Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds, or until everything is well combined.
Add milk, egg, and oil. Mix the batter just until smooth, about 15 seconds.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Then invert the cake onto a cutting board and slice off thin outer edges of the cake.
To make the chocolate frosting:
In a large mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, whip the butter until fluffy.
Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat it well until well combined, about 1 minute. Start on low speed and gradually increase it to medium-high.
Stir in heavy cream and salt and mix another 30 seconds.
To make cake pop mixture:
In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, crumble the cooled cake.
Add the frosting and mix it well into the cake crumbs on medium low speed. Make sure there’s no dry cake visible.
To form cake balls:
Using a small cookie scoop, divide the cake pops into 1.5-inch balls and arrange them on a lined baking sheet.
Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.
To coat the cake balls:
Melt a small amount of chocolate almond bark in the microwave.
Dip the cake pop sticks into the melted almond bark about ½-inch deep, then insert it into the chilled cake balls. Continue this process until all the cake balls have a stick. Put them back into the fridge.
Melt the remaining chocolate almond bark in a 2-cup measuring cup in the microwave until nice and smooth.
Bring out about 10 cake balls at a time. Dip each cake ball into the melted almond bark until it’s fully covered, including the base. Gently shake it to let the excess coating drip off. And place the cake pops upright into a Styrofoam, or box, or special cake pop stand.
Repeat with the remaining cake balls. Be sure to bring about 10 cake balls out of the refrigerator at a time, or cake balls will fall out of the stick it they warm up at room temperature.
Let the cake pops set for about an hour before packaging.
Notes
Note 1: You can use either unsweetened natural or dutch-processed cocoa powder in this chocolate cake recipe.Note 2: Milk adds richness to the cake, whereas coffee enhances the chocolate flavor. You can use either one.Note 3: Almond bark is the best for coating cake balls, as it has the perfect consistency compared to candy melts. If using candy melts, you may add ½ teaspoon vegetable oil to thin it out. You could use white/semi-sweet/milk chocolate, but you’ll need to properly temper the chocolate for it to set properly.Storing Tips: - Store dipped cake pops in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week. - Chocolate cake pops are freezer-friendly! Wait until they've dried completely, then transfer to a Ziplock bag or freezer-safe container. Thaw and enjoy within 2 months. - Thaw frozen cake pops in the refrigerator overnight to prevent cracking. Just be very careful with them!