I have a cake to make for a Middle Eastern couple. They said in their culture, they don't like alot of sweets so they want the buttercream used as the filling and underneath the fondant to be very, very less sweet. Anyone know how to do this? Also, with the fondant, is there anyway to make it less sweet tasting?

Add a bit of pinch salt or 1 tsp flour to the buttercream. It will taste less sweet. They might also work for fondant.

I have used a 1 to 2 tsp of lemon juice and it cuts down on the sweetness enough for me.

I use 1/2 tsp salt in my buttercream plus using salted butter and they still thought it was too sweet. Maybe I need to use a different kind of frosting than one using powdered sugar, butter and shortening???

instead of using corn syrup or milk to change the buttercream consistency, I use half and half or heavy cream. It cuts the sweetness way down. You might try a cream cheese buttercream. It also is not as sweet.

I have never used them myself, but I have heard that the Swiss and Italian meringue buttercreams are less sweet than regular.

the swiss meringue butter cream is really good. Martha Stewart has a good recipe.

I agree SMBC is the way to go but its non crusting so the technique is different

I had a family from India for whom I had to make a grad cake. I got the same request for not too sweet frosting. I used SMBC. It came out with perfect consistency but I thought it tasted like a hunk of butter. Hated it. I got some help on CC as to how I could improve the flavor. (Use quality name brand butter, add plenty of vanilla and make sure you use a good recipe) Play around with it before you need it and don't wait til the last minute like I did. All in all the family loved the final result. I dread having to make it again, tho!

I agree: SMBC is the way to go. It's all I use now. I've been having trouble with heat lately, though, so make sure if it's warm/hot where you are, you keep it refrigerated. It does not sit out well at room temp.

If it tastes like butter, something went wrong. It definitely takes a bit of practice, but it is possible to "get it" right from the start Good luck!