Chocolate Cake (Bruce Bogtrotter)
Bruce Bogtrotter is an overweight boy from Roald Dahl's book Matilda. He steals a slice of Miss Trunchbull's cake and is punished by being forced to eat an entire 18" chocolate cake in front of the whole school. This recipe was inspired by the cake from the children's book and movie. The better the quality of the chocolate used, the tastier the cake will be. This recipe makes 1 layer, but you can you can double or triple easily.
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1½ sticks (12 Tbsp.) salted butter, softened
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
¼ cup all–purpose flour, unbleached
6 eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten
Ganache:
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
8 oz heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8" cake pan with wax paper and butter the bottom and sides of the paper.
Melt the chocolate in a Pyrex bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water. Mix in the butter and stir until melted.
Transfer to a large bowl and add the sugar, flour, and lightly beaten egg yolks.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold half of the whites into the chocolate mixture, blending thoroughly, then fold in the remaining whites.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes.
There will be a thin crust on top of the cake, and if tested with a toothpick the inside will appear undercooked (don't worry, the cake will get firmer as it cools). Remove from the oven, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
While the cake is cooling, make the ganache. Melt the chocolate with the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over lowest heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is fully melted and blended with the cream. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
When the cake is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan and discard the wax paper. The cake is prone to sinking slightly in the middle, so flip it upside down before icing by placing a plate on top and carefully turning over the cake pan and plate together.
Carefully spread the chocolate ganache all over the cake with a spatula.
Makes 6-8 servings.