Ingredients:
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick) -- softened
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dried cherries -- chopped
OR
1 cup prunes -- chopped
1 cup chopped almonds -- toasted if desired
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat oven to 350º. Grease 12-cup bundt cake pan or tube pan, 10 × 4 inches. Coat pan with 1/3 cup finely chopped almonds. Beat sugar, margarine, milk, almond extract, Ricotta cheese and eggs in large bowl on low speed until blended. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in remaining ingredients (batter will be very thick). Spread in pan.

Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. Remove from pan; place on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Serve warm or let stand until cool.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shortening
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled or unpeeled apple (about 1 small)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon margarine -- melted
Glaze, if desired -- (recipe follows)

GLAZE
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Heat oven to 425º. Grease round pan, 8 × 1 1/2 inches, or square pan, 8 × 8 × 2 inches. Cut shortening into flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and salt with pastry blender in large bowl until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk until dough leaves side of bowl and forms a ball.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; gently roll in flour to coat. Knead lightly 20 to 25 times. Divide dough into 12 equal parts; cover.

Mix apple, 1 tablespoon sugar and the cinnamon. Pat each part dough into 3-inch circle on floured surface. Place 1 rounded teaspoonful apple mixture in center of each circle. Bring edges of dough up over apple mixture; pinch and seal well to from a ball. Arrange balls, seam sides down, in pan. Brush with margarine.

Bake 17 to 19 minutes or until golden brown. Drizzle Glaze over warm coffee cake. Serve warm or let stand until cool.

GLAZE:
Mix all ingredients until smooth.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blueberries
Crumb Topping -- (recipe follows)
Glaze -- (recipe follows)

CRUMB TOPPING
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine -- softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

GLAZE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons hot water (1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons)

Directions:
Heat oven to 375º. Grease square pan, 9 × 9 × 2 inches, or round pan, 9 × 1 1/2 inches. Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, milk and egg; beat 30 seconds. Carefully stir in blueberries. Spread batter in pan; sprinkle with Crumb Topping.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Drizzle with Glaze. Serve warm.

CRUMB TOPPING:
Mix all ingredients until crumbly.

GLAZE:
Mix all ingredients until of drizzling consistency.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons freeze-dried or powdered instant coffee (dry)
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting -- (recipe follows)
Meringue Mushrooms -- (recipe follows)

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
1/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup margarine or butter -- softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon hot water (1 to 2 tablespoons)

MERINGUE MUSHROOMS
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
Cocoa
Chocolate Decorator's Frosting -- (recipe follows)

CHOCOLATE DECORATOR'S FROSTING
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon margarine or butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon hot water

Directions:
Heat oven to 375º. Line jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 × 10 1/2 × 1 inch, with aluminum foil or waxed paper; grease. Beat eggs in small bowl on high speed about 5 minutes or until very thick and lemon colored. Pour eggs into large bowl; gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Beat in water and vanilla on low speed. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, beating just until batter is smooth. Pour into pan, spreading batter to corners. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert onto towel generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully remove foil. Trim off stiff edges of cake if necessary. While hot, carefully roll cake and towel from narrow end. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes.

Beat whipping cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and the coffee in chilled medium bowl until stiff. Unroll cake; remove towel. Spread whipped cream mixture over cake. Roll up cake. For tree stump, cut off a 2-inch diagonal slice from one end. Attach stump to one long side using 1 tablespoon frosting. Frost with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Make strokes in frosting toresemble tree bark, using tines of fork. Garnish with Meringue Mushrooms.

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Thoroughly mix cocoa and margarine in medium bowl. Beat in powdered sugar on low speed. Stir in vanilla and hot water. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.

MERINGUE MUSHROOMS:
Cover 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper or heavy brown paper. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in small bowl on medium speed until foamy. Beat in sugar on high speed, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating about 5 minutes or until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Heat oven to 200º. Place meringue in decorating bag with plain tip with 1/4-inch opening (#10 or #11). Or place meringue in strong plastic bag; cut off a tiny tip from one corner of bag. Pipe meringue in about 55 mushroom-cap shapes, each 1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, onto 1 cookiesheet. Sift cocoa over mushroom caps.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until firm. Immediately turn mushroom caps upside down and make an indentation in bottom of each cap. Brush off excess cocoa with soft-bristled brush.

Pipe about fifty-five 3/4-inch upright cone shapes onto second cookie sheet for mushroom stems. Stems should have peaks that fit into indentations in mushrooms caps. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until firm; cool. Prepare Chocolate Decorator's Frosting.

To assemble mushrooms, spread small amount frosting in indentation of each mushroom cap; insert peak end of stem into frosting. Place upside down to dry. Store uncovered at room temperature. About 55 candies.

CHOCOLATE DECORATOR'S FROSTING:
Heat chocolate and margarine until melted; remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and hot water until smooth and of spreading consistency. If necessary, stir in additional hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time.