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Last week, readers shared recipes for friendship bread. This week we focus on friendship cake, which begins with either a yeast mixture or a brandy mixture. Making the starter is a lengthy process but not a difficult one. It requires just a little tending each day. At the end of 30 days, the starter is ready to use.
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For: Beverly Shaarda of St. Petersburg, Norma Anderson of Seminole, and Betty Sypniewski and Brenda Cracchiolo of Spring Hill.
From: Irene Ulm of Pinellas Park and Mary Smargisso of St. Petersburg.
Recipe: Friendship Fruitcake.
Friendship Fruitcake
Starter:
3/4 cup canned, sliced peaches with syrup
3/4 cup canned pineapple chunks with syrup
1 4-ounce jar red maraschino cherries, drained and halved
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 package active dry yeast
For later addition:
1/2 cup canned sliced peaches with syrup
1/2 cup canned pineapple chunks with syrup
To replenish starter:
Day 1:
1 1/2 cups starter juice
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 2-pound can sliced peaches with syrup
Day 10:
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1-pound cans pineapple chunks with juice (or 1 can pineapple chunks and 1 can fruit cocktail)
Day 20:
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 4-ounce jars maraschino cherries, drained and halved (may use one jar red and one jar green or one 10-ounce jar)
In a 1-gallon jar with wide mouth and lid, combine and mix thoroughly first five ingredients, making sure yeast is well-mixed with syrup. Stir two times the first day and one time each subsequent day. Do not refrigerate. Keep loosely covered.
Two weeks after beginning the starter, add 1/2 cup peaches and 1/2 cup pineapple with syrup.
Wait several days, stirring daily, then drain 2 cups of mixed fruit and use to make Friendship Cake (recipe follows). Reserve 11/2 cups starter juice and leave in glass gallon jar. Count this as Day 1. Begin process for renewing starter and making cake.
Day 1: To reserved 11/2 cups starter juice, add 21/2 cups sugar and 2-pound can peaches with syrup; stir daily. Keep loosely covered. Do not refrigerate.
Day 10: Add 21/2 cups sugar and pineapple chunks with syrup; stir daily. Keep loosely covered. Do not refrigerate.
Day 20: Add 21/2 cups sugar and drained and halved maraschino cherries; stir daily. Keep loosely covered. Do not refrigerate.
Day 30: Drain fruit, reserving 11/2 cups juice for renewing starter. Use drained fruit to make three cakes, give excess starter to friends and start a new batch of fruit.
Note: At the end of 30 days, you will have enough excess starter juice to give to about 4 friends. Be sure to keep enough juice (1? cups) for your starter. At the end of 30 days, there will be enough fruit to use 1? cups fruit in each cake, which makes the cake better and doesn't waste the fruit.
Friendship Cake1 2-layer yellow cake mix with pudding
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
13/4 cups fruit from starter, well-drained
1 cup chopped pecans
Confectioners' sugar or cream cheese icing, if desired
Line bottom of two-piece angel food cake pan with waxed paper. Grease well, then flour.
In large mixing bowl, combine 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 and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake 35 to 40 minutes more or until cake tests done.
Shake cake pan to loosen cake from sides; let sit 10 minutes. Lift out center of pan; turn cake onto cake plate. Remove waxed paper. Turn cake right-side up on plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar or frost with cream cheese icing, if desired. Cake slices better when cold. If using a Bundt pan, be sure it is greased and floured.
From: Irene Ulm of Pinellas Park.
Recipe: Friendship Fruitcake with Brandy Starter, from the "1990 Christmas Holiday Open House" booklet, published by the Pinellas County Extension Homemakers.
Friendship Fruitcake With Brandy Starter
Starter:
1 cup cubed canned pineapple
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1 cup maraschino cherries, including juice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1 cup sliced canned peaches, including juice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
In a large (1 gallon) jar, combine pineapple, 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons brandy. Let these ingredients sit in the jar for 2 weeks, stirring daily. At the end of 2 weeks, add cherries, 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons brandy. Let the mixture sit for 2 more weeks, stirring daily.
The fourth week, add peaches, 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons brandy. Let the mixture sit for 2 weeks, stirring daily. Separate the liquid from the fruit. The liquid is your starter. You can use the fruit on ice cream or cake.
Now you are ready to prepare the fruit for the cakes. Do not refrigerate liquid.
Preparation for Friendship Cake (takes 30 days):
11/2 cups starter
21/2 cups sugar
1 28-ounce can sliced peaches
21/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1 16-ounce can crushed pineapple
21/2 cups sugar
1 16-ounce can fruit cocktail
1 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries
In a large (1 gallon) jar or container, put starter, 21/2 cups sugar and peaches. Mix well and cover the jar with a paper towel. Do not refrigerate or screw lid on jar. Stir every day for 10 days.
Next, add 21/2 cups sugar, brandy and pineapple. Stir every day for 10 days. Add 21/2 cups sugar and fruit cocktail. Slice cherries and add with juice. Stir every day for 10 days.
On baking day, drain fruit and divide it into 4 equal parts. Save the juice and use this starter liquid for friends who want to make the cake. You will have enough for 5 starters (about 2 cups each).
You can save this fruit mixture by refrigerating the remaining part, but it should be used as soon as possible. Do not refrigerate the liquid because cold will stop the fermenting action.
Cake:
1 2-layer-size package of cake mix (see note below)
1 3-ounce package instant pudding mix
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts
1 portion of the brandied fruit
Confectioners' sugar or cream cheese frosting, if desired
Combine cake mix, instant pudding mix, oil and eggs. Beat until smooth with electric mixer at medium speed. Fold in chopped nuts and 1 portion of fruit. The batter will be thick. Pour mixture into a greased tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Turn out while hot. Dust cooled cake with confectioners' sugar or frost with cream cheese frosting. When cooled, the cake freezes very well.
The choice of cake and pudding flavors is yours. Some of the combinations that can be used are yellow cake mix and vanilla instant pudding mix, orange cake mix and vanilla instant pudding mix, lemon cake mix and lemon instant pudding mix, and yellow cake mix and butterscotch instant pudding mix. Also, coconut may be substituted for the nuts.
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