Tonight proved that I am no baker!!!! I baked 2-11"x2" rounds when I took one of them out of the pan it was very moist and about to fall apart, so i put it on a cookie sheet and put it back in the oven for a few minutes and it burned all around the edges BUT it was fine in the middle. So I try for #2 I leave it in the oven longer and that seemed to work until I tried to take it out of the pan and it was stuck in some parts and was still very moist.
How long do I leave it in the pan before I take it out?
Should I cut each layer in half? When?

I used a ducan hines mix and added 1/3 less water and baked at 300-325 for a little over and hour. Oh and I used about 1 1/2 boxes to fill the pan one time. Where did I go wrong.

"Bakers are born, not made. We are exacting people who delight in submitting ourselves to rules and formulas if it means achieving repeatable perfection", Rose Levy Beranbaum.

This "Everything you ever wanted to know about making your 1st tiered/stacked/layer cake" might be helpful:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-605188-.html

Batter requirement chart for other than Wilton sizes:

http://tinyurl.com/4pc8a5

An 11" round (2" deep) would require 7 cups of batter and should bake for about 40 minutes at 350F. However, most bake larger layers longer at 325F.

Did you put the cake back in the pan and then put the pan on a cookie to return it to the oven. Or did you flip the cake layer onto a cookie sheet and put it back in the oven that way.

10 mins. is about average for cooling layers in the pans before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Why did you not add the full amount of water called for in the mix directions.....

HTH

I don't know if any of this applies, but: I ALWAY spray and use parchment paper in bottom of cake pans. And I always use proper amounts of liqued as called for on mixes. Also, I do bake at 325, but we were taught in school NOT to pay attention to the time on the mixes, (because all ovens vary) but to watch for when the cake "just starts" to pull away from edges and just springs back in center. THAT'S when its done.
Hope this helps!

300-325 visibly doesn't seem like a significant difference, but is a significant difference when baking. With larger pans and mixes, I would opt for 325(don't they usually call for 350?) and set the timer for the minimal time called for in the directions ...start checking at that time then at regular intervals until cake pulls slightly away from pan at which point I use a toothpick/thin skewer to check for doneness in center and also add the amounts called for on the package(unless using an alternate recipe that has already been written ...WASC for instance...but still follow directions accordingly). As for cooling, I allow my cakes to remain in their pans overnight. I spray the pan, lay parchment then spray the parchment.
Splitting the layers is optional...I do it because I LOVE icing and the I like the way it looks when sliced. I bake the cake...allow it to remain in pan overnight....remove from pans, wrap, freeze overnight, thaw, split/fill, crumb coat, allow to rest overnight or at least 6 hours, base ice and decorate. It's what works for me.

I don't know if this will be of any help but it is a useful tip... you should never open your oven until at least 2/3 of the cakes cooking time has passed!

If you open the oven before that amount of time has passed the gluten in the flours will have not had enough time to develop and set and you risk having a deflated heavy cake

Thank you everyone! I was told in a previous post that I should add less water because of the moisture. I made another after I did these and I used 1 mix which was about 5 cups, it looked alot better but it wasn't 2" and it doomed a little. I'm such a newbie, I thought I could jump into this head first....i was wrong

I always fill at least 2/3 full because it seems no matter how full I go I still get doaming. This way, I just plan on leveling them at the pan before turning them out. It makes for real even leveling. I turn them out about after about 15-20 mins. Torte them, Syrup them, Wrap them and Freeze them! Then they are ready when I am for icing.....

One thing not discussed here is that on any pan over 8" its always a good idea to use a heating core. If your pans were 11" round, then a heating core in the middle would make it bake in the center as evenly as around the outside.
Lori

I agree with the heating core idea. If you don't have one, just coat and flour a flower nail or two and put them in the middle of the cake pan upside down before you pour in the batter. Also, you can set your pan on a larger cookie sheet and lay damp dish towels around the outside of your pan for the first half of your cooking time then remove. I always do this with any cake larger than an 8 inch. I don't get as much doming so it saves cake.

..... used 1 mix which was about 5 cups, it looked alot better but it wasn't 2" and it doomed a little.........

As has been mentioned this is not enough batter for an 11"x2" pan
It also sounds like your oven might be a bit to hot.