I like a crusting recipe myself; but I think it comes down to personal preference. 
There are a lot of members who find the American b/c's too sweet, so they use meringue b/c's (which don't crust) - and get terrifically smooth finishes!
Can't wait to see more opinions.
I get the smoothest BC with the almost non-existant bubbles this way:
I use about 3/4 butter to 1/4 crisco....blend them on the lowest setting until they are smoooooooooooth. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract....keeping it on the lowest setting. Start adding powdered sugar, a little at a time until it's almost the consistency you like. Add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream....keep on blending on low....
continue to add sugar until it is the consistency you like it.
It's so creamy this way for me....and it goes on beautifully....crusts to the touch, but not as hard as a recipe with more crisco, I think.
If you look at the cakes in my gallery, all of the white ones are done with the butter/crisco. Well, really all of them are the same recipe except the chocolate ones. Anyway, you can see it's not pure white, but I think it's close enough.
You do not need to refrigerate these cakes, the fat/sugar ratio keeps them from going bad.
Brickflor:
Does your white buttercream crust well. Can you PM the recipe and a good chocolate one if you don't mind.
I'm a vote for IMBC. The finish can be beautifully smooth but the biggest difference to me (other than taste) is just how sharp you can get the edges. I love those sharp edges so I don't have to put a top border.
If you look in my photos, the beehive baby shower cake was my very first attempt with IMBC and I got really sharp corners.
I get the smoothest BC with the almost non-existant bubbles this way:
I use about 3/4 butter to 1/4 crisco....blend them on the lowest setting until they are smoooooooooooth. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract....keeping it on the lowest setting. Start adding powdered sugar, a little at a time until it's almost the consistency you like. Add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream....keep on blending on low....
continue to add sugar until it is the consistency you like it.
It's so creamy this way for me....and it goes on beautifully....crusts to the touch, but not as hard as a recipe with more crisco, I think.
I tried this recipe yesterday and it will be the only buttercream I will be using. Thank you so much adven68 for posting this 
Destini
A
Original message sent by Brickflor
Yes, if you look in my gallery you can see how smooth I can get it with the viva towel method. I wait about 10-15 mins. My regular bc is listed but I'll pm you both anyway [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumbs_up.gif[/IMG]
AHi, just found this site, desperate after failing with two different yellow cake recipes, neither of which rose. Used fresh ingredients, measured and mixed as directed, baked until toothpick came clean. Where can I find your recipe for no fail yellow cake? Thanks much!
I get the smoothest BC with the almost non-existant bubbles this way:
I use about 3/4 butter to 1/4 crisco....blend them on the lowest setting until they are smoooooooooooth. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract....keeping it on the lowest setting. Start adding powdered sugar, a little at a time until it's almost the consistency you like. Add about 1/2 cup of heavy cream....keep on blending on low....
continue to add sugar until it is the consistency you like it.
It's so creamy this way for me....and it goes on beautifully....crusts to the touch, but not as hard as a recipe with more crisco, I think.
This sounds awesome! About how much powdered sugare do you use. I love Sharon Zambito's recipe, but I usually don't ever need that much buttercream at one time. 
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