This week, we thought we’d have some fun recreating iconic recipes from famous Hollywood films and TV that we’ve always wanted to try.

Giant Chocolate Fudge Cake, Matilda

Gigantic, fudgy and devilishly tempting, this iconic cake (filled with blood sweat tears) is probably the most memorable moment of the film. Brucey may have finished the whole thing, but this chocolate mostrosity will definitely feed a crowd!

Serves 50

Total Cook Time: 10+ hours

Ingredients

For the cake

750 g unsalted butter

700 g dark chocolate

100ml espresso

3 tsp vanilla essence

750 g plain flour

½ tsp flaky sea salt

2 ¼ tsp baking powder

2 ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 kg light soft brown sugar

12 eggs

600 ml sour cream

For the chocolate buttercream filling

250g unsalted butter

400g icing sugar

50g cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

75ml milk

For the chocolate ganache

450g chocolate

300ml double cream

150ml sour cream

Extra equipment

30cm/12inch  loose bottom cake tin, 14 inch cake board

Method

To make the chocolate cake

Step 1: Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/160C/140 fan. Then grease and double line a 30 cm/12 inch, deep-walled cake tin with baking paper.

Double lining means to line the inside and outside of the tin with baking paper. This helps to stop the sides of the cake from burning. 

Step 2: Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) over a low heat, add the butter and chocolate and allow them to melt. Once melted, stir through the espresso and vanilla, then set aside to cool slightly.

Step 3: Meanwhile, add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir together by hand to make sure that they are fully combined.

Step 4: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream.

Top tip! When a recipe needs a lot of eggs, crack them into a small bowl first before adding to the mixture in case any shell falls in.

Step 5: Add the melted chocolate, whisked eggs and sour cream to the dried ingredients and mix together until fully combined.

Step 6: Pour the mixture into the tin and wiggle it slightly to flatten out the top. Then carefully place it in the oven on the middle shelf for 2 ¾ – 3 hours

Top tip! Make sure not to open the oven for the first 2 hours or the cake will sink in the middle

Step 7: After 2 ¾  insert a skewer into the centre of the cake, if it comes out with a few moist crumbs your cake is ready, the residual heat from the cake will finish cooking it once it’s removed from the oven

Top tip! Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing.

To make the buttercream filling

Step 1: Place the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat for 5 minutes until the butter is pale and creamy.

Step 2: Once creamy, add the icing sugar and cocoa powder and continue beating until fully incorporated.

Step 3: Add the vanilla and milk and beat for a further 2 minutes. Done!

Cover and keep in a cool spot until you’re ready to use it.

To make the chocolate ganache

Step 1: Heat a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and add 200ml cold water. Once the water begins to lightly bubble, place a heatproof bowl on top.

Or,

Melt the chocolate in short 10 second bursts in a microwave until liquid.

Top tip! Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water and there is always water in the pot.

Step 2: Add the cream and sour cream to the chocolate and mix together until fully combined. Set aside to cool a little so it begins to thicken

How to ice a cake

Step 1: Turn the cake upside down so the flat smooth base of the cake becomes the top

Step 2: Use a ruler to divide your cake into thirds. Mark each third with a cocktail stick on either side of the cake. This will help you cut straight.

Step 3: Using a serrated bread knife, slowly slice your cake into 3 even layers using gentle even strokes.

Step 4: Spread 1 tsp of buttercream onto the middle of your cake board and place the first layer of your cake on it. This stops your cake from slipping around.

Step 5: Spread half the buttercream filling over the middle of the cake leaving a 1cm gap around the edge, then place the middle layer of cake on top.

Step 6: Spread the rest of the buttercream filling over the sponge and top with the final layer of cake

Step 7: Dollop a large spoonful of chocolate ganache in the centre of the top layer and, using an angled spatula, spread it out in a very thin layer over the whole cake. Spread the icing that squeezes out from the sides of the other layers to coat the sides of the cake thinly too.

Top tip! Make sure your icing is as thin and flat as possible, add extra ganache to fill in any gaps between the layers. This is your crumb coat, which is the base layer of icing.

