Warm the oven up to 325 degrees. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans by greasing and flouring them. In the bottom of each pan, put a piece of parchment paper.
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Position the first five components of the mixture into the bowl of your mixer. The mixture should be mixed for at least thirty seconds on a low speed.
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To the mixture, add the butter that has been softened and cut into pieces. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
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Butter will moisten/coat the dry ingredients and cling together when pressed between two fingers. Do not overmix or it will form a dough ball.
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Mix in the eggs one at a time until everything is well combined. Mix the vanilla with the ¼ cup of buttermilk. Slowly pour into the mixer while it is on its slowest speed. Turn up the speed on a KitchenAid mixer to #2 or #3.
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Do this for two minutes. It will be smooth and fluffy. For a little longer, you will need to mix with a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer.
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Evenly distribute the batter among the three pans that have been prepared to hold 8 inches.Bake for twenty-five to thirty minutes at a temperature of 325 degrees. Allow to cool for five minutes before removing from pans.
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Stir in butter on low to medium speed until smooth. Mix vanilla into butter. Add salt, chocolate, and powdered sugar.Add most milk. Start mixing slowly to avoid a powdered sugar cloud in your kitchen.
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Add the rest of the milk as needed to keep mixing. It could take 5 to 6 minutes to get the taste and texture you want. If you use a hand mixer, it will take longer.
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The frosting will get very smooth as you mix it. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk, one tablespoon at a time. If it's too soft, add more powdered sugar.
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A chocolate icing like this is my absolute fave! It is simple to either double or cut the recipe in half. Approximately six cups of frosting can be made using this recipe.
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