use cake strips! Cake strips give you even and perfectly baked cake layers. Click here for the Amazon link.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be firmer and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
Nico
Absolutely delicious! Use dutch process cocoa for all things chocolate and you won’t have trouble w the color and depth of flavor. I do wonder, how would you store it? And for how long
Thank you!
Varusha
Hi, I made this cake and it was so divine. Thank you for the amazing recipe. I need advice regarding the frosting, at room temperature, the frosting gets too runny and the top layer of the cake slid off and broke? Should I rather make an icing , add in melted chocolate and then add the fresh cream to whip it? I did love the glossy look of the frosting. Please advise, bless you.
Daniela
I tried this recipe yesterday and it was perfect, everyone wanted another slice, not to mention is super easy to follow. Couldn't recommend it enough. The flavors were deep and rich while the frosting looked exactly like the one in the movie.
Marie
It was good, but I was expecting more of an intense chocolate flavor to the cake itself. The frosting helped with that. It was moist enough. I will try one of your other chocolate cake recipes
SHAMA
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I have made this cake twice and both times it was a huge hit and everyone absolutely loved it. I didn't know what dutch cocoa is and where I could buy it, so I used Hershey's but next time I will do my research and look for Dutch Cocoa so I get the dark chocolate cake look.
Mia
I made this cake and frosting. I found the cake to be a much lighter color than the picture. The frosting was delicious. I changed nothing. I found the cake to be rather dry and not full of chocolate flavor.
RichandDelish
That is ood. Have you used Dutch cocoa powder and not natural cocoa powder? Cause that's a game changer.
Ola
Hi,
Did you use plain or self raising flour in the recipe?
Rai
Hi! How many tbsp of coffee do I need in a cup? Thanks
RichandDelish
Add 2 tbsp of instant coffee to 1 cup of hot water.
Mymona
Hi there, I made this frosting recipe and all I can say is there was not a crumb left. My family devoured every morsel. I didn't use the cake recipr because I had baked my cake layers and just wanted to try a different frosting.
Definitely my next go to frosting
Thank you for sharing