Hi-
I'm going to be making my first decorated cake for my dd's 1st birthday. I'm making the stand-up bunny cake which I'm going to put on top of a sheet cake. I've made a test bunny cake that came out pretty well. I used the buttercream recipe from the Wilton book (Crisco and butter, powdered sugar). It worked really well for decorating and I didn't mind the really sweet taste, but I know that a lot of people don't like the taste of that frosting. Also, if I make the cake the day before and frost it (which I'd like to do) I noticed that the frosting gets a little crunchy....so does anyone have any favorite frosting recipes or advice for a novice?
Thanks,
Stephanie

Hi Stephanie and Welcome to CC! Here is a recipe I really like for buttercream and they say it can be left out and still be soft. I didn't care for the Wilton bc either.
Hope you like it:

http://www.baking911.com/recipes/cakes/buttercreamtami.htm

HI kiddo,
Gee, if you mean the recipe that uses cream or milk for the liquid, I don't find it gets crunchy however the class one with all shortening and water dries out much faster. May be because you don't cover your cake? Normally I box the cake as soon as it is decorated and if it will sit longer than overnight I use a clean unscented garbage bag to bag the box.
Not sure if you have a box big enough to do this with the cake you are talking about though. Most people will take two of the larger boxes, slide one into the other and tent the lids to a peak and tape. I would also cover with a bag to seal in the moisture.
But since you mentioned not liking the taste of the icing, you would likely like the Whimsical BakeHouse Buttercream. It isn't sweet but also, it doesn't crust, which means you can not smooth out any flaws with a paper towel method. You can get it fairly smooth using your spatula or a putty knife. It is good for making stars and borders and such, just not too terrific for making roses when you are a beginner. But if you don't need roses, this is likely a good recipe for you. Store the iced cake at room temperatures below 75F. IF you have leftover icing, you can refrigerate it but you must bring it back to room temperature before re-whipping to use.
Hugs Squirrelly
Whimsical Bakehouse Buttercream
In the bowl of an electric mixer,stir together
6 cups of Confectioners Sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt ( I do not add the salt here, I add it to the boiling water. If you use salted butter, you do not need the additional salt).
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
With a whisk attachment, (I use the Kitchen Aid Paddle attachment)add and whip at low speed
1 cup of boiling water(3/4 cup on hot days)
Whip until smooth and cool
Add and Whip until smooth
2 3/4 cup high ratio shortening or regular Crisco shortening
6 ounces( 1 1/2 sticks of butter) slightly chilled cut into small inch
pieces (if using unsalted (sweet) butter use salt if using salted butter do not add extra salt as per instructions above)
Increase the speed to med-high and whip ubtil light and Fluffy and it
will have doubled in size (10-20 minutes - I whip 10 minutes)The buttercream will almost fill a 5 quart mixing bowl
Yields 9 1/2 cups

Oh my gosh! Thank you SO much to both of you for the advice and for taking the time to type all of that out! I'm copying it and saving it right now. I really appreciate it.