What is going on? I am so frustrated! 
I just recently started using the cake Dr. recipes and have found that when i bake, my cakes are sinking in the middle (just about half way down the pan). It happens after i open the oven to check on them but I do not open the oven to check them until they have been in there for an hour or so. 
Before i was just using cake mix with some extra vanilla and was not having this problem. I could check them after a half hour even and not have this problem.I have not switched mix brands but have just started adding more things to them (like the cake Dr. recipe calls for)
What am i doing wrong?
Thanks for your help!
I had that problem too....I have just realized that I fill my pans probably a bit more than they are "supposed" to be filled and I use bake even strips which slows down the cooking process...I am going to start trying the flower nail trick to help the middle along, but I have just come to the conclusion that my 8X3 cakes are going to take probably 70 minutes or so to bake...and I no longer trust the toothpick...sometimes it comes out clean and still sinks so i just do a light touch of the top to see if its jiggly....hope this helps a bit.
What kind of mixes are you using? I only use Duncan Hines, because it is the only one that doesn't have pudding already in the mix. I also find that using only 1/2 box instant pudding works better for me than a full box. Another thing is to make sure you do not beat the batter too much, bake at 325, and make sure all ingredients are room temperature before mixing. Yes, it does take longer to bake. I also use the bake even strips and the upside down greased flower nail if it is a large cake, or a 3 inch pan. HTH
I was having this problem a while back...the sinking was not quite that bad though. After filling the pans with batter I started "dropping" the pans on the counter top several times until I couldn't see any air bubbles coming up from the bottom. Sometimes it would be as many as 15 or 20 times...whatever it took! 
Maybe that will help 
I don't use the cake Dr. recipes very much so I can't help there. I use a self doctored mix for all my cakes and I've not had that problem, but they do take forever to bake! Most of mine have pudding, flavoring, jello, or something and it dies take a long time to bake...wonder why? Maybe someone can help, sorry.
I've not had that problem and I use the Cake dr. recipes all of the time...you do have to bake the mixes a bit longer and probably lower the temperature some as suggested....I tend to use the Betty Crocker mixes that do have the pudding in them and still haven't had my cake sink. I'm thinking you probably need to let your cake bake longer and at a slightly lower temperature. HTH
April
I just did the doctored version of white cake-- Sour Cream Almond White Cake. For once I didn't have a huge dome in the middle, and it was perfectly straight and even! So I guess the center sunk a little more than usual, but it turned out to be a good thing. I think that filling the pans only half-way is important. It only took 30 mins at 350 to completely bake a 12in round pan (and I did not use a heating core for the middle of the pan either).
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