MaryAnne Walls from Knoxville, Tenn., has been searching for two years for a favorite coffee cake recipe she had misplaced. She said it was called Wellesley coffee cake and she thought that it came from a cookbook called "Come for Cocktails, Stay for Supper."

She said that it was made in a Bundt pan, with a middle layer of cinnamon, brown sugar and chopped pecans. Barbara Blaker from Timonium, Md., along with several other readers, had a copy of the cookbook Walls mentioned and sent in the recipe she was looking for. The book was written by Marian Burros and Lois Levine and published in 1970 and clearly was very popular.

If all the recipes in the book are as good as this one, it's easy to understand why. The instructions are straightforward and uncomplicated, and this delicious sour cream coffee cake is certain to be a welcome treat for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea.

Wellesley Coffee Cake

Makes 12 portions

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

4 teaspoons sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating with each addition.

3. Add sour cream, vanilla and almond extract; beat well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to mixture and beat.

4. In separate bowl, combine sugar, pecans and cinnamon for filling.

5. Place one third of batter in well-greased and floured tube or Bundt pan. Sprinkle with three-quarters of filling mixture. Spoon in rest of batter and sprinkle with remaining filling. Bake 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.