re: uneven baked cakes

Hi Vicki -- I have a non-scientific answer to your inquiry. The outside edges of cakes cook faster (and stop raising) because the heat in the oven creeps up and over the sides of the pan. This caused the top of the cake near the edges to cook faster than the center of the cake.

There are a couple of ways (that I know of)to even out this out. Many cake pans are now available with a LIP around the outside of the pan to prevent the outer edges from cooking faster than the center.

You can also try cutting heavy foil in the shape of your cake pan plus 1+ inches bigger than your pan. Place this foil on your baking rack with the cake pan directly on top. This is not fool-proof but it will help deflect the extra heat away from the edges of the pan. Hope this helps. Kelly~WA