Just wanted to let you know that the Whimsical Bakehouse Buttercream is to die for, it is delicious. I don't think you could do a lot of flowers with it as it is just too soft, but to ice a cake it is a breeze! And the way it takes color! It is so nice to work with and pipe things. Just wanted to share. I also wanted to thank llee for her 'idea' of using a fondant onsie. I will load the pictures once I get home. The only thing I don't like about this cake is that I can't have any! 
I started the South Beach Diet on Tuesday and I am in the no carb faze. (Of course I had to taste the frosting though, so I had a couple of teaspoons! 
)
Have a great day everyone!
Melissa
It is delicious and it is very easy to make and work with. I decorated my "her" shower cake with it in the gallery and everyone loved it! For buttercream it is very light and fluffy!
Deb
Now see I thought that this bc TASTED great but was horrible to work with. I have tried it on at least 3 different occasions and each time I had a horrible time with bubbles in the icing. It was also WAY too soft to decorate with, IMO (even after sticking the batch in the refrigerator to firm it up a bit). I do agree that it takes colors beautifully though...
FWIW
Ok which buttercream are you guys using seeing there are two differant recipes in the book.
here are my observations:
House Buttercream ( confectioners sugar and vegetable shortening based) -> tastes good, too soft for my liking and not good for travelling.
Kaye's Buttercream ( basically the same is Italian Meringue as it is egg white/sugar based). -> LOVE it.. this is now my buttercream of choice, holds up wonderfully, light and fluffy and not too sweet.
I've only tried the house buttercream.
Try using less water in the recipe. It says 1C or 3/4C on a hot day. Maybe that will help and make it easier for you to work with.
Deb
I used the house buttercream. I agree, it was really wet and I split the difference between the 1 cup and 3/4 cup. I added powdered sugar to it and some more butter at the end trying to stiffen it up a bit, but it didn't really do much. I got a lot of compliments on the frosting, but a couple of people said it was gritty. The one said she is just to used to her cousin's cakes who does them out of her home and her frosting is really smooth. This is the 4th buttercream recipe I have tried. I don't know. What do you all think is the best buttercream recipe? Is it one of those things that comes down to you can't please everyone all the time?
I tried Dawns, liked it a lot. Have this other one that I also like a lot, but it is the heavier kind, not whipped.
I agree with the "you can't please all of the people all of the time". Maybe it was gritty because the added the pwd sugar after the fact instead of to the hot water and it didn't dissolve fully?
Deb
Deb, you are probably right. I ask other people and they didn't think it was gritty.... AGHHH
You know, I should just decide on which recipe's of BC I am going to make and stick to it. I can offer this one and another crusting one and that is it.
Maybe I need to have frosting test day at my house.
I'm still trying new ones all the time. I like the Bakehouse recipe but it won't work for all of my cakes so I use other recipes too. I haven't found the "perfect" recipe yet but I got rave reviews on the Bakehouse one.
Good Luck!
Debbie
it is in the book the Whimsical Bakehouse. I have it at home and can post this weekend unless someone has it handy.
Deb
I hope you get to post it Deb, I'd love to try it... I've basically stuck with one icing recipe but I'm always willing to try another ... the one I use is just too sweet ... it's very easy to smooth, but it's nothing but shortening and confectioner's sugar, flavoring and water... it does taste good but is just way too sweet for my liking ... I'd love to find the perfect recipe too.. one that I can still smooth w/the Viva papertowel, that's not too sweet and still taste good! That's not asking too much now is it??
o.k., someone please post the recipe for kaye's buttercream icing. i have a few customers who don't like their icing too sweet, but i haven't found an icing to my liking!
I found it online but I think someone should check just to make sure it's right.
http://food4.epicurious.com/HyperNews/get/archive_swap52701-52800/52724.html
Kaye's Buttercream
from The Whimsical Bakehouse
"People who think they do not like
buttercream have probably never had the real
thing. I think my Italian meringue
buttercream is just the best. It is stabel
enough to hold up for those summer wedding
cakes; it keeps well; it has a silky-smooth
texture; and it mixes beautifully with
flavors like chocolate, espresso, raspberry,
lemon, or hazelnut. We use 40 to 60 gallons
a week at the Bakehosue. Any leftover
buttercream should be stored in the
refrigerator and will stay fresh for up to 2
weeks. To use the chilled buttercream, bring
it to room temperature and beat at medium
speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until
smooth and creamy. To speed up this process
you can lightly reheat the buttercream over
hot water before beating. Tinting the
buttercream will not produce colors quite as
bright or pure as the House Buttercream
because the butter content imparts a subtle
yellow cast."
