I love Wilton's buttercream that calls for all shortening instead of 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup crisco.. I find that the all shortening recipe firms up better and I like how it holds it's shape, I don't find that with the 1/2 butter 1/2 shortening that it does very well...

Can anyone tell me how I can make the all shortening recipe taste better?? I use vanilla and butter flavoring but I think it has a grainy taste to it..

How can anyone tell me how to make my 1/2 and 1/2 buttercream thicker and more sturdy? I really like the taste of Wilton's buttercream but just don't feel that it stands up to how I like to decorate my cakes.

Try Indydebi's crisco based buttercream in the recipe section. I don't like it but others fave about it.

It's most likely you are not mixing the recipe long enough. Let the shortening and water mix together for 3-5 minutes then slowly add the sugar - about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well before adding more. Once all the sugar is added, let it mix on slow speed up to 5 minutes.