This is close to my own recipe but I've always used all butter. I was never quite happy with the results because the frosting was always a bit too sweet for me. Following Rick's recipe, but using half salted butter & half regular Crisco, 6 cups of confectioners sugar, about 4 to 5 ounces of heavy whipping cream and 2 teaspoons of pure Vanilla, I found the PERFECT BLEND. Great spreading consistency and just sweet enough. The Crisco seems to cut the sweetness, while giving the frosting a bit more stability, which is great if you're going to use it for piping borders around a cake or making rosettes and leaves on top. Be sure to beat the frosting with an electric mixer on high speed, a minimum of 10 minutes, or until nice and fluffy. Had enough to GENEROUSLY frost 24 cupcakes, with about 2 cups left over. Can‘t believe using Crisco would make all the difference. Thanks Rick!

Truly an exceptional frosting, especially when butter is substituted for half of the shortening. Not too sweet, with a fluffy, creamy texture. There are infinite possibilites for a variety of flavorings and add-ins. It was a generous amount to fill and frost a 3 layer 9-inch cake. A real keeper and will be used over and over!

This was great. I used 1/2 butter and 1/2 crisco and about 6 cups of sugar (and still wasn't too sweet). This frosting has an incredibly smooth spreading consistancy, yet is strong enough to hold a shape if piped as border/edging. It makes a ton, too. I frosted and decorated a 4 layer 8-inch cake and still had about 1-1/2 cups leftover. THIS IS MY NEW FROSTING OF CHOICE!!

I have been on a search for the ultimate decorator icing and this is it (I've tried dozens)! This icing is wonderful!! I even used it for roses and figure piping (clowns) without a problem. It is much less sweet than many of the buttercreams. Note: I used half Crisco and half butter for the shortening.

This was the recipe I was looking for! I used 1 1/2 C. butter to 1/2 cup shortening and one large bag of confectioners sugar (6 cups). It was perfect for decorating with and never got too soft. Plus it tastes great. I'll always use it when I'm decorating a cake!

Excellent. I made it for a train cake for my son's birthday, it frosted and decorated 2 cake mixes with a little left over. Will definitely make again. I did use half butter, half shortening. I loved another reviewer's tip to beat the shortening/butter on high for 10 minutes before adding sugar. It makes the frosting so light and not greasy. Also, I have used 2% milk instead of the cream with equally delicious results. 3/2/08 Update: This is the standard birthday cake frosting for our family. Everyone who has tried it says it's the best frosting!

This recipe is similar to the SPECIAL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE also submitted by Rick (slightly diff. recipe with cream) - This is a GREAT RECIPE however I STRONGLY recommend using half unsalted butter for half the shortening and only 5 cups sifted powdered sugar (otherwise it would be much too sweet). I also used real vanilla powder (less color than extract). With 6oz heavy cream instead of the milk, it becomes a terrificly rich, light and fluffy frosting that spreads beautifully. You could beat in slightly more sugar to part of the finished frosting if you want to use it to pipe roses (but don't use that much sugar to cover the whole cake).

Fantastic buttercream frosting, I do however use butter in place of shortening to keep from getting the greasy feel you get. Super YUM! Make sure you whip the butter adequately to get it aerated enough before you add the sugar so its super fluffy.

I've tried so many and this one beats them all. As a fresh variation, I substitute fresh strained orange juice for 1/2 the cream and add 1 tsp grated orange rind--it's delicious! Add cream with care--it can become too mushy for proper cake decorating if you use it all. Subtract 1-2 Tbsp and it'll be fine.

Thank you so much Rick! I have been looking for the perfect frosting recipe for years! When I was little my mom used to buy these incredible birthday cakes from the bakery - the icing was the best part, and this is it!! It is perfect for decorating as well! Upon advice from the other reviewers I used: 1 cup shortening and 1 cup butter (unsalted); I also only used 5 cups of the icing sugar and about 3/4 cup whipping cream. I know, I know, modifications..... but it turned out wonderfully - highly recommmended for bakery quality!