Starter For Friendship Fruitcake Recipes

THIRTY DAY FRIENDSHIP CAKE

Steps:

• Day One: In a large glass jar or bowl, combine 2 cups of the starter with 1 can of the sliced peaches and their juice (each slice chopped into 4 pieces). Add 2 1/2 cups of the white sugar and stir once every day for 10 days. When not stirring mixture, keep it covered with a paper towel, foil, or a loose lid. Let sit at room temperature. Don't refrigerate it or cover it airtight. A pan of water underneath the jar or bowl will keep the ants out.
• Day Ten: Add 1 can of chunk pineapple and its juice. Cut each chunk of pineapple in half. Stir in 1/2 cup of white sugar. Stir once everyday for 10 days. The color should change, and the mixture should foam when stirred.
• Day Twenty: Slice each cherry in half, and stir in. Add 2 1/2 cups of the white sugar. Stir once every day for the final 10 days. The cherries will give the juice back its pinkish color.
• Day Thirty: Drain fruit and reserve it and the liquid. The fruit will be used in the cake. Pour the liquid into 3 glass or ceramic pint jars. One for you to start your next cake, and two for friends. Cake must be started within 3 days after receiving the starter, or you should freeze the starter to use at a later date. Do not use plastic or metal containers to store liquid!
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x13-inch baking pans.
• It's best to mix the two cakes separately. Combine 1 box of the cake mix, 1 box of the instant vanilla pudding, 2/3 cup of the vegetable oil, and 4 of the eggs. Stir, then add 1/2 of the drained reserved fruit from the starter. Stir, then add 1 cup of the golden raisins, 1 cup of the chopped nuts and 1 cup of the coconut. Stir until all ingredients are combined. The batter will be stiff. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Repeat for cake number two.
• Bake cakes at in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes.

STARTER FOR FRIENDSHIP FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In a 1-gallon glass jar with a wide mouth and lid, combine the peaches, pineapple, maraschino cherries, sugar and yeast (make sure the yeast is well mixed with syrup).
• Stir mixture two times the first day.
• Stir once a day afterward.
• Do not refrigerate this mixture.
• Keep loosely covered.
• Two weeks after starting the starter, add 1/2 cup peaches and 1/2 cup pineapple with syrup.
• Wait for several days, stirring daily, and drain 2 cups of mixed fruit and use to make cake as directed in the cake recipe.
• Reserve 1 1/2 cups starter juice and leave in glass gallon jar.
• Count this as Day One, and start the process for renewing the starter and making the cake.
• DAY 1: To reserved 1 1/2 cups starter juice (or to starter juice given you by a friend), add 2 1/2 cups sugar and a 2-lb can of peaches with syrup.
• Stir daily.
• Keep loosely covered.
• Do not refrigerate.
• DAY 10: Add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, a 2 pound can pineapple chunks with juice.
• Stir daily.
• Keep loosely covered.
• Do not refrigerate.
• DAY 20: Add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 8 to 10 oz drained and halved maraschino cherries.
• Stir daily.
• Keep loosely covered.
• Do not refrigerate.
• DAY 30: Drain fruit, reserving 1 1/2 cups juice for renewing starter.
• Use drained fruit to make 3 cakes (see recipe), give excess starter juice to friends, and start a new batch of fruit (repeat aforementioned process).
• At the end of 30 days, you will have enough excess starter juice to give to about four friends.
• Be sure to keep enough juice (1 1/2 cups) for your own starter.
• At the end of 30 days, there will be enough fruit to use 1 3/4 cups fruit in each cake, which makes the cake better and doesn't waste the fruit.
• The cakes can be frozen.
• It is not necessary to bake all three cakes the same day, but stir the remaining fruit mixture every day until it is used (this fruit mixture can be refrigerated until used).
• The drained fruit can be frozen until you are ready to bake the cakes.

FRUIT STARTER AND FRIENDSHIP CAKE

Steps:

• 1. PLEASE READ DIRECTIONS before starting. There will be additional ingredients (that are not listed in the ingredients above) as the starter progesses.
• 2. DIRECTIONS FOR BASIC STARTER: Combine ingredients in a gallon glass jar or a large glass bowl. Do NOT use a metal container. Keep at room temperture, loosely cover with a dish towel or saucer. Stir daily with a wooden or plastic spoon. Do NOT use metal utensils. It will take about 10 days for the fermentation to take place.
• 3. DAY 10: add 2 1/2 cups sugar and 1 large can of chunk pineapple and juice; stir well, cover loosely, and then stir every day.
• 4. DAY 20: add 2 1/2 cups sugar and 1 large can fruit cocktal and juice and 1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries (without stems), drained well; stir well, cover loosely and then stir every day.
• 5. DAY 30: drain liquid from fruit inot 1 1/2 cup portions of starter, there should be about 5 potions. Give juice away to friends (be sure to keep one portion for your self for your starter base) to be used as a starter base or store at room temperature. Use remaining fruit to make ckes; there should be enough fruit to make 3 cakes. Cake recipe is below.
• 6. DIRECTIONS FOR STARTING A NEW STARTER WITH A STARTER: Combine ingredients in a gallon glass jar or a large glass bowl. Do NOT use a metal container. Keep at room temperture, loosely cover with a dish towel or saucer. Stir daily with a wooden or plastic spoon. Do NOT use metal utensils. It will take about 10 days for the fermentation to take place.
• 7. DAY 10: repeat step 2 DAY 20: repeat step 3 DAY 30: repeat step 4
• 8. DIRECTIONS FOR FRIENDSHIP CAKE: Combine cake mix, pudding mix; add oil and 1 egg. Using electric mixer beat and then add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Remove beaters; fold in fruit, nutes and coconut.
• 9. Pour batter into greased and floured tube or bundt pan. Bake in preheated over at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.
• 10. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting on to plate.
• 11. NOTE: The fruit can also be used as a topping for ice cream.

FRIENDSHIP FRUIT STARTER

Steps:

• In a large glass jar, combine drained pineapple chunks, drained apricot slices, drained sliced peaches, drained maraschino cherries, brandy and sugar. Stir gently with wooden spoon. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 weeks, stirring at least twice a week. Drain and reserve the liquid - This liquid is your starter for the Thirty Day Friendship Cake.

FRIENDSHIP FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Line the bottom of a springform angel food cake pan with waxed paper, grease well, then flour.
• In large mixing bowl of electric mixer, combine dry cake mix and oil.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well.
• Add fruit; mix well.
• Fold in nuts.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in a pre-heated 350- degree oven 40 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake 35 to 40 minutes more, or until cake tests done.
• Shake pan to loosen cake from sides and let sit 10 minutes.
• Lift the center of the pan out and turn cake onto cake plate.
• Remove waxed paper.
• Turn cake right-side up before serving.
• Sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired, or top with cream cheese frosting.
• This cake tastes better when cold.