This was the cake that I made for the potluck Friday night. It came out great, with a minor problem. I was able to get a bag of Meyer lemons, and I love the subtle lemon flavor they give, and by including the zest you have these occasional texture/flavor bombs. Russet wants a stronger flavor, we'll see what I do the next time I make it. Next time I'm going to try halving the recipe and making it in 6" forms.

My main problem was I overbaked it a bit. I have three 9" pans, one is shiny but the other two are dark. And dark pans bake faster. So it was a little over done. So I need to be a little more diligent the next time I bake one. I had to make four adjustments for altitude, but that wasn't difficult: I have a book called Pie In The Sky by Susan Purdy, I found a similar recipe for a standard flour/sugar/butter cake and took her adjustments for a 9,000' cake and the cake rose perfectly.

The chipotle chicken did not survive the potluck, even though I failed to bring the taco shells and didn't bring tomatoes, and the chili was very well received. I had a quart or so left over that we're enjoying, it'll last another day or so, I think I'll do some Frito Pie tonight, I've got lots of shredded cheddar cheese.

Best part of the potluck (aside from some excellent rolled chicken enchiladas): found three young people interested in gaming! Excellent chance I might even be able to get an RPG campaign going as they all work at the solar telescope!


Cake recipe under the cut

Lemon Layer Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients:
For Cake:
3 cups cake flour

2½ cups granulated sugar

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp salt

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes

1 cup whole milk, divided

5 large eggs

4 tsp lemon or Meyer lemon zest (from 4 medium lemons)

3 tbs lemon or Meyer lemon juice (from 4 medium lemons)

1 tsp vanilla extract

For Frosting:

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup cocoa powder

4½ cups powdered sugar

½-¾ cup heavy cream, more or less as needed

1½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper; butter parchment.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine. Add butter and 3/4 cup of whole milk. Mix on low speed until flour is evenly moistened, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat remaining 1/4 cup milk with eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add to the batter mixture one-third at a time, mixing well after each addition. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (about 25 minutes for 6″ pans), rotating pans halfway through baking, until lightly golden on the edges and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Run a knife or thin spatula around the edge of the pan, then invert the cake onto wire rack. It should come out easily and cleanly. Remove parchment from the bottom. At this point the cakes can be wrapped tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use (in fact, I recommend you freeze the cakes overnight, as the frozen cakes will be easier to level and frost later.)

To prepare frosting, in a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cocoa powder and beat until incorporated. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. As frosting thickens, add a few tablespoons of cream as needed. Depending on the temperature and consistency of your frosting, continue alternating adding cream and powdered sugar, then continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.

To assemble, level each cake layer by cutting of the domed top with a long serrated knife. Place one layer, flat side down, on a cake stand or serving platter. Spread on about 1/2 cup of frosting onto cake using an offset spatula. Position second layer on top and press to adhere. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of frosting, and then position final cake layer, flat side up.

Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting. This “crumb coat” will keep the stray crumbs in place and make frosting the cake easier. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to allow this crumb coat to set.

Remove cake from refrigerator and cover with remaining frosting, reserving some for piping decorative details if desired.

https://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2013/03/lemon-layer-cake-with-chocolate-fudge-frosting.html