An Easter Egg Cake for Easter

For the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray (2) 7-in x 3-in round cake pans or (4) 4-in x 3-in round cake pans with nonstick spray and line bottoms with parchment paper. Coat parchment with cooking spray and dust with cocoa powder.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa and espresso powders and the water, and whisk until dissolved.
• Whisk in sugar until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.
• Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until combined.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until cake tester comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes (check sooner for smaller cakes). Transfer pans to wire racks and cool 20 minutes, then unmold and let finish cooling completely.

For the ganache frosting:

• Put chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a saucepan.
• Pour cream over chocolate and add salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is smooth and shiny, being sure to scrape bottom and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Let cool to room temperature, stirring often, until thickened, about 45-60 minutes.
• Scrape ganache into bowl of stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until paler in color and fluffy, about 2-4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Use immediately.

To assemble the cake:

• Trim tops of cake layers to level them. Place one layer cut side up on wire rack set over parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Spread a layer of ganache frosting over the cake layer. Place another cake layer on top, cut side down. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides to form a crumb coat. Repeat with other cake layers if you are making mini cakes. Refrigerate until frosting is firm, about 15 minutes.

For the truffle eggs:

• Place chocolate and cream into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth and remove heat. Stir in butter until fully melted and incorporated.
• Pour ganache into a loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and set but still pliable, about 2 hours.
• Using a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop balls of ganache, transferring them to baking sheets lined with parchment. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
• Use your hands to roll each ball into an egg shape. Freeze 1 hour or until very firm.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Divide chocolate between two bowls.
• Tint chocolate in one bowl blue with food coloring. Add a few drops of food coloring to the other bowl and swirl with a toothpick.
• Dip half the eggs, one at a time, into the blue chocolate, then dip the rest of the eggs into the swirled chocolate. Place dipped eggs on a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate eggs until set, about 1 hour. Brush eggs with luster dust if desired.

For the chocolate nests:

• Using a chef's knife, scrape chocolate bar at a 90-degree angle to form enough curls and shards to measure 1 1/2 cups. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the glaze:

• Place chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to combine.
• Pour cream mixture over chocolate. Let sit for 10 minutes, then whisk until smooth and shiny, being sure to scrape bottom of bowl with a flexible spatula. Use immediately.
• Pour glaze over the top and down sides of cake(s). Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• To finish off the cakes, top each one with a nest of chocolate shavings, and fill with truffle eggs.