Book Club Desserts. Coffee Cake with Cherries, Sour Cream and Almonds and Layered Pumpkin Bars with

I am calling this Book Club Coffee Cake because this is what I brought to the Book Club, it's a pot luck situation, I have made this many times before and it always turns out great. Make sure you bring your ingredients to room temperature before you start the cake. It's a yellow cake with Almonds on top and Almond extract in the batter too. I use yogurt or Sour Cream. I have to use canned black cherries, we don't have frozen or fresh here in Costa Rica. But this is just fine and the taste is supper good. Hope they like it. Really, there was no Coffee in site, we all had wine. If you make it let me know how it works for you.

No matter how you put the Cherries on it's all good.

Sprinkle on the Almonds, I like a lot of Almonds.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 3 eggs room temperature 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream room temperature I use ( the only cherries I can find, in in the can) Black Cherries. Drain. 1 teaspoon Almond X 1 Cup Sliced Almonds or more.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray with cooking spray a 9 by 9-inch cake pan, lined with parchment round. With a hand mixer ( that is what I use) cream the butter until smooth. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar and mix. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until light and fluffy. Add the Almond X. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Working in batches, add them to the butter-sugar mixture, alternating with dollops of sour cream or yogurt. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the Cherries on top and then the sliced almonds. Bake until risen and browned, about 45 minutes, ready when a toothpick comes out clean in center. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan. If you want it on a pretty plate, flip it out onto a plate and then flip again onto your pretty plate. It works every time. You might have to loosen the edges a little.

Layered Pumpkin Bars

Three layers of goodness. Pumpkin mixture, brown sugar mixture and a beautiful topping of Strudle

For the topping

2/3 cup of sugar

pinch of salt

3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped pecans

4 Tablespoons of melted butter

Filling

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1teaspoon unsweetened coco powder, this is for color

For the cake

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup can pumpkin

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger and nutmeg.

1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Greese an 8" square or round pan

Make the topping by whisking the sugar,salt , flour, cinnamon and nuts together. Add melted butter, stir just until well combines, set aside.

Make the filling by mixing the brown sugar, cinnamon and coco powder together, set aside

Make the cake by beating together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking powder until smooth.

Add the flour ,stirring just until smooth.

Spread half of the batter in prepared pan, spreading it all the way to the edges.

Sprinkle the filling evenly over the cake.

Spread the other half of the cake batter over the filling. Use a knife to swirl the filling into the batter.

Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

Bake the cake until it's brown on top, and a toothpick comes out clean, cook for about 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and let cool, cut into squares. Serve from pan.

1. To make the cake: Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.

2. Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.

3. Pour/spread half the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it all the way to the edges. If you have a scale, half the batter is about 13 1/2 ounces.

4. Sprinkle the filling evenly atop the batter.

5. Spread the remaining batter atop the filling. Use a table knife to gently swirl the filling into the batter, as though you were making a marble cake. Don't combine filling and batter thoroughly; just swirl the filling through the batter.

6. Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

7. Bake the cake until it's light brown on top, and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes.

8. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve the cake right from the pan.