Yes, I know it isn’t even Halloween yet and you’re thinking I’m crazy for posting such an obvious December holiday-related recipe, but bear with me, I have good reason for posting this early.
Many of us have heard of and possibly been gifted (AKA cursed) with friendship bread starter. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can either click here to find out more, or just pretend you never heard about it and maybe you can live out the rest of your life in friendship bread-less bliss. OK, I have to admit that friendship bread is delicious, but it never dies and once the starter infiltrates your circle of friends, you practically have to start shooting people to get them to stop pushing it off on you.
(Forgive me, I still suffer post-traumatic friendship bread disorder, despite my temporary reconciliation with the starter.)
Well, friendship fruitcake starter is a whole different ball of wax. This starter is not the same flour/sugar/milk mixture that is aged and fed like a sourdough, nor is it as widespread, at least not in my neck of the woods. This starter is a thick, red, fruity syrup that you use to candy real, non-dried fruit, and you have enough leftover after making your cakes that you can either pass it on to two other friends, or keep all three jars for yourself and freeze them to use throughout the year.
The kind of fruitcake you get from this starter is also unique. It is not the typical disgusting sickeningly-sweet brick you find in grocery stores. In fact, I can tell you flat out that this is not only the only good fruitcake I have ever had in my life, it is actually so good that I would eat it any time of year, not just because it’s a holiday tradition. Seriously, you’ve never had a non-alcoholic* fruitcake that tasted this good, and maybe not even one that has been completely doused with alcohol could be better than this.
*Brandy is used in this initial starter recipe, but since you are using it to candy fruit, and not adding the liquid itself to the cake, you will put very little alcohol into the cake because of it, and the amount you put in will bake out. Also, once you make this starter, you never again have to add brandy to the future starters that come from this batch, so the percentage of alcohol will become nill after several batches.
If you don’t already have one of these starters in your freezer, and you would like to try this fruitcake for yourself, you will need to plan ahead and make the starter fairly soon, which is why I’m sharing the recipe for it now rather than after Thanksgiving. The starter takes three weeks to make, and the fruitcake takes another month. If you want to make small loaves as gifts before Christmas, start your starter now-within the next week or so. If you want to have your fruitcake ready on Christmas day, start by November 4 or 5 at the very latest. I guarantee you that you will have some very impressed people when you give them this fruitcake or at your party where you serve it, and many disappointed that you only have two starters to share.
I believe it will most likely take further persuasion on my part to convince you that this fruitcake is worth your time, so I will be following this recipe tomorrow with the two recipes I have for the cake itself, one using a mix, and one that I created from scratch.
*A big thank you to my friend Cheryl in Florida for passing the starter recipe and instructions on to me since she couldn’t give me one of her starters in person.*
Friendship Fruit Cake Starter
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
1 (16 oz) can apricots, drained
1 (16 oz) can sliced peaches, drained
1 (10 oz) jar maraschino cherries, drained
1 1/4 cups brandy
1 1/4 cups sugar
Combine ingredients in a large glass jar or bowl and stir well.
Store at room temperature, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, for three weeks, stirring at least twice a week. Mixture will become more and more red as time passes. This is what mine looked like on day 21:
Drain fruit and reserve the liquid. You should have two cups of liquid, and this is your starter. It won’t look as red or thick as the photos above because those are photos of the starter you get after you use this initial starter to candy your fruit when you actually start making the cake. The 2 cups of liquid you have now will all be used for candying fruit.
You can save the sweetened, brandied fruit for another use (topping on ice cream, turn it into jelly, etc.) or discard.
I added some cinnamon and instant pectin (it needed quite a lot, 1/2 cup if I remember correctly) to mine after pureeing in a food processor to make a brandied holiday fruit jam. It wasn’t sweet enough, so I’d suggest adding your sweetener of choice if you go this route.
***
Wow, guys! Thirty people signed up for the cookie swap as soon as it was open for business. I’m kinda scared of your enthusiasm, and excited by it at the same time. :D Rock on!
Veronica's Cornucopia 
The red color is very pretty. I just want them setting in my fridge because they’re pretty ;) I like the idea of the friendship fruitcake. Good idea posting it now, I had no idea it took so long.
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I am glad you got such a good response to your cookie swap! I have never heard of friendship bread…so I am just going to slowly back away… ;) Have a great day.
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Good idea! haha
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You do not know what your missing. I have been searching for this for a long time. It has been years since I have had it and can not wait to bake my first cake of the year yum yum!!
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Donna do you have the cake recipe and would you share it with me ? I have search for it several months. Thank you
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I made this 40 yrs ago and have been wondering whatever happened to the recipe and how to make the actual starter!! So glad I happened on to this. I’ve had the recipe for the cake for that length of time, but had no idea where or how to get the starter. Yayeeeee!
