I'm hoping for some help from all the smart decorators out there

My Current BC is:

1lb butter

1lb shortening (going to start using high ratio just realized my current isn't)

2lbs powdered sugar

1tbsp clear vanilla extract

Do I need to add anything to make this crusting such as some meringue powder or will just changing the shortening to high-ratio do the trick? I am really interested in trying the Melvira method, I've had no luck with Viva in the past.

I really like the way my BC taste that's why I'm trying to see if there's anyway I can get it to crust. I've tried one "crusting" BC on here and I had no luck with it :(

Thank you all for your help and much appreciated comments!!

AOk I may be wrong and I'm sure if I am someone will correct me but you are using to much butter and shortening to that amount of sugar. I use 2 cups shortening in my buttercream which is a pound and I use 2 pounds of sugar to that amount. So you need one cup of butter and one cup of shortening to 2 pounds of sugar. Hopefully this makes sense.

AWay too much fat and/or not enough sugar! That's why you've had no luck with viva. ... unless that's a typo...

AThat's what I'm thinking too. Its to much fat and not enough sugar . For one pound each you would need more sugar in there but if you just double the amount of sugar it will be dry and crumbly I think . My recipe also has 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream in it and that makes a stiff icing.

Here's Shirley Corriher's recipe:

Crusting Confectioner’s Sugar Buttercream

Make about 4 cups

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups Crisco or other shortening with emulsifiers
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 tablespoons clean vanilla flavoring (if you can’t find this, regular works – just know your icing won’t be bright white)
8 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons water
plain white Viva paper towels

1. With the paddle attachment of a mixer, whip the butter until soft, and then whip in the shortening. Beat in the extract and flavoring on low-speed.
2. Sift the sugar through a large strainer with medium mesh just to remove any lumps. Beat the sugar and the meringue powder into the fat mixture on the lowest speed. Scrape down the sides as needed.
3. Stir the salt into the water to dissolve and mix it into the icing thoroughly on low-speed only.
4. Adjust consistency to a spreadable icing with a little more water or confectioners’ sugar. Do not over mix or mix on high-speed.
5. For a very smooth cake, similar to a cake draped with rolled fondant, let the icing dry just until a dry Viva paper towel touched to the side does not stick, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the humidity. To create an absolutely smooth surface, use a plain white Viva paper towel  and start with the sides. Place the towel against the side and smooth up and down gently with your fingers or palm. Do not allow the towel to pleat or fold. If desired, smooth a contour edge and smooth the top.

Thank you all for your responses! To clarify I didn't use VIVA with the recipe above, I am aware that it's way to creamy for that lol. I tried a crusting buttecream from CC which still has less ingredients than the ones you all have shared with me. The recipe above was given to me by a local culinary student, and I love the way it tastes but I want to expand my ability with cakes so I am open to trying a few tweaks to get a perfectly smooth buttercream. Because some people just love BC and some love Michele Fosters fondant everyones got a preference :)

Thank you all for your helpful responses!!! It's greatly appreciated :)

This whole crusting butter cream is new territory to me, but I'm thinking it basically looks like a mix of royal icing & buttercream (made with shortening), with the royal icing being the part that forms the crust?

Being British, I dont know what a 'Viva' paper towel is? The technique itself sounds great, I'm just wondering if a paper towel from the uk is comparable to a 'Viva' paper towel? one can enlighten me?
 

Viva towels don't have the "quilting" or embossing of other brands, they are just plain and flat. I have the Viva towels, but I have yet to be successful with the smoothing method. If the buttercream isn't very crusted, the towel sticks. If I wait, I get "alligator skin." What am I doing wrong?
 

AI really like this video only thing she doesn't tell you is you want to wait about 10 minutes before you do the viva towel smoothing let your buttercream crust alittle before doing the viva towel method.

m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=6Vgcx5GZTnM&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D6Vgcx5GZTnM

If you can't find viva I've read on here that you can use a clean piece of computer paper to smooth your buttercream yep you read it right computer printing paper.

Yes, Sharon Zambito, in her dvd uses computer paper to finish up her b/c cakes. they look like fondant.

AYeah there was a discussion on here today about using computer paper for smoothing your cake. Maybe on that video that I posted you only want to wait a couple minutes before you use the Viva on the sides because she smooths the sides than comes back and takes more buttercream off the top so you don't want a hard crust on the cake just enough crust that the paper towel doesn't stick to the sides and pulls your buttercream off you don't want that happening.