This is not so much a "How do I" as a "What do I do now".

I have seriously noticed a huge terrible difference in my buttercream since I can't seem to find a shortening that contains trans fats anymore.

My question is this. If I use the 0 trans fat shortening and butter in a 50/50 ratio along with heavy cream, will that help with the issues I'm experiencing by not having any trans fats?

I currently use Edna's Buttercream recipe which is
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 T. meringue powder
approx. 4 tablespoons milk or water
1 pound powdered sugar

These are the differences I have noticed.
1) The shortening doesn't seem to "setup" (kind of liquidy)
2) When icing is made the icing doesn't seem to want to "setup", even with meringue powder.
3My icing seems to want to "squish" out of the cake more.

Do you think if I make the previously stated changes it will help with these issures. Angry as a demon over this. I'm sick of everyone trying to watch out for my health by changing my baking products. Baking is a fine science, you don't just come in and start playing mad scientiest with the ingredients.

I've noodled around with buttercream recipes since I got 'cake fever' in '09 and this works for me:

12 oz shortening (weighed 'cause I don't want to clean the cup)
1 stick butter
About 3 lbs powdered sugar (sorry, I don't measure to a 'T')
enough liquid (flavored creamer, milk, whatever) to make desired consistency.
flavorings to taste

Beat the fats to death (KA Classic + beater Blade) then add flavorings to blend
TURN OFF THE MIXER & Add PS (I used to stream it in but now just dump it all at once)
COVER BOWL WITH DAMP TEA TOWEL AT THIS POINT
Pulse mixer on and off til most of the PS is blended in then beat a couple more minutes GENTLY

Before the trans-fat police (boo...hiss ) came to town, I didn't know what a difference NOT having it in the Crisco would make (newbie and all) This recipe crusts very well and holds up pretty darned good even in this God-awful heat! I have one store in my town that still has it's brand of shortening with 3 G of trans fat, but this recipe works for me even without.

I used to have the smooshy icing thing happening too 'til I started using a really stiff icing dam between layers. Damn those bulges!

Cabecakes do you have a Winn-Dixie were you live? Their brand of veg. shortening has 2.5g trans fat in it.

Get Sweetex....totally worth it!!!!

I had to use regular Crisco when I went to Chicago to do a small cake for my sister....I hated it....it mixed up just fine but then it seemed to get too liquidy when I mixed a bit of color in it. Strange!!! Was not fun to work with.

Cabecakes do you have a Winn-Dixie were you live? Their brand of veg. shortening has 2.5g trans fat in it.

Sorry, I didnt mean to double post

I too have been extremely frustrated with this change in shortening. I have noticed the shortening I had been using now seems VERY soft and I too use Edna's BC. The adjustment I have made is that I only add 1Tbsp of liquid and it seems to be much better but am still not happy with the consistancy of the shortening. Will be looking for another brand.

LaWmn223, no I don't have a Winn-Dixie around here. I wish I did now though. I have already checked our local stores. Even the generics have gone to 0 trans fats. I know this is what the problem is because I never had a problem with my icing. I was getting Walmarts generic shortening because it still contained the trans fats, but even Walmart has taken it out now. I noticed it on the last can I bought. I was a kind of now you see it now you don't thing. I went into Walmart to pick some up because I was nearly out. I told my daughter to make sure to grab the one that still contained trans fats (it has fried chicken on the label), and she said, "Uh mom, this doesn't have any trans fats." I grab the can and take a look, and I just wanted to throw it down the aisle. I don't make cakes often enough to warrent ordering large amounts of shortening online, so this is why I thought maybe I could add some fat by upping the fat content from the milk to cream and maybe by using more butter then shortening. I'm at a loss for sure.

I order Alpine specifically WITH transfats. Nanny state, please go "help" someone else.

I too was buying Wal-mart brand as it was one of the last with trans fats. Had to switch from Crisco years ago...I knew something was up last fall when my local Wal-mart was out of stock for 2 months. I had purchased cases from other stores to stock up but am now out and bought a can recently and am just disgusted!
leah_s where do you buy Alpine? I live in a rural area and our food service distributors are very limited or very expensive. The shipping on some of this stuff is so outrageous! Find it hard to grow a business when food standards keep changing on me...why can't they leave a good thing alone?!

I use a 50-50 mixture of butter/Crisco shortening in my buttercream and have found that using whole milk or heavy cream does definitely thicken up the icing, making it suitable for piping work. HTH!

I have a Dawn Foods near me. I pick up my orders at Will Call.

I just found I can get Sweetex at GFS stores. It come in a 50# cube bit it works wonderfully!!