I've always used the fine grating disk on my processor. Don't think I've ever worried about the carrots being dry.

A trick I learned with cakes and quick breads is to smooth the dough in the pan so that it is a little lower in the center than it is on the sides. Works with heavy doughs. The side bake faster than the center, so this trick helps to have a flatter center, rather than humped.

I'd also check your recipe and compare the ratio on sugar..I made a quick bread recipe that had to much sugar and it didn't want to rise in the center at all... If it rises properly in the oven but sinks when you remove it, than it may just need a longer baking time...I still do the old toothpick test to make sure the center is baked fully.

Nancy

I grate the carrots too - but my fav recipe calls for the pineapple, coconut, etc. I would try Nancy's suggestion of spreading the batter higher on the sides and possibly baking jsut a bit longer.

Good luck!

Alexa

I also grate the carrots and I've never dried them, but like Alexa, my favorite recipe has pineapple, raisins, walnuts, coconut. It's pretty dense but doesn't sink in the middle.

I think that Nancy is probably right and baking a little longer might help.

Annie

Thank you, I will try spreading the batter AND baking a little longer :) Maybe that combination will do the trick.
The reason I had been draining my carrots was because I thought that maybe the excess moisture was causing the middle to sink. I had read that tip on a baking website, so I thought it was worth a try. It is surprising how much moisture the carrots do hold - but obviously that was not responsible for the sinking problem.

Another who grates the carrots....and even at the risk of over exposure, I'll post my carrot cake again....well not really MY recipe...came from Julie Trussler's cook book.
and I will repeat what the others have said....be very very sure the cake is done. I think the cake needs all the moisture form the carrots.
anyhow...here's the recipe....always a keeper.

Carrot cake Julie TÂs
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsps cinnamon
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins chopped with 1 Tablespoon of flour
Buttermilk glaze
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
1 Tblsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup softened butter
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
Preheat oven to 350
With a mixer Beat eggs, add oil and buttermilk, sugar and vanilla. beat to combine. Stir together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda and stir into batter. stir in pineapple, carrots and raisins.
Pour into a greased 8 by 13 pan or 2 greased round 9 inch cake pans. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until set in the middle. Remove from the oven and immediatly spread with the buttermilk glaze. Cool completely and frost with the cream cheese frosting.
Buttermilk glaze:
In a medium sauce pan ( don't use a small pan) combine all ingredients but vanilla. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes stirring often...it will bubble a lot. It should be a light caramel color, stir in vanilla and pour over the cake
Cream cheese frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter until light add vanilla powd. sugar and juice and rind...beat until smooth and frost the cooled cake.

Lindac - Your recipe sounds delicious. My son (the purist) might not appreciate the pineapple,raisins,and buttermilk glaze, but I would! Will definitely try it sometime.

Here's Martha's recipe. I doesn't have the pineapple. I've made it and its great. I prefer the pineapple, but my SIL doesn't. It's his favorite cake

Here is a link that might be useful: Martha's Carrot Cake

Possibly those 'Bake Even' strips might help?

I use the grating disc on my food processor to grate carrots. Only have one size disc--standard medium size grate.

I have two carrot cake recipes I like. One is the classic, grated carrot cake, with all the extra goodies, e.g. pineapple, coconut, etc. The other recipe calls for steaming the carrots until tender, and pureeing them, as if you were making baby food. Neither recipe sinks in the middle.

And I agree, finely grating the carrots shouldn't be the culprit.

Not having looked at your recipe, the only thing that comes to mind, is the temperature of your oven.
Normally, heavier cakes like carrot or pumpkin cakes require a moderate oven temperature (350°F to 375°F) in order to rise properly. A lower temperature will make these types of cakes sink slightly in the middle.

Sol

Thanks so much to everyone for their suggestions and for sharing recipes. I really appreciate the help.
I don't think the problem is with my oven, as I do have an oven thermometer and have not had problems with any of my other baked goods. And I don't think it is an error in the recipe, as I am using a recipe from allrecipes.com which has received many positive reviews.
I am going to increase the baking time to see if that helps. And I think I still have some 'bake even' strips that can't hurt. I also read that overbeating a cake can introduce too much air and contribute to sinking. So I am going to be careful about how long I beat the egg/sugar/oil mixture.
With all those adjustments, surely I will have better results....

I put a metal flower nail upside down in the middle of my cake pans then pour the batter in. It helps the middle bake evenly and I almost never have to level my cakes.

They're super cheap at craft stores (less than a dollar) and can be reused and, most importantly, work like a dream.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cake Central Tutorial

i use grated, but probably the only one who buys them already grated...
also grated carrots in spaghetti sauce i great.