Friendship Fruitcake

Ingredients:

1 ea 2-Layer box yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix (18.5-28oz 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

Instructions:

Line the bottom of a spring form 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).

Instructions:

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.

(Servings: 20)