Instructions: Tested February 2000. Rather like a bread pudding in texture. Flavors were excellent and flaming was impressive. Try it with double the amount of sauce; more cream and same amount of butter. Warm the cakes before flaming.

Grease 6-ounce custard cups, single-serving souffle dishes or muffin tins. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in small bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together buttermilk, cherries and coconut; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together in bowl of electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Slowly beat in flour mixture, then cherry-coconut mixture. Divide batter evenly among custard cups. Bake until cakes test done, 22 to 24 minutes. Do not turn off oven. While cakes are baking, make Rum Toffee Sauce.

Carefully unmold cakes immediately after removing from oven. Pour Rum Toffee Sauce into empty molds; return cakes to sauced molds. Return cakes to oven; bake until sauce bubbles up around cakes, about 5 minutes. Cool in molds on wire rack to room temperature.

To serve, unmold cakes onto dessert dishes; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Heat rum in small, long-handled skillet. Light rum with long match; pour around cakes.

Note: Dried tart cherries and unsweetened coconut are sold at well-stocked supermarkets and gourmet markets. Dried cranberries can be substituted for cherries; sweetened coconut can be substituted for unsweetened. Mince sweetened coconut before using.

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