BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Hey guys!
So I want to surprise my friend by baking her a cake for her birthday tomorrow!  Oddly enough, her birthday is 3 days before mine.  But what's really odd is my bff in Montreal, whose birthday is exactly one month before mine.  Her's is Dec. 28, while mine is Jan. 28.  Even though we're only one month apart, we're one whole grade apart.  And according to the lunar calendar, we're born in the same year.  So unfair. :P

So anyway, I'm not allowed to bake anything big for a few months because of an incident....
So I just stuck to a simple chocolate cake (recipe here>>>) topped with buttercream frosting.  Simple.  But I kind of got off topic on Youtube.  I started off with "how to make icing flowers" to a ton of other baking stuff.
So anyways, here it is!

FROSTING:
2 cups shortening
8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract (real vanilla makes the frosting so much better)
6 fluid ounces heavy cream


Ingredient Tips:
-1 1/2C shortening & 1/2C butter
-6oz of cream for thick frosting
-2-3oz more of cream for fluffier frosting

1. Cream shortening (and/or butter if used) until fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar and continue creaming until well blended.
2. Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream blend on low speed until moistened. Add additional whipping cream if necessary (up to 2 ounces). Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

Links:

Special Buttercream Frosting: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/special-buttercream-frosting/Detail.aspx