Matilda Recipes

Book

Matilda
by Roald Dahl

Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress at Matilda’s school, was a force to be reckoned with. As punishment, one of her students has to eat an entire chocolate cake in front of the entire school. Help Bruce eat a decadent Chocolate Cake.

Then go back to Miss Honey’s house with Matilda and snack on Miss Honey's Snack of hot tea and toast with margarine.

Cook

Bruce's Chocolate Cake

Complexity: Easy cake, involves stand mixer.
Time: 20 minutes plus 20-30 minutes baking.

Ingredients

Cake:

¾ cup butter or margarine
1 ⅔ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoons salt
1 ⅓ cups milk

Ganache:

12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
¾ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Buttercream Frosting:

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 ⅔ cups powdered sugar
½ cup Hershey’s Cocoa
⅓+ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

To make the cake, heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 3 round pans.
Using a stand mixer, cream the butter.
Add sugar gradually and continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Blend in vanilla.
Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and beating just enough to blend.
Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 20-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool cake for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
Make ganache and buttercream frosting while cake is baking. To make the ganache, place the semisweet chocolate in a heat-proof 4-quart bowl.
Heat the heavy cream, sugar, and butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil.
Pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.
Place the ganache in the refrigerator for 45 minutes until firm, but not hard.
To make the frosting, cream butter with a stand mixer. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk; beat to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Blend in vanilla.
When the cake is baked and cooled, assemble cake by placing ganache between layers and buttercream frosting on top and sides of cake.

Cook

Miss Honey's Snack

Complexity: Easy-peasy.
Time: 5 minutes.

Ingredients

Tea
Water
Honey
White sandwich bread
Margarine
Jam

Directions

Heat water. Steep tea packet until preferred strength is reached. Mix in honey if desired.
Toast sandwich bread, and add margarine or jam. Serve warm with tea.