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It'sabonusthatsomethingsospe- cial also makes glorious pies, breads and cakes each fall. And unlike zuc- chini, where a too-bountiful har- vest can cause kitchen consterna- tion, there is no such thing as too much pumpkin. So even if you al- ready have a favorite pumpkin bread or cake recipe stashed away, these variations on the theme deserve a spot in your baking repertoire. Jessica Merchant, the blogger be- hind How Sweet It Is and author of the new "Seriously Delish" (Hough- ton Mifflin Harcourt, $29.99, 304 pages), takes a slightly unusual ap- proach with a Pumpkin-Banilla Bread. That's not a typo. It's a pumpkin- banana hybrid made with coconut milk and serious amounts of va- nilla bean paste (available at high- end grocers and specialty shops, or you can use vanilla extract). "I wanted to mix pumpkin and banana bread recipes," the Pitts- burgh food writer says, calling from her Pennsylvania home, where the leaves have turned color and are gently falling. "All my recipes come from boredom. I'm the Internet gen- eration, always looking for the next best thing, wanting to switch things up." Raised by a family of avid home cooks, Merchant didn't start cook- ing for herself until she got her first apartment and realized, "I can do whatever I want in here! I started with my favorite nostalgic foods, then lightened things up." This recipe combines two of her favorite quick breads. "Both banana and pumpkin are incredible at cre- ating soft and tender baked goods," she says. "Both have loads of flavor." And the 2 tablespoons of vanilla? "I really like vanilla, too. In every- thing." For Mani Niall, the former ex- ecutive chef of Just Desserts and chef-owner of Oakland's Sweet Bar Bakery, a Pumpkin Tea Cake with fresh cranberries and wal- nuts is a perfect combination for fall. The recipe is based on a best- seller at his bakery in Los Angeles — and since he included it in his "Good Morning Baking!" (Egg & Dart, $22.95, 168 pages) cookbook, we're taking that as permission to indulge at breakfast, not just tea time. Niall uses agave syrup for this cake. It's milder than sugar, he says, so it lets the berry and pump- kin flavors shine. Don't stop at just one pump- kin treat, says San Francisco cook- book editor Kim Laidlaw, who in- cluded three recipes for the glorious squash in her book, "Williams-So- noma Home Baked Comfort" (Wel- don Owen, $34.95, 224 pages). Her Brandy-Spiked Pumpkin Bread is rich with complex flavors — and if you're not quite as fond of co- gnac as she is, Laidlaw says you can cut the brandy amount in half. Her Pumpkin Coffeecake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel is a gorgeous thing, with buttery, toasty streusel inside the cake, as well as on top, and a vanilla glaze to dress things up for company. PUMPKINS PIECE OF CAKE 4 glorious pumpkin bread and cake recipes Makesoneloaf INGREDIENTS 12/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/2 teaspoon salt 2large eggs 2/3 cup loosely packed light brown sugar 11/2 cups pumpkin puree 2very ripe bananas, mashed 1/3 cup canned light coco- nut milk 4tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 2tablespoons molasses 2tablespoons vanilla bean paste DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5- inch loaf pan. 2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. 3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in pumpkin and bananas, then the coconut milk, butter, molasses and vanilla paste. 4. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. 5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until top of the bread is golden brown and set, 85to 90minutes. Let cool in pan for 1hour. Gently remove it from the loaf pan; cool on a cutting board before slicing. JessicaMerchant, "Seriously Delish" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $29.99, 304 pages) Pumpkin-banilla bread Makes 2loaves INGREDIENTS 4large eggs 2cups granulated sugar 1cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1cup canola oil 2/3 cup brandy 15-ounce can pumpkin puree 31/2 cups all-purpose flour 2teaspoons baking soda 11/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice 1teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted, optional DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugars. Add oil, brandy and pumpkin; whisk to combine. 3. In another bowl, si together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Add to pumpkin mix- ture along with the nuts, if using, and stir to combine. 4. Divide the batter between the pans. Bake until richly golden brown and a tooth- pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let cool slightly in pans, then turn loaves out onto a wire rack to cool. Kim Laidlaw, "Williams- Sonoma Home Baked Comfort" (Weldon Owen, $34.95, 224 pages) Pumpkin-brandy bread Makes 2loaves INGREDIENTS 21/2 cups unbleached all- purpose flour 1teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cin- namon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3eggs 11/4 cups pumpkin puree 1/2 cup canola oil 1cup light agave syrup 11/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw), divided 11/2 cups chopped walnuts, divided DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil and flour two 8-1/2-by-4-1/2-inch loaf pans or spray with cooking spray. 2. Si together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. 3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs vigorously until blended. Add the pumpkin, oil and agave syrup; whisk until well combined. 4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the egg mixture. Whisk together until blended. Do not overmix. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1cup each of the cran- berries and walnuts. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Scatter the remaining cranberries and walnuts evenly over the tops, pushing them gently into the batter to help them adhere and prevent burning. 5. Bake until the tops of the cakes spring back when pressed lightly with a fingertip, 45to 50minutes. Let cool in the pans on wire racks for about 20minutes. Run a knife around the inside edges to loosen the cake sides, then unmold the cakes onto the racks. Let cool completely before serving. Mani Niall, "Good Morning Baking!" (Egg & Dart, $22.95, 168 pages) Pumpkin- cranberry tea cake Makes one 9-inch cof- feecake STREUSEL 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1teaspoon ground cin- namon Pinch kosher salt 6tablespoons cold unsalt- ed butter, cut in chunks 1cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted BATTER 11/2 cups all-purpose flour 2teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2teaspoons ground cin- namon 1teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1cup firmly packed light brown sugar 2large eggs 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 1/2 cup sour cream GLAZE 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1teaspoon whole milk 1teaspoon vanilla extract 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan or a 9-inch cake pan with 3-inch sides. 2. For the streusel: In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt; cut in butter with a pastry cutter or two table knives — or whir the mixture in a food processor. Stir in pecans. Set aside. 3. For the batter: Si together the flour, bak- ing powder, baking soda, spices and salt. 4. Using an electric mixer, beat the but- ter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until well-combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the pumpkin puree and sour cream; mix with the spatula. Stir in flour mixture. The batter will be quite thick. 5. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the streusel over the top. Dollop the remaining batter over the streusel and spread it as best you can. Top with remain- ing streusel. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15minutes. Remove the sides from the pan and slide the cake onto the rack. 6. To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Drizzle over the top of the cake. Kim Laidlaw, "Williams-Sonoma Home Baked Comfort" (Weldon Owen, $34.95, 224 pages) Pumpkin coffeecake with brown sugar-pecan streusel MARK DUFRENE — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP Pumpkin Coffeecake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel, photographed in Walnut Creek. There's something so joyous about a big pumpkin. It's the sunset hue, the impossible dimen- sions and the sheer childhood magic of the squash. Cinderella didn't ride to the ball in a head of kale, a er all, and no Brus- sels sprout ever illumined a trick- or-treat path on Halloween night. PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. 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