Matilda's chocolate cake might be the best chocolate cake ever! Based on the cake from one of my favorite movies, 'Matilda', this two-layer homemade chocolate cake is super moist with the best fudgy chocolate frosting! Plus, it uses simple pantry ingredients and can be made in just 20 minutes.
honestly thought i died and went to heaven with this cake. my new go to recipe, thank you!!!
- Brit ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Every year I tell my family that my birthday wish is to have a big chocolate cake all to myself, Bruce Bogtrotter style. And every year they think I'm joking! So I've made this incredibly rich and moist two-layer chocolate cake which I think is the perfect birthday cake.
This simple chocolate cake uses pantry ingredients and is perfect for birthdays, celebrations, potlucks, and bake sales. I seriously can't get enough of this cake, it's perfect if you're a chocolate lover like me!
If you can't resist a chocolate recipe, you have got to try my chocolate filled cookies, triple chocolate layer cake, and chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. If you want a cupcake version of Matilda's chocolate cake, try my chocolate fudge cupcakes!
Jump to:
Why this is my favorite chocolate cake!
- Super Moist - this recipe uses my favorite chocolate cake base recipe. It's a simple oil-based cake that when combined with buttermilk gives you a deliciously moist crumb.
- So Easy - this is a seriously easy cake recipe. The chocolate cake can be made in one bowl without a mixer, and the frosting is similar to an American buttercream with the addition of melted chocolate and sour cream.
- Fudgy Frosting - I'm using my favorite frosting recipe of all time, my fudgy chocolate frosting with sour cream! The frosting has both cocoa powder and melted chocolate, making it super chocolatey and rich. It reminds me so much of the frosting from the cake in Matilda!
- Simple Ingredients - nothing too wild here, you just need 14 simple pantry ingredients.
Grab your ingredients
- Oil: use a neutral-tasting oil like vegetable oil or canola oil. You don't want anything with a strong flavor. Because cocoa powder is so dry, we need to give extra moisture to the cake which is why we use oil instead of butter.
- Flour: I'm using all-purpose flour in this chocolate cake recipe.
- Cocoa Powder: you'll need cocoa powder for both the cake and the frosting. Make sure to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder for the cake, not only is it richer but it reacts with baking soda and baking powder differently than natural cocoa powder.
- Buttermilk: buttermilk is used in the cake, if you don't have any then you can make your own (see below for how to) or use sour cream.
- Chocolate: this frosting tastes best with dark chocolate (so use something above 50%) and be sure to use good quality chocolate as it will make a huge difference to how your frosting tastes!
How to make Matilda's Chocolate Cake
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients together.
Step 2: In a large jug, whisk the eggs with the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Slowly pour in the hot water and mix until smooth.
Step 4: Pour the chocolate cake batter into your prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with no crumbs. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a cooling rack to cool.
Step 5: In a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together until light and fluffy.
Step 6: Add the cocoa powder and beat until just combined on low speed. Then add the sour cream, salt, and melted chocolate and beat on medium-high speed until smooth. Frost your cooled cake and enjoy!
My Baking Tips
- I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
- I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients (including the buttermilk!) before you start baking.
- Allow your cakes to cool completely before you assemble the cake with the frosting. Otherwise, your frosting will melt and slide right off!
- You can make the cake layers ahead of time. Bake and then once cooled completely wrap each layer in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Bring it to room temperature before frosting.
- When I want super even cake layers I love to use cake strips! Cake strips will help the cake not dome when baking.
- Once you slice the cake, gently press parchment paper strips on the leftover exposed cake - this helps it lock in moisture so the leftover cake doesn't dry out.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have two options, either make your own buttermilk or use a different ingredient. To make your own buttermilk: for every cup of buttermilk needed, mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes. Alternatively, substitute the buttermilk for sour cream or yogurt. If you do this, the cake will be slightly more dense but still delicious!
Follow the recipe for my chocolate and peanut butter cake to make matilda's chocolate cake 3 layers instead of 2 layers. You could also just follow the recipe card and split the batter into 3 cake pans instead of 2, they will just need less time in the oven and also the layers won't be as thick.
