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Thirty Day Friendship Cake

" This takes 30 days to prepare the fruit for the cake but it's worth it. It's delicious. If you are lucky a "friend" will give you 16 ounces of starter and a piece of cake so you won't have to go to all the trouble of preparing a starter. Once you have a starter, you can freeze it until It's used "

Ingredients:

1 pint friendship fruit starter

1 (15 ounce) can sliced peaches

1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks

2 (10 ounce) jars maraschino cherries, drained

2 (18.5 ounce) packages yellow cake mix

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

1 1/3 cups vegetable oil

8 eggs

2 cups golden raisins

2 cups chopped walnuts

2 cups flaked coconut

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained

1 (15 ounce) can apricot halves, drained

1 (15 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained

1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained

1 1/4 cups brandy

6 3/4 cups white sugar

Directions:

1) To Make Friendship Fruit Starter: Combine 1 can of the

drained peach slices, 1 can of the drained apricot slices, 1 jar

of the drained maraschino cherries, 1 (20 ounce) can of the

drained pineapple, the brandy and 11/4 cups of the white sugar

in clean, large glass jar. Stir gently with wooden spoon. Cover

and let stand at room temperature for 3 weeks, stirring at least

twice a week. If you are going to keep the starter going, keep

at least 3 cups starter in jar at all times.

2) After the three weeks are up, you can begin making the cake:

Day One: In a large glass jar or bowl combine 1 pint 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 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.

3) Day Ten: Add 1 (16 ounce) can of chunk pineapple and it's

juice. Cut each chunk of pineapple in half. Stir in 1/2 cup of

white sugar. Stir everyday for 10 days. The color should

change and the mixture should foam when stirred.

4) Day Twenty: Add 2 jars of the drained maraschino cherries.

Slice each cherry in half. Add 2 1/2 cups of the white sugar and

stir every day for the final 10 days. The cherries will give the

juice back its pinkish color.

5) Day Thirty: Drain fruit and reserve it and the liquid. Pour the

liquid into 3 glasses 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!

6) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and

flour two 9x13 inch baking pans.

7) 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 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.

8) Bake cakes at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 55 to 65

minutes.

Yield: Makes 2 -9x13 inch cakes.

Aunt Rose's Famous Date and Nut Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
1 cup dates
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup boiling water
1 Tbsp shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cocoa
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water and soak the raisins and dates for a half an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening with sugar. Add egg, vanilla, cocoa, and the raisin/dates mixture. Blend in flour. Add the nuts. Place batter in 5 x 9 loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

Date Nut Bread Recipe
Dark and sweet, bursting with plump dates and crunchy nuts. Keeps well!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped, pitted dates
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:
Bring water to boil in small saucepan. Stir in dates. Remove from heat and cool until lukewarm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place brown sugar and butter in mixer bowl; cream until blended. Add egg and beat until smooth. Add date/water mixture, and beat until blended. In another bowl, combine flour, soda and salt, mixing thoroughly. Stir wet ingredients into flour mixture, stirring just until blended. Do not over-beat; batter should be lumpy. Fold in nuts.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan, or three small mini-loaf pans. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 60-75 minutes for large loaf, 45-60 minutes for mini-loaves.

Remove from oven and cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.