Following Rick's recipe, but using half salted butter & half regular Crisco, 6 cups of confectioners sugar, about 4 to 5 ounces of heavy whipping cream and 2 teaspoons of pure Vanilla, I found the PERFECT BLEND. Great spreading consistency and just sweet enough. The Crisco seems to cut the sweetness, while giving the frosting a bit more stability, which is great if you're going to use it for piping borders around a cake or making rosettes and leaves on top. Be sure to beat the frosting with an electric mixer on high speed, a minimum of 10 minutes, or until nice and fluffy. Had enough to GENEROUSLY frost 24 cupcakes, with about 2 cups left over. Can‘t believe using Crisco would make all the difference. Thanks Rick! *UPDATE 1: The whipping cream is a MUST! I forgot to buy whipping cream and used milk instead, big mistake... the frosting wasn't as fluffy and creamy. *UPDATE 2: I wanted a peanut butter frosting for a Reese's chocolate cake I was making, so I added in 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter with the Crisco and butter. Turned out great, with just enough of a peanut butter taste to do the trick.
Maple Buttercream: I added 1/4 cup of real maple syrup for a maple buttercream.
Variation: strained OJ and orange rind