Recipe Fridays!

Rich Chocolate Cake with Ganache Frosting and Truffle-Egg Nest
from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients
Serves 8
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1/2 cup cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
3/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Whipped Ganache Frosting
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 pound bar of milk chocolate
Truffle Eggs

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 3-inch-high, 7-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms with parchment paper. Coat parchment with cooking spray, and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out excess.

2.Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa and espresso powders and water; 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.

3.Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Unmold, and remove parchment; let cool.

4.Trim tops of cake layers level. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Spread with 1/2 cup ganache frosting. Place remaining layer, cut side down, on top.
Coat top and sides with remaining cup frosting. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

5.Put semisweet chocolate, cream, and corn syrup into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, and stir until smooth. Let cool 5 minutes. Pour over cake, and then refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

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

7.Transfer cake to serving dish; form a nest with chocolate shavings on top, and fill with truffle eggs.

Truffle Eggs

Ingredients
Makes 25
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61 percent cacao), finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 to 3 pounds white chocolate
Sky-blue gel-paste food coloring
Teal luster dust (optional)

Directions

1.Put bittersweet chocolate and cream into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth; remove from heat. Stir in butter.

2.Pour into a loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until very cold and set but still pliable, about 2 hours.

3.Using a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop balls of ganache, transferring them to baking sheets lined with parchment paper as you work. Refrigerate 10 minutes.

4.Using your hands, roll each ball into an egg shape. Place in freezer until very firm, about 1 hour.

5.Meanwhile, put 1 1/2 pounds white chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth; remove from heat. Divide between 2 medium bowls. Add food coloring to 1 bowl until desired blue shade. Add a few drops of food coloring to other bowl, and swirl lightly with a toothpick.

6.Working with one at a time, dip half of the eggs in blue chocolate, then dip remaining eggs in swirled chocolate, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. As you work, transfer eggs to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Truffles can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

7.For sparkly truffles, brush luster dust onto blue eggs to coat if desired