Ok. I've decide some of the problem is the change in trans fat. The recipes I'm finding are US ones. I haven't tried the one I posted above yet. Besides, I want to use butter and not shortening. I finally flat out asked Cupcake Lady for the recipe or some hints. We laughed over how I didn't really expect to get the recipe from her, but she did offer that she lets it beat for about 10 minutes to get it fluffy. When I beat the frosting that long, it seems to get too warm. So, off I went to search for more recipes. I've managed to come up with a frosting that I can work with for now. I have combined several recipes together and put this together. I've adjusted flavorings to what seems to be my family's preferences. I'll keep tweaking, but for now: A Buttercream I Can Work With!!  2 cups butter (or 1 c butter 1 c shortening)  2 lbs powdered sugar (8 cups)  1/4 teaspoon salt  1 ½ tablespoon meringue powder (optional)  1 ½ teaspoon vanilla  1 teaspoon almond extract  4-6 ounces heavy whipping cream Directions 1. Cream butter until fluffy. 2. Add sugar, meringue powder and half the whipping cream. Cream until well blended. 3. Add salt, flavorings and enough whipping cream to make the desired consistency. 4. Beat at medium speed until icing is fluffy. Notes: 1. I used all sweet cream, unsalted butter. I did NOT use clear vanilla. The frosting was nearly white. 2. I saw some recipes said to add clear butter flavoring. I didnÂt have any, so I havenÂt tried adding it. 3. I did use meringue powder. In fact, I increased the meringue powder above what most recipes called for. I tried 1/2, 1, and 1 1/2 Tbsp, and determined 1 1/2 Tbsp held up the best for me. The frosting was not crusty. 4. Most recipes I found called for 1/2 tsp of salt. It tasted too salty to me, so I halved the salt. 5. I found that adding heavy whipping cream did seem to lighten up the texture...just not quite to where I want it. I'll keep adjusting measurements. Other Notes: Everyone who has tried my cupcakes with this frosting recipe seems to love this recipe hands down. I like the taste. ItÂs not too sweet. The texture isnÂt quite as fluffy as IÂm trying to achieve, but it produces a frosting that stays on the cupcake (I pipe it with huge pastry tips) and holds its shape. I'm not completely there yet, but I think I'm finally on the right path. Thanks for following my journey. Let me know if you try it out and have any thoughts/comments. Thank you to everyone who responded to my original plea. And Jan, thank you! Your comments have been particularly helpful to me.

Lovely idea & so creative! Would have loved to borrowed this idea when recently I made 3 doz cupcakes for a little 1 yr old birthday party. Would have been a great center piece for each table. It was a big bash!

For my wedding last year we had a heavy Hor-dourves meal. That seems to be really popular these days. It included pieces of chicken on skewers, meatballs in sauce that people ate with toothpics, foccacia, and fruit and veggie trays with a variety of dips. One fruit dip I make that goes over well is really simple: a tub of Cool-Whip and a tub of fruit-flavored yogurt. One thing that always seems to be a hit is a piece of melon with proscuitto wrapped around it. For some reason that taste combo sits well with people. I've made an easy cake for parties that is esp. popular for kids. All I do is make a one-layer cake, frost it with chocolate frosting, arrange chocolate chips on the top, and arrange twinkies concentrically around it to where it looks like a sunflower. Does that make sense? If you click on the link at the end of this post and scroll down you'll see a picture. I went through my recipes and here's what I found: this recipe is meant to be low-fat (which some people might like), but I'm sure you can use regular ingredients, too. I thought you might like it because it's more elegant than some hot bean dips: Hot Black Bean Dip 1 can (16 oz) fat-free refried black or pinto beans 1 c (8 oz) reduced fat sour cream 1 c. salsa ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper ½ c.(2 oz) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese cumin, to taste Preheat oven to 325˚. Combine all ingredients except cheese in a 3-4 cup shallow baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Serve with fresh cut vegetables. This pumpkin dip recipe is so good, and very easy. It's great if you don't want a dessert that is too heavy, and it lends itself well to a buffet-style meal. HARVEST PUMPKIN DIP INGREDIENTS 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 2 cups confectioners' sugar 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Apple and pear slices, graham crackers (sticks work esp. well) SERVINGS 28 PREP 10 min. TOTAL 10 min. DIRECTIONS In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Gradually add the pumpkin, pie spice, vanilla and ginger; beat until smooth. Serve with fruit. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 3-1/2 cups. This recipe is also great for a crowd because people can just grab them and go! Cheddar Chili Cups Chili Cups Ingredients: 2 (15-ounce) cans vegetarian chili 1/2 cup sliced green onions 6 (4-inch) hard round dinner rolls Toppings Ingredients: 6 slices (1/2 ounce each) LAND O LAKES® Cheddar Cheese 1/3 cup LAND O LAKES® Sour Cream 2 ounces (1/2 cup) LAND O LAKES® Cheddar Cheese, shredded Cherry tomatoes, if desired 1. Combine chili and green onions in 2-quart saucepan. Cover; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (3 to 5 minutes). 2. Meanwhile, hollow out rolls with serrated knife, leaving 1-inch shell. Place 1 slice cheese in bottom of each roll; fill with 1/2 cup hot chili. 3. Top each with 2 teaspoons sour cream; sprinkle with shredded cheese. Serve with cherry tomatoes, if desired. Makes 6 servings. Well, that's my 2 cents. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Kids might like the cupcakes more but here's the lemon bar recipe I always use: LEMON BARS DELUXE 2 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus additional for sprinkling 2 sticks butter 4 beaten eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp baking powder Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together 2 cups of the flour & the confectioners' sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture clings together. Press the dough into a 13x9x2" baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar & lemon juice. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup flour with the baking powder; stir into the egg mixture & pour over the hot baked crust. Bake for 25 minutes longer. Remove from the oven & sprinkle w/confectioners' sugar. Cool. Cut into squares.~~From Mountain Measures. KILLER CUPCAKES (makes 20-22) Cupcakes: 4 squares (4 oz) semisweet chocolate 1 tsp vanilla 2 sticks butter 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup flour Preheat oven to 350°. Line standard muffin tins w/paper cupcake liners. In the top part of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate w/the vanilla & butter. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until thick & add the sugar. Beat in the flour. Fold in the butter-chocolate mixture. Spoon into the prepared tins, filling the cups 2/3 full. Filling: 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg, beaten Dash of salt 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips Mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg & salt until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop a rounded teaspoon of filling onto the top of each cupcake. Bake 30 minutes.~~ San Francisco Encore