Go Back
A slice of chocolate ganache cake on a plate with a fork, with the rest of the cake on a stand in the background.

Bruce Bogtrotter's Chocolate Ganache Cake

This fudgy, rich, decadent Chocolate Ganache Cake inspired by Roald Dahl's book Matilda is a true showstopper, but secretly simple to make. You’ll want to eat it all by yourself in one sitting!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Good To Know

  • Dutch-processed cocoa powder gives this cake extra fudgy richness and is worth seeking out for this recipe; Droste is my favorite. If you use natural unsweetened cocoa powder (like Hershey’s), the cake will be lighter in color and drier.
  • Using cake strips on the outsides of the cake pans help the cake layers to bake up flat and level, making them easier to assemble with the ganache filling later. If you don’t have cake strips, you can make your own DIY cake strips with wet paper towels and foil. Or, skip the strips entirely; your cake layers will have domed tops in this case, but an adult can slice off the tops to level the cakes before assembling in step 10 (your cake will just be a bit shorter overall, but still delicious).
  • To make parchment circles to line the cake pans, you can set the cake pans on a piece of parchment paper, trace around them with a pencil, then cut out the circles with scissors. Or, if you bake a lot of cakes, you can buy pre-cut parchment rounds that make life very easy!

Equipment You'll Need

  • 2 (8-inch) round cake pans
  • 2 cake strips, presoaked in water (see note)
  • 2 (8-inch) circles of parchment paper
  • 3 bowls (1 large, 1 medium, 1 medium heatproof)
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula
  • Toothpick
  • Oven mitts
  • Cooling rack
  • Small saucepan
  • Butter knife
  • Large plate or serving platter
  • Spoon
  • Small offset spatula (optional)
  • Chef's knife

Measure Your Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 2 ¼ cups (15 ¾ ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ cups (4 ½ ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder (see note)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
  • 2 ¼ cups (18 ounces) whole milk
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Let's Cook!
 

  • Set your oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Wrap two 8-inch round cake pans with pre-soaked cake strips (or make your own or skip this; see note above).
  • Cooking spray
    Spray the insides of the pans with cooking spray. Place a parchment paper circle inside each cake pan and spray again with cooking spray.
  • 2 ¼ cups (11 ¼ ounces) all-purpose flour, 2 ¼ cups (15 ¾ ounces) granulated sugar, 1 ½ cups (4 ½ ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder, 2 ¼ cups (18 ounces) whole milk, 1 cup vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder (if using). In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
  • Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to stir until just combined and no dry flour is visible.
  • Scrape the batter into the greased parchment-lined cake pans, dividing it evenly between the pans. Shake the pans gently to spread the batter into an even layer.
  • Bake until the cakes are puffy and shiny and a toothpick inserted into the center of one cake comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.
  • Use oven mitts to remove the cake pans from the oven and place them on the stovetop or a cooling rack. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans, at least 2 hours.
  • ⅔ cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips, ½ cup heavy cream
    When you’re ready to assemble your layer cake, place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until just beginning to bubble around the edges, 2 to 4 minutes.
  • Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips, making sure they’re completely covered. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, use a butter knife to loosen the edges of the cakes from the sides of each cake pan. (If you didn’t use cake strips and your cake layers have domed tops, ask an adult to remove the cakes from the pans and carefully slice off the tops with a bread knife to make flat, level layers.) Tip one of the cakes out of the pan onto your hand, then place it upside down onto a large plate or serving platter (the flat bottom of the cake will be facing up). Peel off the parchment paper and discard.
  • Use a spoon to stir the slightly cooled chocolate mixture until it’s fully combined, smooth, and shiny.
  • Pour about ½ cup of the chocolate ganache onto the top of the cake on the plate. Use a small offset spatula or the back of the spoon to spread the ganache into an even layer that stops about ½ inch from the edges of the cake.
  • Tip the other cake out of the pan onto your hand. Place the cake, upside down, on top of the other cake. Peel off the parchment paper and discard. Press down gently to spread the ganache in the middle to the edges.
  • Spread the rest of the ganache on top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the cake sit for at least 15 minutes for the ganache to set.
  • Cut into slices and serve (or eat the whole thing by yourself in one sitting, Bruce Bogtrotter-style!).
Keyword Chocolate Ganache Cake