Ok so I was making two 6" rounds and one 9" round cake. I wanted to try using some homemade baking strips so my first cake to go in was a 6" with the strips on it. I had put two cups of batter in the pan. It baked at 350 for 25 mins and when i checked on it It had completly overflowed and the middle was as jiggly as when I put the cake in the oven. I set the timer for 10 more mins-not done, 10 mins later still no change. At this point I took off the baking strip. 10 mins later it tested done. I let it cool 10 mins and then tried to turn it out.....it fell apart. I pieced back together and proceded with next cakes. I baked the next 6" and the 9" at the same time (no baking strips). After 25 mins the 9" was done but the 6" wasnt. I let it bake 5 mins longer and it tested done. When I took them out of the oven the 9" was perfect the 6" sank horribly. Then after they cooled for 10 mins went to turn them out and the 9" crumbled into 3 pieces. Was there something off with my batter ( it did sit on the counter for a while while I delt with the mess the first 6" made)? This is the first time Ive had this happen,,,,,,,

Hi, and sorry about your disasters. We need a little more information.

First, are these recipes you have used before successfully? If so, the first place I would look for a problem is with your oven temp. It can go out of calibration in one baking session. Get an independent thermometer and check it. Next, was an ingredient changed. For example, my very expensive chocolate cake ($30.00/lb chocolate in the batter) sunk slightly two times. This is a recipe I use all the time. I researched it and found that because I was out of 70% chocolate, I used 60% instead. That difference took my batter out of balance.

Batters should go in the oven asap for best results, some more than others. The leavening reacts two times, once when the liquid is introduced, and the other when heat is introduced. The first reaction can "die" if you wait too long to introduce the heat. They should be baked within 1/2 hour if not immediately.

If these are new recipes, they may not be balanced recipes. The strips are not your problem. I use them on 6 inch cakes when I'm going for a three inch tall cake. I wrap it all the way up the sides. On a 2 inch tall cake, it really is unnecessary, but won't fail your recipe.

So let us know if it was a new recipe. If it was, post it. If you used an off brand butter (more water content), reduced fat ingredient, etc., look at your changes. New mixer? Being tired (this is a big one). Let us know.

My oven temp is not the problem, I have a oven themometer. The cake recipie i used is as follow.
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cups butter (I used 1 1/2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
3eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk
3 oz unsweetened chocolate melted.

I didnt have any chocolate blocks so I substituted 3 tbsp cocoa with 1 tbsp oil for each oz of chocolate- Ive done this before with no problems. Maybe it was that the batter sat on the counter too long after I mixed it, I usually put it right in the oven like you mention should be done. That doesnt explain why the first 6 inch flowed over and took so long to bake.....and I measured my batter for that pan, Luckly I was just playing around in the kitchen for this one and even though it look awful it still tasted good and will get eaten lol.......but I have two cakes due this weekend that I wanted to use this recipie for and now im afraid to touch it again, It just taste the best out of all the chocolate cake recipies I have tried before. If anything looks funny in the recipie please let me know.....And any other suggestions I would appreciate. I may try it again and get it all straight in the oven and see if that makes a difference. Thank you scp1127 and thanks in advance for any other help.

Just to add a note here: I often have leftover batter or dough and have never had a problem refrigerating anything for future use. And when my time is tight, I'll make the batter ahead and bake it off another day. Again, with no problems. There may be a few fussy recipes out there that can't tolerate such behavior, but if one like that ever found it's way into my kitchen I'd toss it. (Sorry, I have no tolerance!)

Hi all, I ended up using the recipie for both the cakes I had due this weekend. The only real problem I had this time around was that it seem to want to stick to the pan even though I had prepared it right. I ended up having to piece the few pieces that stuck to the pan back on to the cake, but it didnt sink like before and it didnt fall apart! yay. I baked both cakes as soon as they where done mixing. The second cake I had some left over batter that I ended up useing to make cupcakes about an hour after i mixed it and they also seemed to be fine, I had to mess with reducing any of the sugar and such because everyone seems to LOVE this recipie. If I could just figure out a way to keep it from sticking to the pan and maybe a little more sturdy It would be perfect.......Thanks everyone for the suggestions