i made a cake this past week for my nephews 13th birthday and i noticed before we got it there that the small top tier was sliding and the butercream on the bottom tier was all messed up as were my accents that i had made. is there a buttercream recipe that will hold up to humidity??

http://cakecentral.com/recipes/6992/indydebis-crisco-based-buttercream-icing

Try Indydebi's Crisco Based Buttercream!!! She claims it held up to some serious humidity in the midwest!! I know that it held up pretty well in late June's humidity here in New England. However I always refer back to my old stand by
1 cup of crisco (or generic / storebrand)
1/2 liquid (this should include your flavorings and good pinch of salt)
***I use water so I don't have to refrigerate my cakes, you can use, milk, flavored creamer, kool-aid, whatever you'd like***
-mix together on low until smooth and creamy
add 1lb of confectionery sugar (1/2 a 2lb bag)
mix that on low-med
then add the rest of the sugar
mix together add more water for a thinner consistency or more sugar for stiffer icing.

It crusts super well and holds up to the heat & humidity pretty well.

Indydebi's, without a doubt, can take the heat!
One of my cakes was for an outdoor party in mid July-temp about 98, humidity about 90%.
Held together fine.

The melting point of butter is about 85° (depending on the brand). Shortening melts at anywhere from 98° to 120° (again, depending on the brand and type) Since 85° is not an uncommon temp here in the summer, I have a policy of only using buttercreams that are 100% shortening based between 6/1 and 9/30. It may end up being 75° on the day of the event, but there's no real way of knowing that in advance around here where whether can turn on a dime.

And I don't give in to clients that insist they want butter. I tell them I just don't offer it during those months. Just like many companies won't ship chocolate products in the summer. I have to put the integrity of what I'm selling ahead of the client's uneducated desires.

thank you for the reply on my cake sliding, in fact, i did one just yesterday for my nieces 1st birthday and i believe that the buttercream is the reason my middle tier slid. i was so upset because the cake come out gorgeous! i will try the all crisco recipe. i am wiery though about the taste of it. thanks again everyone!

What kind of support system were you using in between the layers?

there were only 2 layers on the first cake then a small third layer on the second cake. i have not put anything underneath the layers before stacking them. i had told my husband on the way home from the party that next time that is what i better do. also, maybe when there are so many layers, i better use dowel rods instead of straws to hold the layers together. also, i really believe that it was my buttercream melting and maybe the cake was still too frozen when i unwrapped it so it was too moist when i put it all together.

Did you put a dowel through all the tiers? If left by themselves with nothing to hold all the tiers together they will slide. If not using the sps system then you need to be sure the tiers will support the weight one on top of the other. Sorry it slid, I'm sure it was beautiful.
evelyn