My Cake Rose Significantly

Q: My cake rose significantly in the middle, and not so much on the sides... is that caused by the oven temp?

A: An oven that is too hot will cause a cake to rise dramatically and dome in the centre. However, it's quite common for cakes to develop a ‘gentle’ rise in the middle and it is related to the cake batter naturally cooking more quickly around the outside than it does in the middle. This means that the outer area will set more quickly than in the centre and once set, won't rise any further. Basically, the centre part has more time to rise than the outer so the cake ends up higher in the centre! One way of getting around this and helping the cake be of more even depth across the cake is to make a slight well in the centre of the batter before you put the cake into the oven. How deep you make this well will vary from cake to cake (as each cake's composition is different) but you will get a feel for each recipe once you have made them a couple of times.