Step 8: You should have plenty of chocolate ganache left. Place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes to allow the crumb coat to set.

Step 9: Remove the cake from the freezer. Dollop a large spoonful of the chocolate ganache in the centre of the cake and repeat the icing process, but with a thicker layer. Don’t be afraid to use up all your ganache, and don’t worry about being neat here – it doesn’t have to be completely smooth.

Step 10: With the back of a dessert spoon, twist it back and forth in the icing to create a wave pattern on the top of your cake. Repeat across the whole cake.

The Grilled Cheese from Chef

Chef’s oozy, melty ‘I love you son, but I don’t know how to say it’ grilled cheese sandwich was a true labour of love. We’ve taken his recipe and given it a British twist, adding cheeses you can find in our supermarkets.

Serves 1

Cook Time – under 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 slices of white bread – preferably sourdough

3 slices of gruyère

3 slices of cheddar cheese

3 slices Double Gloucester

A few shavings of parmesan cheese

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Vegetable oil

Method

Step 1: Slice the gruyère, cheddar and double gloucester into thin pieces and shave the parmesan using a potato peeler to create a small pile.

Step 2: Cut the bread into medium thick slices and layer all the cheese between the bread.

Step 3: Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat, once hot add the sandwich and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until the bread turns golden.

Top tip!  Once your bread is golden, butter both sides of the bread on both sides, and cook for a further minute on each side.This will give you a delicious buttery taste without burning the butter

Step 4:  Serve your ‘Chef’ sandwich once the cheese is gooey and melted.

Spaghetti Speziale With Extra Meatballs, Lady And The Tramp

Serves 2

Cook Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

250g beef mince

30g breadcrumbs

35g grated Pecorino cheese

1 brown onion

1 carrot

190g spaghetti

2 garlic cloves

1 beef stock cube

1tbsp balsamic vinegar

1tsp sugar

1 tin chopped tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Step 1: Add the beef mince, breadcrumbs and grated pecorino cheese to a bowl with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Using clean hands, give everything a very good mix up until fully combined. Divide the beef mixture into 10 and roll into meatballs. Set aside.

Step 2: Peel and finely chop the brown onion. Top, tail, peel and finely dice the carrot.

Step 3: Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs and cook for 3 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned. Once browned transfer the meatballs to a plate and set aside.

Step 4: Return the pan to a medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil if your pan is looking a little dry. Once hot, add the chopped carrot and onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 min or until they begin to soften.

Step 5: Meanwhile, boil a kettle. Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic.

Step 6: Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.  Once done, drain the spaghetti and return it to the pot

Step 7: Meanwhile, dissolve the beef stock cube in 150ml boiled water.

Step 8: Once the carrot and onion have softened, add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp sugar, and give everything a good mix up. Add the browned meatballs and cook, covered, for 7-8 min or until cooked through.

Step 9: Once the meatballs are cooked through, add the drained spaghetti to the pan and give everything a good mix up until the sauce sticks to the pasta.

Serve in two bowls… or just one, if you’re feeling romantic.

James Bond’s Martini

Fun fact! James Bond’s famous line ‘shaken not stirred’ was so popular that it changed the way bartenders mix this drink.

Serves 1

Under 5 minutes

60ml vodka

15ml dry vermouth

Lemon twist to garnish

Step 1: Add the vodka and vermouth to a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Put the top on and give it a good shake until the shaker is cold and frosted on the outside.

Step 2: Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a twist of lemon

The Stolen Cheesecake, Friends

While you might not steal it from your neighbours, we made sure to make this creamy cheesecake so decadent, you might actually eat it off the floor! New York-style cheesecakes are baked rather than set in the fridge, which give them a firmer, even richer texture.

Serves 12

Cook time: 1 hr 30 + cooling time

200 g Digestive biscuits

100 g butter, melted

900 g full fat cream cheese

225 g caster sugar

200 ml sour cream

2 tbsp cornflour

3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

Step 1: Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180C/160C Fan and line the base of a 9 inch spring form cake tin.

