I have a cake that calls for 3 inch pans so I bought some. The first batch of 3 inch cakes that I made sunk in the centers. I also had a cake that I needed a 2 inch layer for so with the second batch I put a 3inch and a 2 inch in the oven. The 2 inch came out perfect but the 3 inch sunk in the middle. The three inch naturally took a little longer to bake and as I mentioned, is done in the middle so what is going on? Any ideas/tips?

are you using a core??

I have the same problem and I do have a core but not really sure how to use it. Is it used like a bundt pan kind of where the batter goes around it or what???

no, I've never baked with a core before. Would that do the trick?

what size is the pan.. 10 inch and above you need it.. dont forget to fill it as well so you can plug up the cake when you remove it

Sinking could also be caused by opening the oven too soon (it has happened to me too). With 3 by 10 inch I now use bake even strips and a heat core or flower nail.

I use bake even strips and also use the oven light to check on my cake rather than open it many times. However, towards the end I try to open not more than once to make sure it has baked even....

The sinking is definitively cause of the fact that the cake still not done on the center.
It needs more time to cook with a 3 inch pan.
For the center core, you just place it on the center of the cake and fill the hole with batter. When the cake is done cooking, take the cake in the center core and plug it in the hole that was left by the core in the center of the cake.
Hope this helps.
Edna

Then then at a certain point the oven might have been open too early. I know the 3 inch pans can be a pain sometimes.
Edna

I use rose nails in all my 3 inch pans. I have not had a problem since I started using them. The bake up more even and quicker. I find the cake to be moister due to the shorter oven time. pan strips and heat core or nails, and you will never think twice about using them.

Im not sure what could be happening. I do use 3inch pretty much all the time. I usually bake for 30 minutes at 350 and then 15 minutes at 330. Maybe if you try different varies of times and temps. Are you pudding pudding in your cake. That always makes a difference too..

Well I usually use half a package of pudding. The above temps always works well, but one time I forgot and dumped the whole box in. It took forever to cook!! I had to keep it at a really low temp just to keep it from burning but I mean forever!!

i used to have alot of problems with the three inch pan but once i started filling them with a little less batter and bake at 325 instead of 350 (since the cakes do have to cook a little longer in the three inch) that pretty much took care of it.

I use the amount of batter recommended for a 2" pan in my 3" pans. I really like my 3" pans but if I use more batter they don't bake right for me. I don't grease the pans --I just use parchment in the bottom. I stopped using the wet strips on the outside of the pan--too much moisture and I bake at 350 now--works great.

i also use pudding in my mix,and i use the flower nail and the strips and bake at 325 and have not had a problem with my 3 in. pans.

I also use the 3" pans and most of my cakes are doctored mixes. Some have pudding, some don't. I have used the bake even strips, but don't see a huge difference with them, so I usually skip them. I do however most always bake at 325. It does take long to bake the cakes, but I usually use the time to make icing or clean my disaster in the kitchen up. I haven't had any problems with sinking but once, when I overfilled the 6" pan.

I cook all my cakes at 325 too..it does take longer but I prefer that anyways..
Edna

I have a 3X12 square and it sinks in the middle too. After too may tries I have not used it in 2 years. Could it be the core I'm using is not good enough? I'm using 2 flower nails.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who have trouble baking with 3" pans. It is a pain. I can't be bothered any more I just stick to my 2" pans.

I've never had anything BUT trouble with the 3" pans. Gave them all to Goodwill and said good riddance.

all my pans are 3", no problems at all in my 10 years of baking.

just 3 days ago i purchased a 2" pan, but that was only because the 10" square i wanted, didn't come with a 3" in height (out of stock) so i had to grab the 2".

I won't use my 3" pans anymore, because every time the cakes sink. And we are talking 6 "pans. I don't use doctored mixes or pudding but I live in a humid area I don't know if that has a thing to do with it or not. Since it was so small, I never tried a core with them.