Friendship Fruit Cake

Photo: flickr user The Gifted Photographer

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix (for variety use lemon

1 box (small) instant vanilla pudding mix

4 Eggs (add one at a time)

2/3 cup Oil

1 1/2 cups Drained fruit sauce (below)

1 cup Chopped nuts

1 cup Coconut (optional)

1 cup Canned peached, drained and cut into pieces

1 cup Pineapple tidbits, drained

10 Maraschino cherries, cut in half

2 cups Sugar

1 pkt Active dry yeast

Glass jar, gallon-size

2 cups Friendship fruit starter

2 1/2 cups Sugar

1 can (29-oz) sliced peaches, cut up, with juice

1 can (20-oz) pineapple with juice (may use crushed, chunks or tidbits)

2 cups Sugar

1 can (large) fruit cocktail

1 inch jar (10-oz) maraschino cherries, cut half

1 cup Sugar

Preparation

Friendship Fruit Cake Starter: Combine all ingredients and place in glass jar with a loose cover. Stir several times the first day. Always use a wooden spoon. Thereafter, stir once a day. DO NOT REFRIGERATE. At the end of 2 weeks the starter should have fermented enough to proceed to make Friendship Fruit Sauce. Fruits packed in heavy syrup give the best results. The process takes 30 days to get fruit ready to bake cakes.

FRIENDSHIP FRUIT SAUCE:1st Day - 2 cups friendship fruit starter, 2 1/2 cups sugar, 1-29 oz can sliced peaches, cut up, with juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Then stir once a day for 10 days.

10th Day - Add 20 oz. can pineapple with juice. (May use crushed, chunks or tidbits) and 2 cups of sugar. Continue to stir once daily for 10 days.

20th Day - Add 1 large can fruit cocktail, 1-10z jar maraschino cherries, cut in half and 1 cup sugar. Continue to stir once daily for 10 days.

30th Day - Your fruit is ready to bake 3 cakes using the recipe that follows. For each cake, measure amount of drained fruit, reserving juice, which is enough to pass on to 2 friends, and keep 1 starter for yourself for later use. The starter keeps indefinitely without refrigeration.

Friendship Fruit Cake: Combine cake mix, vanilla pudding mix; add oil and 1 egg. Using electric mixer, beat, adding eggs one at a time and beating well after each addition. Remove beaters. Fold in fruit, nuts and coconut.

Bake in a greased and floured tube and bundt pan at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from pan after 10 to 15 minutes.

Makes great Christmas presents. Bake in small cake pans and wrap in festive paper!

/CAKES

STARTER TAKES OVER 30 DAYS!