Cherry Coffee Cake Muffins (based on a recipe from Rachel Ray December-January 2008) 4 1/2 cups flour (I used half regular and half whole wheat in the cake batter, and all white for the crumb topping) 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg 1/2 cup buttermilk (I used plain yogurt) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ! 10-ounce bags frozen cherries, thawed and drained (if you want to do a giant coffee cake instead of muffins, use two bags) I also added 1/2 tsp butter extract, and 2 tsp almond extract to the batter I also added 1/2 cup sliced almonds to the crumb topping 1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, using your fingers, combine 3 cups flour, the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in all but 2 tablespoons butter until large crumbs form; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the egg and the buttermilk. 2. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the egg mixture and stir to form a thick, smooth batter. Fold about a third of the reserved crumb mixture into the batter; If you're making a cake, then spread evenly into the prepared baking dish. Otherwise put liners in your muffin pans and fill each one about halfway up. 3. Scatter the cherries over the batter; (if making muffins, make a well in the batter and then put four cheries per muffin. sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top of the cake or each muffin (be sure to shape the muffin top a bit so the crumbs stick together). Bake the cake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes (muffins are more in the 25 min range). Transfer to a rack to cool for about 20 minutes before serving. I would go the full forty minutes, cause the cake takes a while to bake.

With fresh berries and soy cream. Courtesy of my sista, Stephanie - a very generous gift on my 30th birthday! Soooo good. I'm all about the chocolate and berry combo. Ingredients For Cake: Whole wheat flour 2 cups Cocoa powder 1/2 cup Baking soda 1 teaspoon Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon Salt 1/4 teaspoon Canola oil 1/4 cup Unsweetened applesauce 1/4 cup Granulated sugar 1/2 cup Light brown sugar 1/2 cup Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon Instant coffee powder 1 teaspoon Bananas 1 and 1/2 to replace 3 eggs (1/2 banana per egg) Water 4 tablespoons Soy Milk 1/4 cup Zucchini, grated 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips 1 cup For Topping: Light brown sugar 3 tablespoons Slivered Almonds, chopped 1/2 cup Procedure 1 Preheat oven to 360F/180c for 15 minutes. 2 Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan. You can use cocoa instead of flour. 3 In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour,cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 4 Mash the bananas. Once mashed, add the water and mix together. 5 In a medium bowl add oil, applesauce, sugars, vanilla extract and coffee powder. Using a hand mixer beat the mixture in medium speed for 3-5 minutes. 6 Add the banana liquid and mix. Now also add the milk and beat until well combined. 7 Reserving half a cup of the flour mixture, add slowly the remaining flour to the wet ingredients, while beating it in low speed. Combine well the grated zucchini, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of flour. Add this to the batter and mix it well. Note that the batter is thick at this stage. So don’t worry. 8 Pour the batter in the prepared cake pan and smooth it out using a spatula. 9 Prepare the topping by mixing the brown sugar and almonds. Sprinkle this mixture evenly on the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.