I'm attaching 2 pics. One was right when I took cake out of oven, everything looks fine, then the second pic is when I went back to remove from pan.

this is the same scratch recipe I've used for 25 yrs and it's never done this before, I've made 4 cakes this wknd and they've all done it. I am freaking out....I have a wedding this coming wknd....what could possibly be going on he Really?? 

Help CC Peeps 

My guess - and it's totally a guess - is that there is too much liquid in the recipe  but you say you've used the recipe for yrs.  Were you interupted while making the batter and you forgot something or measured wrong?  How does it taste - the same as always - just that it shrunk?    Next I'd look to the overn.  Is it electric?  Maybe one of your elements is out so it's not baking at a good temp.  Just some guesses to help you think it through.

do you think it might be a little over baked? in the first photo it's already pulled away from the sides quite a bit -- is your oven off? do you have an oven thermometer?

Maybe I need to check that, I've never had this problem before, it's making me think I've lost my touch.....

why do there have to be so many little disasters waiting to happen every time we bake? 

Thanks, gonna check that in the morning

Check your baking powder if the recipe calls for it.  I live in a humid part of the country (S.C.), and this effects the baking powder.  

Just checked my oven and the temps are correct. the recipe only calls for 1/2 tsp. Of baking powder, but I did recently buy a new can. Could it be possible that particular can of BP is bad somehow? I always use Rumsford. Are there better brands? Cake on inside looked fine, so I'm hoping I can still use them.

thanks everyone

oh sure you can use them

Ok ladies, I think you all were right...K8memphis, .oven temp was fine, but Cutiger after you mentioned baking powder , I checked the can I was using (still had a year before exp) against a new can I had, there was a huge difference! I'm thinking it could have just been a bad batch? I'm in central GA and it's always humid here.  Also kakeladi the eggs I was using were a good bit bigger than ones I usually use (all large) anyway that was probably causing too much liquid. I baked another cake this afternoon and it was beautiful! THANKS FRIENDS!

Ok ladies, I think you all were right...K8memphis, .oven temp was fine, but Cutiger after you mentioned baking powder , I checked the can I was using (still had a year before exp) against a new can I had, there was a huge difference! I'm thinking it could have just been a bad batch? I'm in central GA and it's always humid here.  Also kakeladi the eggs I was using were a good bit bigger than ones I usually use (all large) anyway that was probably causing too much liquid. I baked another cake this afternoon and it was beautiful! THANKS FRIENDS!

the devil's in the details -- glad you got it worked out

Glad you figured it out!  I have noticed that baking powder doesn't maintain freshness during our long hot summers.  Learned the hard way to get a new can as soon as I begin to see cakes not rising or shrinking.  

Omg thankfully got this worked out.  I had similar. ..turned out the Large eggs weighed more than Large egg usually used. I now weigh the eggs!

Also friends, can you tell me if the cake pan is slightly too big for amount of batter, could that cause a cake to shrink away from sides of pan after removing from oven?

No the pan is not too big and that does not cause the cake to shrink even if it was :)    It's natural for cake to shrink some once removed from heat.    Of course it always a gooid idea to weigh ingredients but the fact that the eggs were bigger than mormal should not cause shrinking either.  That is not enough liquid differece.