How do I stop the sides of my pound cake from rising above the middle?!
Answers: I'm baking this recipe "from scratch" in aluminum loaf pans on 325 degrees F. . I flattened the batter before placing in the oven by shaking from side to side. The sides rose about 1 inch above the middle, so the cake is concave!
If you wrap the pan with towels, make sure they are dampened first. This works primarily to keep the edge of the cake from overcooking, becoming crusty or burned.
Your problem sounds like an over heating oven. It is unusual to hear of a cake's outer region rising first. Also, legend has it that slamming the oven door, or stomping on the floor while the cake is not yet set will cause it to deflate, or "fall". I have never experienced this phenomenon, but it sounds logical. I have made hundreds of cakes and my only real advice is to check the temperature. Oven temperatures by design cycle while cooking. Many oven temps can fluctuate 25 to 50 degrees during normal baking. There is a sensor inside the oven that regulates the heat by turning the element on when the temp gets low, and back off when it reaches the desired temp. If the sensor fails, the oven will think it is never hot enough and remain on longer, thereby increasing the effective temperature. Some of these devices are also adjustable (by a trained tech). The oven may be cycling in the wrong range, thereby not burning your product, only heating it a little too much.
I would try the damp towel approach first. I use them often, especially when baking for a client. I have made cakes 18" around. It takes so long to cook one that large that not using a towel would be disastrous. By the time the inside was properly set, the edge would be dry and crusty as a block of wood. And, inversely, without the towel, when the outer edge sets up, the inside would be flat and underdone - concave.
P.S.
A third problem I came up with is that you may have a leavening agent problem. Maybe too much? I don’t know, but it was an afterthought.
Wrap a tea towel around the sides. This will slow the amount of heat that reaches the sides and allows it to cook slower.
The other option is to put the cake in a bain marie. Take a pan and fill it with water, let it preheat to the temp of the oven. Then put your cake pan in the water pan. Make sure the level of the water is ok, so your cake does not get soaked.
You will have a flat cake then.
check your oven temp. see if it truly is 325 F , I think maybe your oven is hotter than it should be. So check with on oven thermometer