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I have, like, 8 jars of starter in my refrigerator it’s been there for about 9 months, can I still use it?
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I started my started, just wondering if its suppose to stare fermenting, I made this years ago and forget what it is suppose to look like, I don’t have any bubbles., edithmacphail@outlook.com
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Reblogged this on Santa Claus & Company………. Festivity Consultants.
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Looks like I have a lot to catch up on regarding friendship bread, I’ve never tried it :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Also just wondering did you receive my email?
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I got it from your “about” page I believe.
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I grew up with home made breads mom aylwas made our bread (and still bakes it). I’ve yo-yo’d between baking all our bread and buying it mostly for convenience. Lately I’ve gone back to making our bread because I’m concerned with all the additives in store bought bread. I’ve been using my bread machine most of the time because it’s so convenient; but I know that long rises make a more flavorful loaf. I would love to have the recipe for your sour dough bread.I just discovered your web site and I plan to be a frequent visitor.
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Well if you ever get really curious, you can make the starter yourself (just google it). But honestly you’re better off with this fruit cake! :)
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Do you store the fruit with the brandy on the counter or the refrigerator? That cake looks awesome!
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I forgot to include that info but have updated it now to say to store it at room temperature. It’s really good Debbi, I was so surprised.
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hi i just love your recipes do you have the recipe for the fruitcakes you would share .Thanks Pat
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:01:09 +0000 To: foodfun@msn.com
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Yup, it’s scheduled for 8 AM. :)
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This looks fantastic. My grandmother made a holiday fruitcake that used those orange-sliced candies. It’s good and also takes some preplanning, but it is so sweet. I love the versatility of this and that brandies fruit jam is genius. Question: Do you refrigerate the fruit as it sets or do you leave it covered on the cabinet?
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Now that sounds like an interesting fruitcake! I hope you’ll share that one some day. You store it at room temperature–I forgot to include that but have updated the recipe.
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You can tighten the lid on the jar of starter, right?
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I’ve gotten friendship bread twice and let it die both times on the counter, never adding to it! It just became a bag of goop… not very pretty! I like this idea though!
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I should have let mine die! I don’t know why I never did but I really did start to get a complex and had to start hiding from the people I knew were going to try to give me another starter-haha! I once had mine explode all over the coffee table and instead of cleanign it up and throwing it away, I scooped all the starter back into a (bigger) bag. And used it. And shared it. Particles of dust from my coffee table are probably still being eaten today.
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That fruitcake looks delightful…love all the colors and combination of all those fruity flavors. This reminds me that christmas is almost upon us :D
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I know, it’s right around the corner, really. Kinda unsettling! ;)
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Now this is a fruitcake that I can get excited about! I do remember all of your friendship bread posts and I’m excited for a new version of it!
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Yeah, this is nothing like friendship bread-totally different. And it’s better! Definitely worth trying.
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I really want to try this fruitcake,looks so perfect & yummy as looking for such recipe for so long & today I got it :) thank u soo much.I’m thinking to make with scratch but one thing I need to ask in making starter what possibly could replace the “brandy” i know sounds diff.but I really don’t want any alcohol.
looking forward for your reply,thanks again
have a good day.
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I know it’s a pain to buy brandy just for one recipe, but I don’t know what else you could use. You’ll have to experiment and let me know if it works OK. You should be able to buy a small enough bottle that you wouldn’t have a lot leftover-talk to the guys at the counter-they have small bottles behind the counter. You will have pretty much zero alcohol in your cake.
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this is also made with yeast instead of the brandy
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awe… the cake looks truly amazing. do you think it would hold together even using whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose? I am very fascinated by this fruit starter. and would be nervous using it. had a terrible experience with fermented yeast that I do not want to experience again :)
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I’m going to leave that up to you to try as I have no idea. I do know different flours cause different textures, and my guess is that it would be a bit more dry and coarse with whole wheat. You could possible help the texture by adding a tad more moisture…maybe milk? Not sure. Oh and this doesn’t seem to ferment, or at least mine didn’t. It just is like a candy syrup that candies the fruit.
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If you only get two cuts of juice from starter how do we have enough to give away??? Most confusing.Please reply to my email address. Or maybe I need to go back and re read recipe.
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Let me quote the part that explains this for you: “You should have two cups of liquid, and this is your starter. It won’t look as red or thick as the photos above because those are photos of the starter you get after you use this initial starter to candy your fruit when you actually start making the cake. The 2 cups of liquid you have now will all be used for candying fruit.” So you will NOT be giving any of this initial starter away. You won’t have any to give away until after you actually start the fruitcake recipe, which you can get here: https://veronicascornucopia.com/2012/10/17/friendship-fruit-cake/ let me know if you have any more questions-I had to muddle through quite a bit myself.
