sheet cakes caving!

[tycoon]

While making full sheet chocolate cake for orders this new annoying thing continues to happen: the center is caving in slightly. And this is a problem because of course when u try to make 1/4 or 1/2 sheet cakes 2 sides are leveled off! the question is WHY is this happening?!? IT happened to 6 of sheets we did for the first batch. This does not happen when we bake the white cake, this problem is only with the chocolate cake! HELP!!!!!

[foodpump]

Hard to say without looking at the recipie first. I do know that the standard rule of thumb for choc. sponge is to substitute 10% of the flour weight with cocoa, and I know that there is a baking difference between natural cocoa and dutched (treated with alkalai). But before I stick my foot in my mouth, lets have a look at the recipie

[siduri]

Not a professional baker, but i read in Beranbaum's Cake Bible and other places that when the cake pan is bigger, you have to use proportionately less baking powder. Apparently the usual amount (proportionately) will make it raise beyond its ability to hold up, and it will cave in. It's the wide expanse of cake that does it, narrow borders stay up easier.

[tycoon]

We use the 50 lb cake mix bag and add water oil and eggs to it. Um...When we scoop it into the sheet pans could it not be spread around evenly? Like too much air in the middle and when it leaves the oven it goes into shock. geeze i just wish i could explain it better....any other advise or is it just sucks for us!?

[foodpump]

Not too much experience with mixes. Yeah, try spreading out evenly with an ofset spatula, or if you don't have one, a burger-flipper

[KAYLINDA]

I'm wondering if your oven is just too hot? Make sure it's running the right temp. Maybe the sides are getting too done before the middle has chance to finish cooking? The other thing would be to make sure you are not "over-filling" your pans. If your oven temperature is ok...then I would suggest you try baking the cake at a little lower temperature. I have a carrot cake recipe that I bake at 300' instead of the normal 350'.

[rat]

One thing that has happened to me is water or moisture getting under the parchement papaer and lifting the cake in the center as it steams up, maybe worth a look. Just my .02

[VillageCakeLady]

Is it possible that it is not fully baked in the middle?
Do you use flower nails to disperse the heat more evenly?