Funeral is premature - run the suspects in this order.
First suspect, always: the dial is lying. Home ovens routinely run 15-20 degrees off, and "170" that's actually 150 gives exactly this endless wet middle. A ₹300 oven thermometer settles it in one bake and it's the highest-value purchase in home baking.
Second: lower-rod-only is a finishing configuration, not a default. It's for rescuing over-browning tops. For a normal cake bake you want BOTH rods (no fan for delicate batters) so heat reaches the batter from above and below. Lower-only means the top of the cake is basically steaming, not baking - hence pale and wet.
Third: tin vs batter depth. Same recipe in a smaller-diameter tin = deeper batter = much longer bake. If your tin is smaller than the recipe's, the 35-minute claim doesn't apply to you.
Fourth: expired leavening. Dead baking powder = a dense wet batter that never opens up and cooks through. Test a spoon of it in hot water - no fizz, no bake.
Both rods, verified temperature, right tin. One of those four is your answer, and honestly it's usually the first one.
