Lemon Meringue Cake

Lemon Filling (below)
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar

Make Lemon Filling. Heat oven to 325�F. Grease sides of 2 round pans, 9x1 1/2 or 8x1 1/2 inches. Line bottoms of pans with cooking parchment paper.

Beat cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt, shortening, milk, vanilla and 4 egg yolks in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. (Batter will be stiff.) Spread evenly in pans.

Beat 4 egg whites in small bowl on medium speed until foamy. Beat in 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spread half of meringue over batter in each pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until meringue looks set and dry. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen meringues from edges of pans with point of knife if necessary. Carefully remove from pans and peel off paper. Cool completely with meringue sides up on wire racks, about 1 hour.

Spread 1 1/4 cups pudding over meringue on 1 cake layer. Place other cake layer, meringue side up, on first layer. Top wth remaining pudding. Serve within 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cake.

Lemon Filling

1 package (2.9 ounces) lemon pudding and pie filling mix, (not instant)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 egg yolks
2 cups water

Make pudding mix as directed on package for pie, using remaining ingredients. Refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours or until chilled.