I just want to put in a good word for the following recipes from this site:

Durable Cake for 3D and Wedding Cakes
White as snow buttercream

WOW! These taste great together!! I used all vanilla flavorings - in the icing, as well as the vanilla pudding and vanilla cake mix. It is very moist, and the cake is dense, but also has a light feel. The other great part is that the cake ices very well - no crumbs! I used it for a character pan. I am planning to try the whole bit in chocolate next time. Yummy!!

Thanks for sharing your results. I will have to give those recipes a try.