I love BetterCream.  I wish we had the Rich's liquid here so I could make a smaller batch of Better Cream.   I want to try the new product Cool Whip has on TV...called Cool Whip Icing...I'm hoping its super stiff cool whip....like the BetterCream.  That 15lb bucket takes up a lot of room in my freezer.  

Sorry OP for taking over your thread.   

Add dream whip powder to your recipe to have it crust.
 

Amen to that.  Grainy is in the sugar, and unless you are dissolving it, cooking it and whipping it, you need a good brand of sugar or one that you trust to be consistent. 

Thanks for everyone's tips.  No worries about 'taking over the thread'.  LOL.  All of the tips and questions HELP each other.  I figured out that adding and/or subtracting powdered sugar and/or the fats makes all the difference in the crusting, not crusting or too crusting. I do love the mock sugarshack as soon as I figured this trick out.  It was light and fluffy and so yummy.  I still had the grainy texture, but not as much after sifting the PS.  I did use C & H for all, but still grainy.  The local cake store told me that it is the lack of transfats that causes it, but I surely don't know.

AHow did the cake come out? Any pictures?

thanks for asking.  The pictures are posted on this thread.  It tasted YUMMY and was a great success.  Who knew after all my "issues"!!  Thanks for everyone's help.

http://cakecentral.com/t/755528/another-day-need-more-advice-wedding-cake-batter-mess/30  If you click on the pictures, they enlarge.  Not perfect, but not bad for a first cake, I think.  Also, the middle cake shows the filling area in the picture, but to the naked eye it appeared smooth white.

we never saw the veil...