Friendship Cake, Armenian-Italian style

by Maria Titizian

Published: Friday August 28, 2009 in Food

Friendship Cake.

Put peaches, sugar, and starter juice in a jar. Stir once a day for 10 days.

Day 10 add:
2- 1/2 cups sugar
1 large can pineapple chunks with its juice.

Stir for ten days.

Day 20 add:
2 -1/2 cups sugar
1 - 10 ounce jar maraschino cherries with its juice
1 large can fruit cocktail with its juice.

Stir daily for ten days.

On the 30th day:
Drain liquid from fruit. Divide the juice into 5-6 jars each containing 1-1/2 cups of juice. Give to friends and keep one for yourself. You friends can now start with the starter you have given them and make the 30-day cake directly.

Divide fruit in thirds. You can freeze 2/3 of the fruit to use later.

Note: When putting fruit or juice in jars, leave jars on the counter and most definitely do not refrigerate and place the lid loosely - do not put it on tight.

Cake mixture:

1 box yellow cake mix (without pudding in it)
2/3 cup oil
4 eggs
1/3 of the fruit (prepared with the starter above)
1 cup chopped nuts
1 box vanilla instant pudding.

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a greased pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until done.

Alternate Cake Recipe:

1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs (beaten)
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 cups pecans
3 cups of the fruit mixture

Combine oil and sugar and blend in the eggs. Add dry ingredients. Fold in the fruit mix. Add pecans and vanilla. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake in pan for about 1 hour 15 min to 1 hour 30 min. Check with knife before removing from oven.

Amish Friendship Cake Initial Starter

Day One through day 14:
1 cup cubed pineapple (drained)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brandy

Combine ingredients in a glass gallon. Let set it set for two weeks. Cover loosely with aluminum foil with a wooden spoon inserted through the foil to stir daily - do not remove foil or spoon from mixture.

Be sure to stir daily.

Day 15:
Add 1 cup maraschino cherries including the juice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brandy.

Let sit two more weeks, stirring daily.

On day 30:
Strain the fruit from the juice using a plastic strainer. (DO NOT USE A METAL STRAINER). The resulting "juice" is the "starter" for your Amish Friendship Cake.