Hey guys, 

I have a upcoming wedding cake (my sisters wedding cake) and it is my first three teired wedding cake. I have been baking for enough time to know where my barrier is... But one thing that is nagging at me is the expense of buttercream. I was hoping to find a cheap and stiff buttercream icing that will hold mousse filling and a buttercream icing that taste good at that. Sorry for all of my babbling, I'm just a bit on edge about this project... -Sarah 

I know what you mean. When I started a few months back, it shocked me how much I was spending on butter. It's probably the most expensive ingredient that goes into my process at least, that or chocolate depending on the cake.

If you want cheap, you should probably consider shortening. I still use all butter in my swiss meringue buttercream, because I don't think it tastes right with shortening. So I just make sure to stock up on large amounts of butter when I can find it on sale, sometimes buying 10 pounds at a time. In my area, the best deal I can find is $2.79/pound, but the average price is $3.99/pound or higher.