Coffee Cake

• 1). Add 4 cups of apples, apricots, peaches, chopped pineapple or whole berries and 1 cup of water to a saucepan and simmer covered for about five minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
  
  
• 2). Mix 1-1/4 cups of sugar with 1/3 cup of cornstarch and stir into the fruit mixture. Cook until bubbly, then cool.
  
  
• 3). Combine 3 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon each of salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Cut in 1 cup of softened butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
  
  
• 4). Mix 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1 cup milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Add these to the flour mixture, stirring until blended.
  
  
• 5). Spread half of the batter into two greased 8x8-inch baking pans or one 9x13 pan. Spread the cooled fruit mixture on top of the batter. Spoon blobs of the remaining batter onto the fruit mixture, spacing the batter out as much as possible.
  
  
• 6). Combine 1/2 cup of flour with 1/2 of sugar and cut in 1/4 cup butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumbs on top of the batter in the pan.
  
  
• 7). Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes in the 8x8 pans; bake about five minutes longer if using the single 9x13 pan.
  
  

Hummingbird Cake

• 1). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bottoms of two 9-inch circular pans with butter. Cut two sheets of parchment paper into 9-inch rounds to fit the pans. Butter these as well.
  
  
• 2). Drain an 8-ounce jar of crushed pineapple and reserve the juice. Set out two large bowls, one for dry ingredients, another for wet. In one bowl, sift 3 cups of flour together with 1 teaspoon each of salt, cinnamon and baking soda. In the other bowl, beat 1-1/4 cups of vegetable oil with 2 cups of sugar until smooth. Add 3 large eggs at room temperature, beating after each addition until light.
  
  
• 3). Add 2 cups of very ripe mashed bananas, the crushed pineapple and 1/4 cup of its juice together with 1-1/2 teaspoons of vanilla to the wet ingredients until just combined. To this add the flour mixture, in thirds, beating after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup of chopped pecans.
  
  
• 4). Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and place in the center of the oven to bake for 45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove the cakes to cool completely.
  
  
• 5). Combine 12 ounces of cream cheese and 1 stick of butter, both cut into small chunks, and beat with a mixer until smooth. This will be your frosting. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and gradually beat in 5 cups of confectioner's sugar.
  
  
• 6). Trim the cake layers and place the trimmed side down of one on a serving platter. Pile on about 3/4 cup of the frosting evenly onto this layer. Stack the other layer on top, trimmed side down, and frost with the remaining frosting. Garnish with 1 cup of toasted chopped pecans.