Please help. I've been having bad luck with my WASC cakes. The center always falls, or doesn't rise in the first place.
I live in Denver, so I thought it was the high altitude. I tried a "high altitude" recipe today and it still fell. I used to use Betty Crocker mix, but this time I tried Duncan Hines hoping it would help. nope.
What can I do to fix this problem?
This is the recipe I used today:
http://www.food.com/recipe/wasc-cake-my-small-adjustments-419002
(although I used reg flour instead of cake flour.)
I have the same problem with WASC cake and even posted a question similar to yours in the forums a few days ago. No one else replied that they have the same problem. I live in Ohio so I don't think it is the altitude. I've tried beating on a lower speed for only 1 minute instead of two but that didn't help. I will be watching to see if this happens to anyone else. For now, I'll just overfill my pans to account for the cake not rising.
I am a newbie also, I bake three graduation cakes using WASC recipe from this site, it came out perfect. I use one flower nail, bake for 20 minutes open the oven turn the pan and bake for another 20 minutes. I'm not sure what I did right, works perfectly for me!!
(although I used reg flour instead of cake flour.)
I am not sure if this is the problem however this is a reason cakes will sink. Substituting them 1:1 actually means your cake has "too much flour" which is a reason cakes can fall in the middle.
Keep in mind AP flour has a higher protein percentage than cake flour. More protein = more gluten which produces a tougher texture--think about bread. Substituting AP flour for cake flour (especially 1:1) will impact the structure of the cake which can cause it to sink. If you are going to use AP flour you need to use 7/8 cup (1 cup minus 1 tablespoons) of AP flour for each cup of cake flour. However, that this still could adversely impact the structure of the cake.
Remember cake recipes are finely balanced and changing one of the elements even just a little (like subbing AP for cake flour) can be the difference between a great cake and failure. Best bet is to get some cake flour and see if this addresses your problem
I came on to specifically research this problem. I made the recipe for the first time (2 different batches) and have sunken centers. My recipe that I got from this site does not say anything about using cake flour. Is that just a given? 
I believe mine might have been from opening the oven too many times. Since the oven temp was lower and I used bake even strips I had no idea how long the cakes should take to bake. I think one of mine took over 90 minutes! I wish the recipe included baking times for us beginners!
I baked a 6", a 14", 2 - 10", and 4 cup cakes. The cup cakes and the 14" seemed perfect. The 6" I think I over baked and the 10" both sunk badly in the center.
HELP! 
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/2322/white-almond-sour-cream-cake-wasc
I live in the mile high city as well, and this is the recipe I use and I've never had a problem. I bake my cakes at 325 degrees for a bit longer, and have had really good luck. I generally wait until I smell the cakes before opening the oven, and check for doneness with a toothpick or wooden skewer.
Kat
I have used the WASC a few times, and it actually works better then normal recipes for me. I'll bake a regular box cake and completely fail, but when I adjust it to WASC it works. And my oven SUCKS. We rent, so obviously it isn't a great appliance. It doesn't even have a window in the front. THAT'S HOW BAD IT IS haha. My rule is, I don't open the oven door until it has AT LEAST hit 20min/half the full bake time (which ever is longer) and usually it bakes plump and smooth. And because it starts out at a lower temp, I wouldn't use baking strips. Sometimes they work, and sometimes I get soggy cakes. HTH
I use the WASC recipe all the time and haven't had a problem. I do it exactly as the recipe, unless I am making half abatch. I beat on low for 2 min..(Iset my timer) and then add to the pan. I drop my pan on the counter a few times to let the little bubbles "pop" out (I saw it on here before). I also after putting in the over I set my timer for 20 min and when that goes off I turn on the light and look through the windowI. Then adjust in intervals of like 10 min and keep checking. I was told before never to open the oven door unless you were inserting a toothpick or knife to check for doneness because and can cause it to sink. My mom growing up swore that if we made any thumping or slamming doors at all we would ruin her cakes so I don't know if that could be a reason (I live in Florida and in a cement floor foundation...lol). I hope you figure out the problem because it is a delicious cake
I use the WASC recipe all the time and haven't had a problem. I do it exactly as the recipe, unless I am making half abatch. I beat on low for 2 min..(Iset my timer) and then add to the pan. I drop my pan on the counter a few times to let the little bubbles "pop" out (I saw it on here before). I also after putting in the over I set my timer for 20 min and when that goes off I turn on the light and look through the windowI. Then adjust in intervals of like 10 min and keep checking. I was told before never to open the oven door unless you were inserting a toothpick or knife to check for doneness because and can cause it to sink. My mom growing up swore that if we made any thumping or slamming doors at all we would ruin her cakes so I don't know if that could be a reason (I live in Florida and in a cement floor foundation...lol). I hope you figure out the problem because it is a delicious cake
Great tips and I know that opening the door likely caused mine to sink. Can someone tell me how long they bake their cakes for using this recipe at 325 degrees? I am going to skip the bake even stips and just use a flower nail. If someone could post the baking time for 1 size cake I could probably figure out the rest for my pan sizes. Thanks!
I am in Ohio, and use WASC a LOT. How are you mixing it? Are you putting all the wet ingredients in first, then adding the dry? That is how I mix it, and it NEVER falls, never. I bake at 325 in a convection oven - completely full of pans just about every time. (oven door is opened, but not a lot, and only when cakes need to come out)
What kind of mixer do you use? Sometimes, overmixing can cause issues too. People that have the KA sometimes tend to overmix.
I get sunken middles when I use only egg whites. I tend to get better results if I use whole eggs instead of egg whites unless I need a true white cake.
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