I am a very amateur baker and I want to make a family recipe for lemon layer cake. The recipe calls for three 8 in pan layers with a filling and frosting. Any ideas on how to scale the recipe down to make mini cakes? Do I need a special pan or can I just divide by thirds and ... I really don't know the best approach. Please help. Thanks

What size of cake do you want to make? An 8" cake is pretty small - three layers with two layers of filling. If you only want a two layer cake (+ 1 layer of filling) you could make the recipe as described; bake two layers and use the rest of the batter to make a few cupcakes. You could probably also do a couple of small loaf cakes (freeze one perhaps?)

Sometimes you can 1/2 a recipe and everything will turn out fine; other times it throws off the balance of the ingredients and it won't turn out properly.

If you're new to baking I'd follow the recipe exactly; master it and then start changing the size of your pans and/or the amount of batter you're making. HTH.