Keep this cake in the fridge for up to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the cake for up to 2 months. Allow it to defrost overnight before serving.
Try these chocolate recipes next!
If you've made this recipe, make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and review below! I love seeing when you make my recipes, so tag me on Instagram @alpineella so I can see! You can also follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok!
Recipe
Matilda's Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- 2 8" round cake pans
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- ¾ cup cocoa powder dutch processed
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cups very hot water
Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder dutch processed
- ½ cups sour cream room temperature
- 6 oz dark chocolate chopped
Instructions
Make Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C. Butter or grease two 8-inch cake pans and line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk.¾ cup cocoa powder, 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs
- Slowly pour in the ingredients from the large jug and mix until just combined.
- Slowly add the hot water and mix. Your batter will be very thin and it makes a lot of cake batter!1 cups very hot water
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted
- Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Let them cool completely on a cooling rack.
Make Frosting
- Melt your chocolate in a microwave, stirring every 10 seconds so it doesn't burn.6 oz dark chocolate
- In your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar on low speed until well combined1 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- Turn the speed to high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add in your cocoa powder and beat on low, then increase the speed to medium for 1-2 minutes.1 cup cocoa powder
- Add your sour cream, melted chocolate and salt and mix once more.½ cups sour cream, 6 oz dark chocolate, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
christine says
thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. it is super moist and fluffy texture. i baked this for father’s day and will definitely recommend to my friends.
Ella says
Thank you so much for your review!
Bree says
DELICIOUS!!!! my daughter was in her school’s Matilda Junior play this weekend. I made this cake for everybody to come eat after the play was over and we all loved loved loved it!! Thank you!
Ella says
Thanks so much for your review Bree!
Jessica says
I just made this for my birthday. The cake was so delicious! Thank you so much!
Bill Green says
I just made the cake aacked it in 8" round. The pans were not big enough and some overflowed. I should have used 9".
I hope it tastes okay..
Ella says
Hi Bill! Oh no! Did you follow the recipe exactly and used metric measurements? Were you using 8-inch cake pans with quite short sides? Let me know! I use the Fat Daddio 8-inch cake pans for this cake and it has never overflowed, so I'm wondering if you used a pan with quite short sides?
Selena says
My cake came out a bit dry and crumbly. Where could i have gone wrong?
Ella says
Hi Selena! Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? What type of cake pan did you use, was it a light metal one or a dark one? A dark cake pan will cause the outside of the cake to be much drier. You might have also overmixed the cake batter which can change the texture!
Meghan says
Just made this and it was amazing! Thank you
Kimmy says
Can I use a 9x13 pan for this recipe? Have you tried it?
Ella says
Hi Kimmy, I haven't actually tried it! It should work, I would start checking it at the 30-35 minute mark to see if it needs more time. Let me know if you try that and how it goes!
Christina says
Do you need you need an actual plastic jug to mix the wet ingredients up and then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients? I just want to make sure I understood that part.
Thanks
Ella says
Hi Christina! No, you can use any type of jug or bowl to mix up the wet ingredients!
yuval shencher says
This recipe is absolutely amazing, not too overpoweringly chocolatey, and so incredibly moist. I made it for my family and they could not stop raving about it!
Ella says
Thank you so much for your review Yuval!
Eileen says
This recipe is amazing! I couldn't recommend it enough. The frosting is what I have been looking for, for so long! Most chocolate frosting/buttercream recipe that I have tried are always too sweet for my liking. But this frosting has the perfect balance. The sponge is really moist, but not heavy. It's still light and fluffy. I like heating up the cake in the microwave for 15 seconds with vanilla ice cream! Perfection!
Ella says
Thank you so much for your review Eileen! Wow, heated up with some vanilla ice cream sounds wonderful!
Angelina says
I am so glad I found this recipe! I will be making it over the weekend. Also, I love your honest interaction. Refreshing! Thank you again.