Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F).

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder (1 1/2 teaspoons), then mix to combine.

Melt the chocolate and milk together in a double boiler (bain-marie). As soon as it starts to melt, add the butter piece by piece, mixing well after each addition.

Remove from heat, add the sugar, and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and homogeneous.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured baking pan, then bake for about 35 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center should come out clean.

Unmold and let the cake cool completely.

Crumble the moist chocolate cake as finely as possible.

Divide the crumbs between two bowls if you want to make two different flavors.

Add salted caramel to one bowl. In the other, stir in praline paste, gianduja, or a spread of your choice. You can also use classic frosting, such as buttercream or cream cheese frosting, chocolate-hazelnut spread like Nutella, ganache, or sweetened condensed milk. Mix well until you have a smooth mixture that is easy to shape into balls.

Fill each cavity of the cake pop mold. If you prefer not to use a mold, you can shape the balls by hand. In that case, weigh each portion so they are all the same size, about 25 g (0.9 oz) each.

Place a hazelnut in the center of each half-sphere. Cover with a little more crumbled cake and smooth the surface. Fill both cavities to the top and smooth them evenly.

Close the mold and press down gently to seal the two halves together.

Unmold the cake pops and repeat with the remaining cake mixture. If desired, make a small opening in one side of each cake pop and fill it with a little salted caramel.

Melt the chocolate or Candy Melts in a double boiler, then stir in the cocoa butter.

Remove the bowl from the heat once or twice while stirring to prevent the chocolate from overheating.

Dip the tip of each cake pop stick into the melted chocolate, then insert it into the center of a cake pop. Let the chocolate set completely so the stick stays securely in place. You can place the cake pops in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to speed up the process.

Pour the melted chocolate into a tall, narrow glass or container.

Dip the cake pops one by one into the chocolate, let the excess drip off, then immediately decorate with sprinkles or candy pearls.

Place them in a block of Styrofoam or, like I do, use the opening of an aluminum foil box to hold them upright.

Once the chocolate has completely set, store the cake pops in an airtight container, placing a sheet of parchment paper between each layer.