When I use a deep pan such as the soccer ball pan, by the time the cake has baked in the center I've lost the top 3rd (hard and burnt) and have only filled the pan half full. So after almost an hour of baking I end up with a cake half the size of the pan. I use an oven thermometer and have tried temps as low as 325 degrees but to no avail. Thanks in advance for any help. 
Hmmmmm I don't have any problem with my pans but you still might try putting a flower nail in there as a heating core. what kind of cake are you using? Maybe it is too dense or something...
Try using a flower nail in the bottom of the pan. Grease your pan, and the flower nail, set it in the bottom of the pan and carefully pour your batter in...you might need to hold the nail for a moment till you get the batter around it. Bake as usual, but it should not take as long to bake. The nail heats up and should help to cook the center of the cake quicker. When it is done and you are ready to flip the cake out, you can easily remove the nail. It will leave only a tiny hole.
Some times on those deep pans, at the midway point of baking, I put strips of foil around the edge of the pan, so it covers the outer 2 inches. You can also use just one piece of foil, with a hole cut out of the center. This will keep the edges from overbaking. And I always use bake-even strips. Sometimes they are hard to get to stay on oddly shaped pans, but they do make a big difference, in my opinion.
Good Luck! 
Well I have good news to report. In the soccer ball pan I used a box mix and put the flower nail in. I had to bake it for about 50 minutes but at least it didn't get hard and burn on top. Cooked just fine in the center and had a nice golden top. Thanks again everyone ! I was getting discouraged and now I'm getting excited about decorating again. 
No, that's smaller. It should've worked. You can't use the quick reply box. You need to hit the post reply button and a box will be there to type into with another section underneath to choose your photo to attach. You should be able to pull it up from your computer with that to post it. I'm not very good at giving directions though.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%