Step 2: Blitz the digestive biscuits in a food processor until they form a fine crumb

Top tip! Don’t have a food processor? Place the biscuits in a sandwich bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Step 3: Add the crumbs to a bowl with the melted butter, stirring together until it becomes the texture of wet sand. Tip your crumbs into a prepared tin and, using the flat bottom of a glass press the crumb mixture into the base and up the sides to form your cheesecake crust. Bake for 10 minutes until golden.

Step 4: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Then add the sour cream and corn flour and mix together.

Top tip

Step 5: Beat in your vanilla, and the eggs and egg yolk one at a time. Try not to beat it too hard, as you’ll add too much air to the mixture which can cause the top to crack.

Step 6: Pour the mixture over the cheesecake crust and bake in the oven for 45 minutes until lightly golden on top and it has a slight wobble when shaken.

Step 7: Turn the oven off and open the oven door slightly. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely like this.

Top tip! Cooling your cheesecake in this way will also help to prevent the top from cracking.

Step 8: Once the cheesecake is cool remove from the tin and serve… preferably not on the floor.

Ratatouille, Ratatouille

Serves 4 (as a starter)

Cook time: 2 hours

Maybe it’s Remy’s love of cooking, or that Gusteau sounds so much like Gousto, but we love a bit of Ratatouille – both the Pixar movie and the humble vegetable stew which, with just one taste, can transport you to Autumn in the French countryside. We’re not going to lie though, this will probably be the hardest ratatouille you’ll ever make.

So if you’re looking for an easier version, we’d suggest our absolutely delicious Cheesy Risotto With Ratatouille.

Fun fact: When plated in a tower like in the movie, the ratatouille’s actual name is Confit Byaldi.

But if you’re feeling adventurous and want to ratatouille like Remy, we recommend looking for similar sized vegetables, so the slices line up neatly when you’re assembling.

Ingredients

For the sauce

6 large tomatoes

2 red peppers

1 vegetable stock cube

1 sprig of rosemary, stem removed

2 sprigs thyme, stem removed

1 garlic clove

1 shallot

1 tbsp olive oil

For the ratatouille 

1 courgette

1 yellow summer squash (they look like yellow courgettes)

1 aubergine

2 thyme sprigs

4 chives

Method

Step 1: Preheat your oven to gas mark 1/110ºC/90ºC fan.

Step 2: Place the peppers under a grill, turning regularly until blackened all over.  Remove from the grill and wrap in foil and leave to cool for 15 minutes.  Once cooled the skins should peel easily from the peppers.  Remove the core and seeds from the peppers and place the peppers in a blender.

Step 3: While the peppers are cooling, boil a kettle. Lightly score the skin on bottom of the tomatoes in the shape of cross. Prepare a large bowl filled with ice and water.

Step 4: Fill a pan with boiling water and blanch the tomatoes for 30 seconds then remove them and put them in a bowl full of iced water.  Carefully remove the tomato skins, they should slide off fairly easily.

Step 5: Slice the tomatoes as thinly as possible, separate out about ½ (make these your best slices) and put the rest in the jug of a blender.

Step 6: Roughly chop the garlic and shallot.  Dissolve your stock cube in 250ml of boiling water then add that to the blender with the rosemary and thyme leaves, chopped garlic and shallot and the olive oil.  Blend until smooth.

Step 7: Using a mandolin (or a sharp knife) thinly slice the vegetables, about 3mm thick.

Step 8: Pour the sauce over the bottom of a roasting tray then layer the vegetables in a concertina pattern alternating between the courgette, aubergine, summer squash and the occasional tomato slice. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 50 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but still hold their shape.

Step 9: Place a metal pastry ring in the centre of the plate.  Carefully stack the cooked vegetables vertically in the ring, then top with a staggered layer of vegetables.

Step 10: Carefully remove the metal ring, then with a teaspoon take a spoonful of the sauce from the bottom of the tray and draw a circle around the vegetable stack.  Scatter the sauce with fresh thyme leaves and delicately top the ratatouille with the signature single chive. Et voìla! Bon appétit.

Did these recipes take you back? And which ones do you think we missed?

If you try to make any of these yourself, don’t forget to tag us @goustocooking so we can see your creations.