Some of these questions might seem silly but they are all stuff I've always wondered. 
First, when you take the cake out of the pan, the bottom of the pan has a "custard" like residue and the bottom of the cake is "sticky", what causes this and how do I prevent it?
Second, when I bake cakes they sometimes don't rise very high (maybe to the top of a 2" pan). How can I make the cakes rise higher? Is it true that if I add meringue powder (about 2 tbsp) the cake will rise higher?
Please help me answer these questions!! Thanks.
If you underbake the cake, and cool it in the pan, it can sweat, and make the surface sticky. Be sure to cool the cake on a rack, and if you can, take it out of the pan after 10-15 minutes.
you don't say what kind of batter you are using or what size pans. If you underfill the pans, they won't bake very high. You can try a different recipe, or bake in smaller pans.
Sounds like the cake isn't done. I don't know about meringue powder making a cake rise. Are you filling the cake pan 2/3 full, that's my rule of thumb to make it full. I don't know what else could cause these problems. I hope I have helped.
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