Hello, this is my first post here and I am a little sad. I just got a feedback from one of my clients that my cake was not moist and fluffy. It was a chocolate butter cake with pistachio buttercream filling. Surprisingly, I have successfully used the same recipe umpteen times in the past and everytime got rave reviews. However the filling was always either fresh cream or ganache. Does buttercream (American) play a role in the moistness of the cake? I did brush the cake with a simple syrup quite generously before spreading the filling. I am quite surprised and sad and can’t think of where I could have gone wrong. The cake was filled and frosted on Friday night, delivered on Saturday morning and cut on Sunday morning as the client wanted to carry it for a camping trip. Please advice! Thanking you all in advance

The butter cream wouldn't play a role in how fluffy or moist a cake is, as it is not an ingredient in the cake. What I have learned is that fluffy is definitely subjective, and people have different ideas of what fluffy is. You made the cake as you have before,  and you brushed it with simple syrup;  don't beat yourself up over one comment. If you continuously got the same feedback from clients on that particular cake, then I would look at what could be going wrong, but don't be sad and upset over one person's opinion. 

To be clear, do you mean your client cut up the cake before she went on her trip or?  Just wondering how she stored it and if that could have anything to do with it drying out.  And, I agree with ypierce82.  I mean, I was once sad because a BF didn't like my lasagna, which most people raved about!  And then I found out his favorite was from Olive Garden.  I felt much better!

Complaints like that are hard to deal with.  Fluffy and moist are, as the othe posters have said are very personal opinions.  It sure does sound to me like it was not properly cared for by the customer.

CBMore

I do not believe your cake wasn't still moist on the Sunday morning when it was cut. Impossible. Especially since you also used simple syrup. I've made cakes 3 days before being cut, and they were lovely and moist. Just like you did. Now as far as fluffy?? As others have said, fluffy means different things to different people. I wouldn't worry about that. Since it's a winner with so many others, don't let  one odd man out bother you. I'd be more annoyed by the "not moist" remark, when I knew perfectly well my cake was moist. Anyway, just shake it off. It's only one customer, and one opinion.

Something I've seen on here is a comment that from scratch butter cakes that have been refrigerated will not seem moist/fluffy because the butter hardens.  The cake has to come back to room temp (if I remember right) and maybe therein lies at least some of the problem - the cake was not handled right. 

yeah, the thing about a butter cake is it doesn't relax fully back to room temp after it has been fridged or chilled -- so just depends on how cold it had ever gotten before it was served -- and of course if it was actually cold when it was served -- then it's a little rough going down the back of the throat -- so people say "dry, "not moist" when they really mean "too firm"

that's probably it -- you can get it back to perfect if you microwave it for five seconds -- but i'd never do that after if was iced --

cakes made with oil are your friend 

i use all butter icings

I hadn't thought about an all butter cake. Yes refrigerated, and still cool, or cold, it's a very firm texture. Definitely not "fluffy".  I'm not a fan of all butter cakes. Have tried recipes from The Cake Bible, Liz Marek, and nope. Too greasey tasting, not a light enough crumb for me. As K8memphis said, 

"cakes made with oil are your friend" 

there's a real easy test anyone can do -- make your favorite butter cake -- when it cools and is room temp securely wrap up a piece and put it in the fridge for a coupla hours -- let it sit out on the counter for a coupla hours -- take a bite of each, fridged and non-fridged and see the difference -- the previously chilled one goes down the back of the throat a little stiffer/thicker -- heavy heavy -- then microwave the previously chilled one for like 3-5 seconds -- back to normal -- bam! it's the buttah

i used sylvia weinstock's original yellow cake recipe with the sour cream -- which comes out as my white cake because i tweak it -- i remove 2 or three egg yolks and add the eggs without whipping them -- oh and i add a quarter cup of flour too --

i'm not talking about bundt cakes or anything but it's certainly true there too --

this is why i used doctored duncan hines white for all my wedding cakes -- but i used self rising flour to ensure the fluff a  bit -- it's simply the best cake with the most favorable qualities that i needed for tier cakes -- has a great shelf life -- it can go in and out the fridge with ease -- it can sit out on the serving plate without getting a crust -- it tastes great -- it's a workhorse -- slices cleanly -- doesn't crumble -- it was the best i could offer to any bride -- 

sure scratch is nice but it's not user friendly for tier cakes and events -- low performance high maintenance -- no can do -- i'm talking white wedding cake -- by and large the most ordered flavor of my career --

scratch white cake is nice for family 9x13's kwim 

that's what worked pour moi