Friendship Fruit Cake: Great Fun for the Girl Gang That Loves to Bake
What is friendship cake? It's a delicious beautiful fermented fruit cake to share with your friends and family.
My mother has a bevy of recipes in her cupboard and she has acquired them from all over, from friends, from family, from old cookbooks made by church ladies. Many of them are hand written and passed down from eras gone and include instructions on how to make jelly salads, melting moment shortbread cookies, suet pudding, and ambrosia salad.
A few months ago she was rummaging through her pile of notes and clippings and found this lovely recipe for Friendship Fruit Cake. It is extra delicious. It requires some maintenance and fermenting fruit but once you get a taste of that fruity medley in a soft fluffy cake, it's worth the extra effort. It is also a fun way to bake with friends and family from afar, especially during these times of physical distancing.
“If baking is any labor at all, it's a labor of love. A love that gets passed from generation to generation." - Regina Brett
If you are starting from base, without a starter that has been gifted or shared, follow the instructions below to start your Friendship Cake Fruit Starter. If you have been gifted a starter or have one shared with you, scroll down below to the instructions on how to maintain your starter.
Friendship Cake Fruit Starter
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 (15 oz.) can of apricot halves, drained (If you can't find these, use dried apricots)
1 (15 oz.) can of sliced peaches, drained
1 (10 oz.) jar of maraschino cherries, drained
1 1/4 cup of brandy, whiskey or rum
1 1/4 cup of white sugar
Instructions:
In a large glass jar combine drained fruit, brandy and sugar.
Cover with a breathable cloth and let stand room temperature for 3 weeks. Stir twice a week for 3 weeks. The mixture may foam up a bit when stirred, that is what you are going for.
Maintaining Your Friendship Cake Fruit Starter (30 Days)
If you have been gifted a starter or have had one shared with you, follow these instructions on how to maintain your starter.
Day 1
The fruit starter maintenance process must be started within 3 days of receiving the starter or you can freeze it and unthaw it when you are ready. Use a glass jar to store it. Do not use plastic or metal container to store the starter liquid.
Put 2 cups of gifted/shared starter in a large glass jar and add ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can of sliced peaches and their juice
2 1/2 cups of white sugar
Stir everyday for 10 days.
When not stirring mixture, keep it covered with paper towel, foil or a loose lid. Do not refrigerate or cover with an air tight seal.
Day 10
Add ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can of pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 cup of sugar
Stir everyday for 10 days.
The colour should change and the mixture should foam when stirred.
Day 20
Add ingredients:
1 (10 oz.) jar of maraschino cherries, drained
2 1/2 cup of white sugar
Stir everyday for the final 10 days.
The colour will turn back to a pinkish hue due to the cherries.
Day 30
It is time to begin prepping to make the cake.
Drain the fruit from the starter and reserve it and the liquid. I used a strainer with a bowl underneath to separate the fruit from the liquid. The fruit will be used in the cake. The liquid you can pour into 3 glass or ceramic pint jars. One for you to start your next cake and two for you to share with friends or family members who love to bake.
Making Friendship Fruit Cakes
Once you have drained the fruit, you can transfer it into a bowl. Make sure to cut down any larger pieces of fruit. I put mine on a cutting board and gave the whole fruit mix a rough chop just to make those pieces more bite sized.
Ingredients:
1/2 of the fruit from fruit starter
Basic Vanilla Cake Recipe (you can also use 1 box of cake mix. I used a gluten free one.)
2 eggs
1/2 cup of butter
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. of vanilla extract
1 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1 box of vanilla pudding (this can be omitted)
1 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans)
1 cup of golden raisins
1 cup of coconut
Repeat recipe for cake two
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees celsius
Grease and flour two 9x13 baking pans
Combine cake ingredients in a mixer (I used a kitchen aid mixer with a whisk)
Add pudding mix, fruit, nuts, raisins and coconut
Continue to stir until batter is stiff
Pour cake batter into pan
Bake in the oven for 55 - 60 mins
Check with a toothpick to make sure middle is cooked
The fruit can make this cake a bit more moisture bearing so make sure it is cooked through
Once cooked, place on cooling rack
Once cooled dust with icing sugar
Your cakes are now ready to be shared with your friends and family members, with the fruit starter.
It's a great way to spread the love.
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