Chocolate Buttercream Icing Recipe for a Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake

I have tried many chocolate buttercream icing recipes over the years, and I have not yet settled on one recipe as my favourite (this might be obvious, but I usually choose to use chocolate ganache instead of icing!). But last week, I tried a new one that might just be a contender for my favourite 'best chocolate buttercream' recipe. 

I was making a Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake, and wanted a chocolate icing that could pair nicely with salt and caramel sauce. So when I began my search for a new chocolate buttercream, I stumbled upon the thekitchenmagpie.com and tried the Chocolate Buttercream Icing recipe by blog author Karlynn Johnston.  I made a few minor changes based on my past experiences with buttercream icing, and this is the final recipe that I came up with:

Salted Chocolate Buttercream Icing Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups salted butter (or 1 full pound)
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, melted, then cooled (I used the Cuisine Camino brand of organic and fair trade semi-sweet chocolate with 56% cocoa solids, for baking)
• 6.5 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil to 1/2 cup canola oil (optional)
• 1/2 tsp chunky sea salt

Instructions:

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 2 minutes on half power, and stir until smooth. If it is not fully melted, continue melting for 5 second intervals in the microwave until fully melted.  Let cool.
2. Whip the butter in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy - stir often to ensure every un-whipped portion of the butter is incorporated.
3. Add in the cocoa powder and beat until it is combined.
4. Add the cooled chocolate to the butter/cocoa powder mixture.
5. Add the icing sugar. Sift in if lumpy. Stir regularly until combined while mixing with the mixer.
6. Add the canola oil and beat until combined.
7. Sprinkle in the sea salt.

Spread between layers of moist chocolate cake. Top each layer of icing with salted caramel sauce or dulce de leche caramel sauce and sprinkle with chunky sea salt. Delicious!