Join us for a series of baking and decorating classes at Sweet Maria's. This season we're featuring our Basic Hands-on Cake Decorating Class, Our Cookie mania Class, and a Holiday Dessert Class. Plus, our newest class is Fun with Fondant and Frannie. Our resident fondant expert Francine Bove will show us how to cover cakes and cookies with this versatile coating. See our full schedule of classes on our website at www.sweet-marias.com.

Save the date for our annual United Way Event, October 25th 6:30 pm. In this event, you'll get a chance to try a variety of baking and decorating just in time for the holiday season. Plus, dessert, recipes and samples to take home. For more information, contact Greater Waterbury United Way at (203) 757- 9855.

Order our award winning cookies on-line or look for them on sale in these fine stores.

Jarjura's Market, Waterbury, CT, Labonne's Markets, Watertown, Woodbury, and Salisbury CT, Tops Markets, Southington, CT, Rodgers Market, Kensington, CT, Lenos Market, Durham, CT, Adams Fair Acre Farm, Poughkeepsie and Kingston, NY, Turco Markets, Yorktown Heights, NY, Porcelli s Markets, Trumbull, Cos Cob, and Old Greenwich, CT, Gnazzo's Food Market, Plainville, CT, Emilios Italian Deli and Market, Woodbury, CT

Try this month's flavor: Butterscotch Banana. It's our yellow cake, filled with butterscotch pudding and sliced bananas and frosted with whipped cream. Try it for just $ 1.00 off our regular prices. All sizes available.

Savor the best of the late summer harvest of zucchini with this moist and flavorful cake. This recipe is a specialty of my friend's mom, Dot Donnelly.

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups shredded zucchini

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 10 x 6 x 2.5" loaf pan. In an electric mixer, beat eggs. Add oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add zucchini. On low speed, gradually add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire cooling rack 10- 15 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and continue to cool on wire rack.