My grandma's 3 layer chocolate cake came out flat as a pancake and I finally figured out why
Last Saturday my grandma's 80th birthday party was at my aunt's house in Dayton and I volunteered to bake the family chocolate cake. I pulled it out of the oven after 35 minutes and the middle had caved in like a sinkhole, all 3 layers. I was so mad I almost tossed the whole thing but my cousin said to let it cool first. Turns out I had been scooping flour straight from the bag with the measuring cup, which packs it down and adds way too much. I used a spoon to fluff it and level it off on my second batch that night and the layers rose perfect. Anyone got a trick for saving a sunken cake or do you just call it a pudding cake and move on?
Wait, 3 layers in the same pan? That's the real issue here, not the flour. The bottom layers never get heat through that much batter, so the middle stays raw and caves no matter how you measure. Do them one at a time and they'll rise every time.