This recipe looks like more work than it actually is. Making the cake is fun and easy. Be sure to use very clean beater and bowl, with no stray egg yolk parts in the whites. It takes a bit of time since the frosting must be chilled twice and the cake refrigerated overnight. But the recipe is easy. I Love this fancy cake!

For cake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift flour with 1/2 C sugar and salt into small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat whites with cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1 C sugar and beat meringue until still and shiny. Beat in lemon extract. Gently fold in dry ingredients in 3 additions. Pour batter into ungreased 10- in tube pan (don't use a non-stick pan since the batter can't climb and cling to the sides, thus making a flat, yucky cake). Bake until top is golden brown and tester inserted inear center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely; don't remove pan.

For frosting: Sprinkle gelatin over lemon juice in small bowl. Whisk sugar, yolks and flour in heavy small saucepan. Mix in milk and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is consistency of thick custard, about 10 minutes; do not boil. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved, about 5 minutes. Strain into bowl. Cool until custard is consistency of thick pudding, stirring occasionally (I set it in the refrigerator to speed up this step).

Whip cream in large bolw until almost stiff. Stir lemon peel into custard. Gently fold in cream. Cover and refrigerate frosting until thick enough to spread, about

30 minutes (I think it's much better if left overnight).

Run long sharp knife around sides and center of pan to loosen the cake. Remove cake and halve it horizontally using a serrated knife. Place bottom half of cake on plate. Spread with 1-inch high layer of frosting. Cover with top half of cake. Ice center hole, sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate at overnight. Let cake stand for 30 minnutes at room temperature before serving.