I'm in the UK and have just made this using Trex. Absolutely love it, tastes just like Costco's and isn't sickly at all. I'll be using this for all my cakes in future. Many thanks!!

Here in the Middle East, Crisco in buttercream icing is ESSENTIAL to prevent melting even at low temperatures out here.

This is a great recipe. I did it once and found I needed more water because it was too dry/stiff to pipe from an icing bag. The second time I made it, I doubled it and it was perfect! Will use this again and again. Thanks for posting!

Great alternative to expensive boxed Buttercream mixes and tastes BETTER too!

I am a cake decorator for Costco and I use this recipe for my personal cakes I do at home. It is simple, tastes great and holds up well for icing and decorating. I highly recommend it :)

Folks, it's BUTTERCREAM ICING! Why not use REAL BUTTER?

The reason for using Crisco shortening is to keep it white. White icing does not distort the color one is trying to achieve, unless of course you are doing a yellow related color such as the green or orange family. Butter turns the icing a yellow hue and really messes up blues, purples and reds, pinks etc. So, if you're going for yellow related color, butter would work great. Also butter turns rancid more quickly than shortening.