AI used to make really good buttercream but recently it's been crap,, anyone has a good recipe for buttercream for icing cakes?? Mine dries out and get hard. I think I get carried away with the powdered sugar.. Please help! Thanks

AHi! I use a delicious Austrian Buttercream recipe. The first phase is cooked, the second phase incorporates the sugar, butter and vanilla

The crusting happens due to the ratio between butter/fat and sugar. It crusts if you use a 1:2 ratio (f.ex. 500 g butter and 1000 (or more) g icing sugar) - so for it not to crust, just make sure you use less sugar than that (plus a little milk/liquid)...I'd try a 1:1,5 ratio and see how that suits your needs.

Any American style buttercream will crust - meaning just powdered sugar and butter (maybe a little milk), or powdered sugar and shortening. 

Try one of the meringue based buttercreams. They never crust because the fat content is so high and there is very little sugar. It may take some practice, but they are amazing in flavor. I would recommend trying the Swiss Meringue Buttercream first, as it is a bit easier than Italian Meringue. 

Good luck!