Don't be fooled! This "pie" is really a cake.

Cake
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Work butter and vanilla extract together until creamy, then work in sugar, a little at a time, until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating hard after each addition. Stir in milk and flour combination alternately. Pour batter into two greased 8-inch round cake pans and bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool.

Filling
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
Dash of salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Scald half-and-half. Combine sugar, flour and salt in a bowl and stir in the hot milk until smooth. Add to egg very slowly, beating constantly. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until custard thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and cool. When both cake and filling are cool, spoon filling between the layers and sprinkle top with confectioners' sugar, or frost with chocolate frosting.

Variation
To make Washington Pie, put raspberry jam or jelly between the layers in place of the custard, and shower the top with confectioners' sugar.