Hi - I've been having a LOT of trouble lately with my non-shortening buttercream...I make a VERY tasty swiss meringue buttercream, but lately it's been falling apart, melting, developing a weird grainy texture...makes my cake decorating extremely stressful.

I was hoping some of you had suggestions, recipes, ideas to help with this. I know the butter/shortening variation is always an option, but I find my customers like the taste of the non-shortening BC better.

Thanks for your help!!!!

My base buttercream recipe is strictly salted butter, powdered sugar, some vanilla and sometimes a touch of heavy whipping cream if it seems to thick for my needs. There really is no way to mess it up and I have been proposed to several times because of this icing. It's also easy to add cocoa or what-have-you to change it up.

Where do you live? Is it possible that summer is creeping up on you and that is the reason why it is doing this?

A grainy texture on SMBC is not right. Butter does not react that way. What else are you adding to the recipe?