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Hi Shirl! Let me quote the part that explains this for you: “You should have two cups of liquid, and this is your starter. It won’t look as red or thick as the photos above because those are photos of the starter you get after you use this initial starter to candy your fruit when you actually start making the cake. The 2 cups of liquid you have now will all be used for candying fruit.” So you will NOT be giving any of this initial starter away. You won’t have any to give away until after you actually start the fruitcake recipe, which you can get here: https://veronicascornucopia.com/2012/10/17/friendship-fruit-cake/ let me know if you have any more questions-I had to muddle through quite a bit myself. Veronica
The happiest people don’t have the best of everything…they just make the best of everything.
________________________________
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Veronica,
I’m ready to make jam/jelly from the brandied fruit. Can you tell me the procedure since I’m not familiar with Instant Pectin..Thanks in advance,
Shirl
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I’m sorry, I didn’t write down what I did but I do know that it wasn’t sweet enough b/c I didn’t add any sugar to it so I’d def recommend tasting as you mix to get the right sweetness. Just follow the directions on the pectin jar, and I think I used 1/4-1/2 cup of the instant pectin–I remember being surprised how much I had to use. I hope it works for you!
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That’s where I’m confused..I can’t find Pectin in a bottle and no Instant pectin?? What I found you have to cook it.
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Well you could just do it that way. I’ve never used regular but if you use the instructions subbing the blended up fruit from the starter for whatever fruit it calls for, you should be good. Let me know how it goes!
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I was given some of that one time and I did make something with it but I didn’t continue with it. I just can’t have baked goods around all the time. It’s way to tempting to eat. :)
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You’re probably think of friendship bread. This is totally different. You freeze it until you’re ready to use it. So far for me, it’s once a year, though I ccertainly wouldn’t mind enjoying it more often!
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Just got done with my friendship fruitcakes! I made little mini loafs to send to friends and relatives. It ships really well, and still tastes great when it gets there! I cut one up and had it for dessert last night after dinner and it is delicious! The kids loved it too. It really was a long time from start to finish but it is going to be a new Christmas tradition in our house. The kids loved help stirring the fruit daily and helped me to prepare the cakes for baking. It was a great family baking project!
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This made my day, I just wish I knew who left the comment! I hope you see this, as I’d like to know if you made the easy version and if they sunk in the middle. I did the easy version in mini loaf pans and while ugly and sunken (not from underbaking, I assure you), they were delish so that made up for it. Glad you have a new tradition!
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I just finished the starter for my cakes, but found on we will be gone for a week. Will the starter be OK in the fridge for the week or do I need to freeze it?
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Excited to hear someone else is trying it! I would go ahead and freeze it in a mason jar until you return to be on the safe side. Then just defrost before continuing with the recipe.
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I too have been “cursed” with starter and have “cursed” friends with it. This, I think I’ll keep to myself. Christmas times a coming. :)
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It’s even more delicious when you use ginger-flavored brandy (easy to find here in Wisconsin.)
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YUM! That does sound good.
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Pass this fun loving song to friends or family members. But if you ever tried a slice
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Grandma’s Loaded Fruitcakes – YouTube
► 4:34► 4:34
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIqR4562cpM
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How do you freeze the starter after it is made and how long can you freeze it for
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Sorry for the incredibly slow reply! New baby and I haven’t been keeping up with blog comments. I just put a cup’s worth in a freezer ziploc bag and throw it in there. I have used it after being frozen for a year but that’s probably the max you’d want to freeze it.
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When my mom wanted to freeze some of it, she used plastic peanut butter jars, but any freezer-safe container (like the ones they make for freezer jams) should work, if you prefer them to the bags.
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Veronica, I am on day 20 I looked in the jar this morning and my starter was very dry looking and a little bubbly..I am to put cherries in today did I do something wrong. Evelyn
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I’m not sure about the dry looking part, but it does ferment more and more each time. I didn’t get bubbles the first time but by the second time it fermented more and I got quite a bit of bubbles. It sounds good to me. :)
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Thanks a lot Veronica for replying I was so afraid when I saw the bubbles. I made this cake 30 years ago and it was the best cake I ever had, just can’t wait to make my cake. Thank you for posting this recipe, because I had no idea on how to start your directions is perfect. I will let you know how it turns out…Thanks again and congratulations on the new baby.
