Put plastic wrap on the cooked lemon filling to keep it from getting a "skin" on top.	Here's what a frosting "border" looks like. I used a bag with the coupling and no tip.	Spoon lemon filling inside the border of frosting.
This is what the cake looks like when other layer is placed on top.	Mom sometimes stabilizes the layers with a 1-inch wax paper "corset."

PREPARE THE CAKE FIRST:

• Lemon Cake Mix

Prepare cake in two round 8 or 9-inch cake pans as per package directions.

PREPARE LEMON FILLING WHILE CAKE IS COOKING:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 1 2/3 cups water
• 2 eggs (separated—need yolks)
• 2 T butter
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (use fresh or frozen)--approximately 2 lemons

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan. Gradually add water, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Cook one more minute and remove from heat.

Beat egg yolks slightly in a small bowl. SLOWLY blend in about 1/2 cup of the hot cornstarch mixture (so that eggs don’t cook). Stir this egg mixture into the pan with the remaining cornstarch mixture.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat (DO NOT overcook).

Stir in butter and lemon juice.

Set aside to cool to room temperature. Stir every few minutes so that a “skin” doesn’t form on top of lemon filling. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly to the lemon filling after about 5 minutes (this will keep a “skin” from forming while filling continues to cool down).

PREPARE LEMON FROSTING WHILE CAKE AND FILLING ARE COOLING:

• 1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 oz. cream cheese (room temperature--this is a new addition to the traditional recipe)
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• Lemon juice (use fresh or frozen) start out with about 2 tablespoons

Cream butter and cream cheese in a mixer.

Add a bit of powdered sugar and 1 of the tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix. Continue adding powdered sugar and lemon juice. You may need a little more lemon juice in order to get the frosting to a nice spreading consistency.

PUTTING THE CAKE TOGETHER:

Put one cooled cake layer on cake plate. Pipe a ring of lemon frosting on top of cake within ¼ inch of edge.

Pour filling inside the frosting “border.”

Gently place second layer on top. If cake appears unstable, make a long 1-inch strip of wax paper (enough to go around the cake at least 1 ½ times). Tape this 1-inch wax paper “corset” around the middle of the cake.

Place cake into the refrigerator until filling firms up (about an hour). Make sure you remove the wax paper before icing.

Use remaining frosting to ice the cake.

Cake should be refrigerated (if you have any left).

NOTE: MOM OFTEN MAKES TWO LEMON CAKE MIXES (SEPARATELY INTO TWO 9X13 PANS). SHE INCREASES THE INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING AND FROSTING AS FOLLOWS:

Lemon Filling for Big Cake

• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ½ cups water
• 4 eggs (separated—need yolks)
• 3 T butter
• ½ cup lemon juice (use fresh or frozen)
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Use same cooking directions as above.

Lemon Frosting for Big Cake

• ½ cup butter (room temperature)
• 3 oz. cream cheese (room temperature--this is a new addition to the traditional recipe)
• 1 ½ pounds powdered sugar
• Lemon juice (use fresh or frozen) start out with ¼ cup

Use same mixing directions as above.