Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
To make topping, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts in a small bowl; set aside.
Stir together sour cream and baking soda in a small bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add eggs to creamed mixture, one at a time.
Stir in vanilla and beat blend thoroughly.
Add sour cream and flour mixtures alternately to creamed mixture.
Spread one half of batter in prepared pan and cover with cherries.
Sprinkle one-third of reserved topping over cherries.
Spread remaining half of batter on top and sprinkle remaining two-thirds topping evenly over cake.
Bake 60-75 minutes.
Cover with foil after 30 minutes if cake is browning too quickly.
Test for doneness by inserting knife in center.
Serve warm.
Variations instead of cherries: Blueberries, Sliced banana, pie filling (peach, apple, strawberry). When using pie filling spread the filling on top of the first half of the batter, then add the topping
