I use this recipe often. There a few caveats that should be mentioned as we all know that half of our cooking success is really in technique and not just the ingredients. First--try to make on low humidity day or have the AC going to dehumidify the air--things just seem to work in this recipe better with lower humidity. Second--WRT ingredients--whole milk or any level of cream will work better--must be dairy and not any of the imitations that are quite good but will NOT yielod the same result with THIS particular recipe. THIRD--please do yourself a favor and use butter the first few times around with this recipe--my only failures came in using a cheap margarine and other whipped "spreads" that are great on toast but don't always make the transition into old family favorite recipes (I figure if my mom and grandma made it with butter--if I want the same result I should use butter)--actually my frosting was slimey tasting when I used one of those 'spreads'--grossed me out and I wasted the other ingredients and still had to get dressed and run to my all night grocer. You need to reduce the flour and milk mixture to a smooth paste by constantly whisking over medium low heat. Is this a fussy recipe--kinda but well worth the effort and like everything else--the more times you prepare it--the better you will become.