How do you keep your cakes from rising in the middle?!
Answers: It's hard to make layered cakes when there's a hug lump in the middle!
Most cakes are going to rise a bit in the middle, no matter what you do. If you're making a layered cake, you should level it before you frost it.
You'll want to place one hand flat on the middle of the cake, and with the other hand, carefully cut off the lump usuing a serrated knife. It helps if you have a cake turner, but it's not necessary. Also, you can eat the scraps with frosting without having to cut the cake, lol.
EDIT.
Just thought I'd give you some advice on frosting and crumbs. If you're frosting your cake and the crumbs get all upitty in the frosting, don't worry. Just frost the cake with a nice thin layer, and stick in the fridge for an hour or two. When you take it out, that thin layer of frosting will be a little hard. Now you can put on your final layer of frosting, and it'll be crumb free. :D
That usually happens when (1) You add more baking soda than is required, (2) The oven temperature is too high.
Try this trick from my days of cake competition. Cut up a thick beach towel into 2" strips that are long enough to encircle the pans. Soak them well in cold water. When you have filled your prepared pans with cake batter, wrap the outside of the pan with the wet towel strip and pin with a safety pin. Bake your layers normally; the strips will be dry by the time your cake is done, but your layers will be much more level, possibly perfectly flat. :)
Its supposed to do that....what you can do is once its cool, take it out of the pan and flip it over and just cut evenly across the top and cut the bump off....nobody will know because its covered in frosting and it will be even!
When making a layered cake, when completely cooled, at the point where it is just beginning to round, using a long bread knife slice the top of the cake off. Then slice it in half, like a hamburger bun. Use the bottom of your cake as the top. It will have crisp corners to work with and be very flat. In the end you will have inverted the whole cake. I make layered cakes, this is how I was taught to do it. Try making a lemon frosting and putting apricot jam in between the layers....it's very good.
hollow out the middle before you cook it , raise the sides. works for me i make cakes for a living
I have trouble with crumbs if I try to cut it off. I just place it upside down on the cake plate and ice it. Then I put the next layer upright and ice it and it looks even.
I was taught by my mom to cut the hump off by using either a piece of thread or usually dental floss. You just sort of "saw" with it, & you don't get as much in the way of crumbs as you do when you use a knife. Go slowly--it takes a little practice to keep it straight. Another tip is to actually measure the layer & place tooth picks into the edge at a set height. It helps a bit to keep you going straight.