So, it feels like it is impossible for me to bake a cake that goes all the way to the top of the pan!
I was trying to get a leg up on a cake I am making for a friend on Sunday and while baking my 6 in tier, the two layers just fell while still in the oven.

I had attempted to put more batter than necessary so I could just cut off the top with a bread knife as I have seen suggested on this site before. Otherwise, I have never been able to get a layer a full 2 in in height. What do you do to make sure you get your 2 inch tall layer, so you can stack them and make a 4 inch tall tier?

CharmingChelsea,
How full are you filling your pans? Average is 2/3 full but some recipes rise more than others. For example my recipe that adds melted white chocolate to the cake doesn't rise very much at all, so I know to add a lot more batter.

Are you trying to use one box cake mix for 2 6 inch layers? Sometimes the box mixes don't make enough batter. You may want to look into the extender recipes like WASC (White Almond Sour Cream) cake because they make more batter.

You might also want to make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh, if your using them, and that your eggs are room temperature. I have had those three things leave me with flat cakes before. HTH

Have you tried collaring...there's some great info (& pics) on this thread: http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-726166-.html

You're welcome