From: arielle@taronga.com (Stephanie da Silva)
Subject: Friendship Cake
Status: O
Organization: Taronga Park BBS
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 23:00:47 CST
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.2 PL16]


   Title: FRIENDSHIP FRUITCAKE
Category: Dessert, Cake
Servings: 20

Ingredients:

    1 ea 2-Layer box yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix (18.5 to
         28oz size)
  1/3 C  Vegetable oil
    4    Eggs
1 3/4 C  Fruit from starter (See note)
    1 C  Chopped pecans
         Confectioners sugar (if desired)
         Cream cheese frosting (if desired) from your favorite recipe

  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.

  NOTE:  You will use from 1 1/2 to 2 cups drained fruit per cake.

          STARTER FOR FRIENDSHIP FRUITCAKE

  3/4 C  Canned sliced peaches with syrup
  3/4 C  canned pineapple chunks with syrup
    4 oz Red maraschino cherries, drained, halved
1 1/2 C  Granulated sugar
    1 ea Active dry yeast package

  For Later Addition:
  1/2 C  Canned sliced peaches with syrup
  1/2 C  Canned pineapple chunks with syrup

  To Replenish Starter:
  DAY 1:
1 1/2 C  Starter juice
2 1/2 C  Granulated sugar
    2 lb Can sliced peaches with syrup
  DAY 10:
2 1/2 C  Granulated sugar
    2 lb Can pineapple chunks with juice or 1 1-lb can pineapple chunks
         and 1 1-lb can fruit cocktail
  DAY 20:
2 1/2 C  Granulated sugar
    2 ea (4-oz) jars maraschino cherries, drained and halved (You can
         use 1 jar of red and one jar of green for color, or use 1 10-oz
         jar).

  In a 1-gallon glass jar with wide mouth and lid, combine the
peaches, pineapple, maraschino cherries, sugar and yeast (make sure the
yeast is well mixed with syrup).  Stir two times the first day.  Stir
once a day afterwards.  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 several days, stirring daily, then drain 2 cups of mixed fruit
and use to make cake as directed in the cake recipe (see recipe above).
Reserve 1 1/2 cups starter juice and leave in glass gallon jar.  Count
this as Day One, and begin the process for renewing starter and making
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 and pineapple chunks with
juice.  Stir daily.  Keep loosely covered.  Do not refrigerate.

DAY 20:  Add 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar and 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).

  NOTE:  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.

Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes