I've tried using Indydebi's BC and it tastes & spreads great! I love the way if was so fluffy. My problem is I can't seem to get a smooth finish with it. It almosts looks like there's too much "air" in it and just isn't smooth enough. I don't know if it is 'crusting' too fast - I'm new to this recipe and have previously used a basic BC. In addition to not being able to get a smother finish (I don't mean fondant smooth - just a nice finish) When I tried to make roses they melted before I could finish them and were slipping off the nail onto the floor before I could even finish piping one. I tried chilling the frosting more (end even the nail) and it didn't seem to help. I chose this recipe since we were supposed to get rain later this week and I figured since it's supposed to be good for high humidity (I live in N Alabama) I'd get a frosting that wouldn't melt as I decorated. It was a clear day and I had the air conditioning on and a fan so I don't think it was the room temperature I followed the recipe EXACTLY leveling off everything, etc. and used the entire 2lb bag of powdered sugar. What did I do wrong and what do y'all suggest I do different next time?

For flowers, this works: 1 pound white shortening, 2 pounds powdered sugar, 1/4-1/2 cup white corn syrup (Karo). MIX do not whip until smooth. This will crust if you put the flowers onto paper towels after you shape them. Use only as much in a pastry bag as you can handle, and chill it between flowers if your hands are hot.

Use the Indydebi buttercream for spreading onto cakes ONLY and add as much more HOT water as you need to make a smoothly spreading consistency.

If you don't want to spend a lot of extra time trying to smooth out icing on the cake, it must be smooth icing before applying. If it's too airy, try adding water and make sure your bowl is completely full covering the top of the beater so it doesn't incorporate air. If it's too thin, try adding more shortening for a more creamy result.

For making roses, you cannot use the same consistency buttercream that you'd ice a cake with. You must add powdered sugar for a stiff icing, to prevent the petals from drooping, melting, and falling over or off the nail. If you chill the buttercream before making roses, the roses will simply return to the same soupy consistency when no longer chilled. The same thing happens if you refrigerate or freeze finished roses, they return to the original consistency shortly after they're out at room temperature.

You can make your roses ahead of time and let them air dry at room temperature. Two days in advance might be long enough, but a week would be even better. The longer they dry, the easier it will be to place them on the cake where you want and you'll be able to better handle them without breaking the outer petals.

HTH. Good luck and have fun!

Thank you for the tips. The Indydebi BC seems too fluffy and airy for what I want I think. I tried to smooth it out with using hot water on my metal spatula and it didn't seem to make a bit of difference. The frosting does crust well & hold up to the humidity but I think the standard BC recipe is much smoother. I'm afraid if I doctor the recipe I'll end up with something to thin for icing. I do think making a thicker frosting with the recipe you gave makes sense, Thanks for the tips!