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Enjoy sweet bite of spring with this cherry treat

Recipe: Versatile coffee cake can start the day or end it

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This delicious coffee cake can be made with just about any fresh fruit. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

It's almost May, which means cherries will soon be rolling in.

This old-fashioned cherry coffee cake is sort of like a cobbler but with more spring and softness to the dough. The top mounds of batter expand and connect while still allowing bright cherry filling to bubble through on the edges.

Although traditional sour pie cherries will work, sweet cherries are absolutely luscious in this coffee cake. Bing cherries, America's favorite, arrive later in summer, but there are loads of early-harvest cherries that would be equally delicious in this breakfast pastry that doubles as dessert. Have a slice of it to start the day or to top it off (or any time in between).

Look for the early cherries at farmers markets and farm stands (or your own cherry trees).

Also try this recipe with chopped peaches, nectarines, apricots, apples, pears or blueberries. Adjust the cooking time for the filling as needed.

Cherry coffee cake
Makes 9 servings

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
Ingredients:

Filling:
2 cups sweet cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
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Cook the fruit filling on top of the stove.
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cold butter
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, combine cherries and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 5 minutes, or until cherries are tender.

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch; stir into fruit. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stirring, cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, the baking powder and baking soda. With a fork or pastry blender, cut in 1/4 cup butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the middle of the mixture

In another bowl, beat the egg. Add sour cream and milk; mix well. Stir in vanilla.

Add the egg-sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients all at once. Stir with a fork until moistened. Batter will look lumpy.

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Filling bubbles up around the edges of this cherry-packed cake.
Spread half the batter in the bottom of an ungreased 8-by-8-inch baking dish (at least 2 inches deep; deeper is better). Spread cherry mixture over that batter layer. With a spoon, drop remaining batter in small mounds atop filling.

Stir together 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter to form coarse crumbles. Sprinkle over top of coffee cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden. Serve warm or room temperature.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

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Garden Checklist for week of March 2

Between raindrops, get outside and do some work. Your plants have been busy growing!

* Pull weeds now! Don’t let them get started. Take a hoe and whack them as soon as they sprout.

* Start preparing vegetable beds. Spade in compost and other amendments.

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs after bloom.

* Feed camellias at the end of their bloom cycle. Pick up browned and fallen flowers to help corral blossom blight.

* Feed citrus trees, which are now in bloom and setting fruit. To prevent sunburn and borer problems on young trees, paint the exposed portion of the trunk with diluted white latex (water-based) interior paint. Dilute the paint with an equal amount of cold water before application.

* Feed roses with a balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium available in that product).

* Prune and fertilize spring-flowering shrubs and trees after they bloom. Try using well-composted manure, spread 1-inch thick under the tree. This serves as both fertilizer and mulch, retaining moisture while cutting down on weeds.

* Cut back and fertilize perennial herbs to encourage new growth.

* In the vegetable garden, transplant lettuce and cole family plants, such as cabbage, broccoli, collards and kale.

* Seed chard and beets directly into the ground. (Tip: Soaking beet seeds in warm water a day ahead of planting helps with germination.)

* Before the mercury starts inching upward, this is your last chance to plant such annuals as pansies, violas and primroses.

* Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas. Also plant dahlia tubers.

* Shop for perennials. Many varieties are available in local nurseries and at plant events. They can be transplanted now while the weather remains relatively cool.

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