Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare one 8” round cake pan by lightly greasing with baking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.

Add melted butter and stir until combined.

Add egg and egg yolk and stir well. Be sure to scrape sides and bottom of bowl periodically.

With mixer on low-speed, add vanilla and then buttermilk, stirring until combined.

Add hot water, stirring until ingredients are well-combined and smooth. Batter will be thin, this is fine.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on 350F for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in pan before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling. Meanwhile, prepare frosting.

Place butter, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.

Gradually add powdered sugar and then cocoa powder until completely combined.

Slowly stir in heavy cream until frosting is smooth and creamy. Increase speed to medium/high and beat for 30 seconds.

Once cake has cooled completely, use your hands to crumble the cake into a large bowl (don’t mash the cake, just break into pebble-sized pieces).

Add frosting and use mixer on low-speed to stir together until mixture is mostly combined, it will be smooth and not piecey. If you pinch the dough together between thumb and forefinger it should hold together.

Scoop dough by level 1 ½ Tablespoons and roll between your palms to make a smooth ball. Place on wax-paper lined baking sheet, not letting the cake pops touch, and repeat until you have rolled all the dough. Transfer to freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.

When cake pops have nearly finished chilling, prepare chocolate by melting according to package directions (I like to pour the chocolate into a 1-cup measuring cup or coffee mug for dipping) and portion out any sprinkles you’d like to use.

Flip two cardboard egg cartons upside-down and use a skewer to pierce a hole in the center of each cup. Make sure cake pop sticks will fit snugly in the hole.

Remove cake balls from freezer. Take one cake pop stick and dip the very end in chocolate, then insert halfway into the cake pop.

Turn the cake pop upside down and dip gently into the chocolate, covering the entire surface of the cake. Allow excess chocolate to drip back into the cup then insert the stick into your holder. Immediately add sprinkles/cookie crumbs, if using.

Repeat until all cake pops have been dipped. Allow chocolate to harden before removing and enjoying or storing.