Cracked cakes!

Have been trying my hand at baking lately, cakes biscuits etc and they have been very tasty. but the cakes are always cracked badly on the top,
Can anyone tell me why they are coming out like this!
Thanks very much

Oven is too hot lovee :o)

This may help http://brama-sole.co.nz/recipes/baking-help-and-techniques/#Baking cakes

mine have always cracked a bit on the top.
If you want a smooth top for icing just even up the top and then turn upside down and ice the bottom. This is what professionals do.

This can be a sign of too much sugar

Mine used to do this too, but I now don't use fan bake and they're coming out beautifully.

Mixture can be too high up the sides of the pan (saw this tip recently.think it was from Annabel Langbein in her new 'Anyone Can Bake' cookbook).Try a larger size pan.

Cheers everyone. I do peek in occasionaly! won't do that anymore lol
And yes my baking dish is quite shallow, will use a deeper one next time
Thanks!

summit69.found this summary on the web.

1. The oven is too hot. Have the oven calibrated. If all your cakes and muffins come out with a cracked top and bake faster than the recipe says it should, your oven may be too hot. Reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees F and try again!
2. You’ve added too much flour. Flour should be measured in nested measuring cups, not a glass measuring cup. Stir the flour to loosen it, then spoon it into a measuring cup. Level it off with the flat side of a knife. Never “knuck” (bang) the cup or the flour will settle and you’ll end up adding too much!
3. Batter is over-mixed. Once you add the flour, mix the batter only just until it disappears.
4. You don’t have enough liquid in your batter. Use a glass measuring cup to measure liquids and check the amount at eye level.
5. Baking pans are too dark so cake bakes too quickly, causing the top to set before the cake has finished rising.
6. Cake pan is too close to the top of the oven so the top sets and forms a crust before the cake has finished rising. Always place your cake pan on a middle or slightly lower rack so that the top of the cake is in the middle of the oven.

Once I stoped using fanbake and switched to just" bake " I had no more cracked tops.