Despite the fantastical characters in Roald Dahl's Matilda—a story about a young girl who discovers telekinetic powers, which help her cope with her rotten family and equally offensive principal, Miss Trunchbull—one scene takes the cake. Quite literally.
Before even reading the words, you probably know which one I'm referencing: The scene in which Bruce Bogtrotter, one of Matilda's classmates, is forced to eat an entire chocolate cake during an assembly, as punishment for stealing a slice earlier. The cake in question is the Trunchbull's special dessert, one deemed "much too good for children," and all it takes is one look to understand why ol' Trunchy wanted to hoard it: The cook's shoulders stoop, arms quivering, as she struggles to haul the hula hoop-sized cake across the stage.
"The cake was good, too. I had a lot of it," says director Danny DeVito, who also played Matilda's dad, Harry Wormwood. Spoiler: Though the scene features an auditorium packed with kids, for the most part, it was shot with just Bogtrotter and the Trunchbull, filmed after everyone else had gone home for the day, over a span of about two weeks.
Oh, and Bruce didn't really eat all of that cake.
"If he would've eaten all that cake, he would've exploded," DeVito said in an interview. "I'm telling you, it was so big. It was so much cake."
The cake itself it swirled in a rich, fudgy ganache frosting, and seems miraculously moist, despite its overwhelming size. Even though the scene itself is a little disturbing—and flat-out gross, as Brucey nears the end of his battle against the massive confection—you can't help but want to try a slice.
That's why we had to make our own, as the movie nears its 20th anniversary this August. We resisted the overwhelming urge to make it kiddie pool-sized, but we had to go somewhat decadent, doctoring two devil's food cake mixes to create a three-tiered wonder that's sure to grab the attention of everyone in the room. You'll have some cake mix leftover—just enough for a fourth tier, if you're feeling extra bold (though fair warning, you may need a skewer down the center of the cake to hold it all in place)—which you could always set aside for the day, weeks from now, when you wake from your sugar coma and desperately need more chocolate.
Pudding mix makes for fluffy, towering layers of cake, but the true magic is the ganache frosting: As it cools, the ganache will thicken. Once it gets spreadable, like traditional frosting, it's time to cover that cake.
If you prefer lighter, more whipped frosting, you can put it in the fridge to cool, then beat it in an electric mixer. Either way, the end result is worthy of licking the platter clean, Bogtrotter-style.
Get the recipe.
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