In a saucepan, bring to a boil:
1/2 cup water
2-1/4 cups sguar
Use a clean brush and cold water to wash
down any sugar crystals that form on the
sides of the pan as the water heats. When
the sugar comes to a boil set a timer for 7
minutes, and let boil.
After 5 minutes, in the bowl of an electric
mixer, begin to whip at high speed:
1 cup egg whites (about 12 large egg whites)
Whip until stiff. They should be done when
the timer goes off.
With the mixer on high speed, slowly beat
the sugar syrup into the egg whites, pouring
the syrup to the side of the bowl to avoid
the whip.
Continue to beat until the bowl is cool to
the touch, about 10 minutes. Slowly add:
1-1/2 pounds (6 sticks) unsalted butter at
room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces
When the buttercream begins to jump out of
the bowl, reduce the speed to low.
Mix in at low speed:
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Beat until light and fluffy. At some points
the mixture might look curdled. Just keep
beating; it will become smooth again.
YIELD: 8 cups
I have to dissagree with whom ever said that you can't smooth the non crusting frosting. They are tricky to work with at first but they smooth beautifull with a hot knife. The icing I use is a non crusting, and its all I use for all of my decorating, from icing the cake to flowers to string work (you just have to get used to them).
this recipe is a swiss buttercreamm its what most of my cakes are made with... making flowers can be tough at first, but once u get the hang of it they come out very nice .. but i find with u keep mixing the colored buttercream it thickens up a lil
i just noticed she calls it a italian meringue when its the same recipe as our swiss buttercream.. go figure 
Lisa - that is the correct recipe for Kaye's Buttercream. I've actually been using the House Buttercream which is
6C confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon sale
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
With a whisk attachment, add and whip at low speed:
1 cup boining water (3/4 cup on hot days)
Whip until smooth and cool.
Add and whip until smooth:
2 3/4 cups high-ratio or regular vegetable shortening
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) slightly chilled butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume (10 to 20 minutes)
The buttercream will almost fill a 5 quart mixing bowl.
The book says that you can use regular vegetable shortening without affection the taste but that it will affect the buttercream's ability to accept color. It recommends using candy colors to tint buttercream if using regular shortening.
This is VERY easy to make and very tasty!
Debbie
i just noticed she calls it a italian meringue when its the same recipe as our swiss buttercream.. go figure
Isnt all the buttercreams all the same recipe components so the only things that change is the actual method.
This is what I have read:
Italian buttercream requires a cook sugar syrup to soft ball stage ( 238 degrees) and then this is added to whipped egg whites heating them up so they cook. Then butter is added.
Swiss buttercream is when you cook the sugar and eggwhites together to around 160 degrees and then this mixture is whipped until light and fluffy. Then butter is added
Then there is french buttercream wich I have never tried yet! lol
i'v worked with this buttercream the past 4 yrs... i honestly have to say i hate the taste... it reminds me of eating soft butter... however it frosts cakes beautifully
When I said it could not be smoothed, I guess I was talking about the viva paper towel method. Yes it does smooth wonderfully with a hot knife! I tried Kaye's buttercream and liked how it went on the cake as well. I was staying away from it because I thought it would be difficult to make, but it was very easy. I think I will offer this as an option, but it will have to be a little more expensive with all that butter in it!!! I didn't try flowers yet with it, just borders and some star tip work, and it piped beautifully.
Personally, I love the "extra special" wilton buttercream, with half butter/half shortening, a little whipping cream (I don't add as much as it calls for), and SALT - that's the best way I've heard to cut the sweetness. The Whimsical Bakehouse recipes are just too soft for my liking, and a LOT more effort.
When I want to make flowers, etc, I just whip up a batch of all shortening frosting (with cream and nice flavorings of course). That way, the cake tastes great, so you don't notice the shortening as much in a few flowers.
Can somebody verify with me, is this icing similar to taste as Rich's Bettercreme? I used to buy this product in California, and since we moved I cannot find it. I have the feeling that the recipe for Bakehouse BC might have a very similar taste. It tasted like cool whip, almost.
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