Can anyone tell me why baked goods (cupcakes, and cookies) sometimes look nice and puffy in the oven, and then when you take them out, they fall and look wrinkly?

Do I need to add more baking powder/soda, or am I taking them out to soon? They seem to be done through the center...  

Someone just asked me this recently.  There's always a little bit of fall when the cake comes out of the oven because part of the puff comes from steam.  So once it comes out of the oven the heat drop causes some deflation.  There are lots of different reasons for actual sinkage: not enough flour to hold everything up, not enough leavening, too much leavening, old leavening, dead leavening... I listed all these things and the person who asked me said, "Oh, I bet the leavening is too old, plus you (talking to his wife) leave it out with the box open (as in deodorizing the fridge!).

Hmmm. Well, I just bought that can of baking powder, so I don't think it was that.  I made a cake with gluten free flour, from scratch. -the box ones are always so dry. The recipe I tried tasted like cardboard, and was soooo dense. I added some almond milk to lighten it up a bit, some more sugar and vanilla, and it looked more like cake mix, less like cement. Once it cooled, the texture and taste was a mixture between pancakes, muffins, and cake.  Really yummy! The recipe also called for butter instead of oil. Thinking of trying to substitute coconut oil next time, or maybe add more baking soda... so many variables!! I have to make a bday cake for Sunday. Trying to troubleshoot b/f then!

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! :)

Gluten free is a completely different animal!  Post your recipe.