MISS TRUNCHBULL’S CHOCOLATE CAKE

One of my favorite movies of all-time is Matilda. I remember when it was about to come out in theaters, and I could NOT wait to go and see it. Since it was released to theaters almost exactly 20 years ago (O my G, I’M OLD), I’ve probably seen it about 92,000 times. In fact, I even own two copies–the DVD version and good ol’ VHS.

So I’m sure you could imagine just how massively excited I was to meet little miss Amanda Thripp (AKA, the talented Jacqueline Steiger) in a self-management class for actors when I lived in Los Angeles…

INGREDIENTS
Cake

• 1 and 1/2 cups (355ml) boiling water
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
• 4 and 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 2 and 1/2 cups (355g) all-purpose flour
• 2 and 3/4 cup (550g) granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cups (100g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk*
• 3/4 cup (175ml) vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Chocolate Ganache

•   finely chopped
• 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy cream

Milk Chocolate Buttercream

• 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
• 1 and 1/2 cups (170g) powdered sugar
• 4 ounces milk chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line three 8-inch round cake pans** with parchment paper and grease with butter or nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the boiling water, espresso powder, and semi-sweet chocolate until chocolate has dissolved and mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Add the cooled espresso-chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined.
5. Divide batter evenly among the three pans and bake in the oven for 31-33 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with few crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
6. ...................................................

Make the Ganache

• Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream in a large glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave until it starts to boil. Remove, pour over the chocolate, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir ganache until smooth.
• Allow ganache to cool to desired thickness before frosting the cake. You can also refrigerate the ganache, stirring occasionally until it’s thick enough.

Make the Milk Chocolate Buttercream

1. Place the milk chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted, about 1 minute. Stir, and allow to cool to almost room temperature.

For full instructions please see : www.abajillianrecipes.com

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