Just wondering if anyone else has this problem? My cakes seem to shrink around the middle (look like they have waists). Any ideas as to why this is happening?

Is this before or after they are assembled and iced? Could you post some pics?

No, it happens after they have cooled and i take them out of the tins. Then i have to trim or fill the waists so the sides look nice and straight. I should have taken some photos, but the cake is finished now. It's just annoying and time consuming to fix, and i am curious as to what i am doing wrong.

I usually use baking wraps around my pans and that helps.... but some of my different flavors do it still... chocolate most of the time.

It could be your pans. Cheaper pans have flared sides so that they can be stacked inside each other. I had some that were 8" at the bottom and 9" at the top...needless to say, they didn't make straight cakes.

It sounds like the cake may be underbaking. I've had that happen. Double check your baking time, temperature, and perhaps try to put a greased flower nail in the middle of your pan. That could help.

Ok, thanks very much for everyones help. My tins are the good stainless ones with straight sides, so i don't think that's the problem, maybe i am underbaking them, they are very moist cakes and seem to be fine, but maybe the flowernail would be worth trying, will give that a go next time. Thanks again for taking the time to try and help have a great week everyone.

I have Wilton pans and they do the same thing. My Magic Line Pans don't do that as their sides are completely straight.