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Veronica, I’m on day 10 of my initial fruit starter. I’m stirring it 2-3 times a week, but it looks like I might not have enough juice! It seems like it might be evaporating. There IS juice, but it doesn’t look like it will be 2 cups worth when the three weeks is up. Is there a way to replenish it with more brandy or by adding another can of (undrained) fruit? I drained the fruit as per the recipe for the initial starter, but I’m worried it won’t be enough juice.
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I have made the starter, and now I’m in the process of the friendship cake I’m on day 18.
I’m concerned because my fruit mix smells very boozy similar to bad wine. Have I done something wrong? Please, this is my first time doing this, I need some advice
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Ages and eons ago someone gave my mom a starter and the recipe for the cake, but not the starter: the cakes were the hit of every function she ever took one to. I know someone asked about substituting something for the brandy in the starter recipe, but I’m wondering if it would hurt anything to simply leave it out altogether. Both my mom and I got curious about other uses for the starter (because, as I’m sure you know, after the first couple batches you run out of people to give the stuff to and wind up with LOTS of starter). We both tasted it and there was no brandy taste to it at all, so I’m thinking that whoever gave it to her didn’t use brandy. I recall mom saying she thought that to make the starter you just use canned fruit and sugar; the only recipe I’ve found without brandy has yeast, which I’m almost certain hers didn’t have either. So do you have any idea if leaving out the brandy altogether would work, or will the fruit simply rot without it?
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My started was given to me add you stir everyday sometimes twice a day. Every 10 days I added a different can Fruit and 2&1/2 cups of sugar. Nobody wants mine because of all super . Made 3 container of fruit . And 2 at jars of stater I put the juice in mason jars can the fruit be in plastic containers or glass and it says leave on counter . Will it go bad out or get stronger They do have liquid in that fruit not sure what’s next if not baking bread yet . So glass or not refrigerator or not I saw you stored liquid in freezer . The Yankee girl needs answers
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Help
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Diane: When my mom made these she (of course) eventually ran out of people to give starter too; she experimented a little bit with using the syrup but other than drizzling a very little bit over ice cream we didn’t really come up with much. HOWEVER, when she’d want a lull in the fruitcake-baking endeavors she put the syrup (enough to start another round of cakes) in a couple plastic 18-ounce peanut butter jars and stowed them in the freezer. It is important that they remain upright, as the sugar content is so great that it won’t really freeze. (Think the only reason she used plastic is concern about glass breaking and making a mess in the freezer –
when she geared up for making the cake the ingredients went into a huge glass pickle jar that held, I think, over a gallon when filled.) When she’d decide it was time for more cakes she’d ‘thaw’ one and let the festivities begin. So for long-term storage I’d opt for fridge for a couple months (or freezer for longer). For example, if you’re only gonna make the cakes once a year (like my mom finally did), go for the freezer. If you’re only waiting a few months between batches, go for the fridge. Or split the difference and store some in each…
A neighbor recently gave me a recipe for homemade brandy which is very similar to the starter recipe given above except no brandy or yeast to begin with, as I recall, so I may some day decide to give the starter a go, as mom’s supply is long gone :-( If I DO ever get around to it (because dang it real life keeps getting in the way!) I’ll report back!! In the meantime, if anyone tries to make the starter sans brandy please let me know if it works – I’m certain the original that we had did not call for it…
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I hope someone will reply to this since I see that it has been years since this was originally posted. I made the starter but I did not get any ‘bubbles’ or foam in it. I went ahead and made the fruit mix anyway but still the mixture did not bubble or foam. I wonder if this ok or if I did something wrong? Maybe my kitchen was to cold? Anyway the cakes are great! And yes I saw someone post about them falling in the center? Mine did as well. I thought they were undercooked, but they weren’t.
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Mine didn’t bubble or foam the first year, it wasn’t until the second year that I noticed that happening. Glad they turned out well for you!
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I am so glad you posted this. I have been looking for the one I used to make years ago. I don’t think I ever put brandy in mine though and they always came out great. I gave them to everyone at church. They always came back asking for more. They didn’t want the starter just the cake, so I always ended up keeping the starters and making the cakes. They would buy them from me to give to their friends. I had a lot of fun making them and eating them. I love fruitcake and this is the best ever.
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Hi Veronica
I was at a cook-out about 2 weeks ago and was told by one of the guests there that they wanted me to make sure that my mom got a piece of her cake and it was called a 30 day friendship cake. I said it took you thirty days to make this cake. She replied yes. Wow to my surprise. What kind of cake takes 30 days to make. Mom received a piece and I had to try it. One small piece made me go back for more. Then I wanted to know how to make it. Upon doing research on line on friendship cakes I came across your site. I am so floored how you make it so simple to understand how to make this cake. I am now in my second day of the Starter. I drove everywhere looking for canned apricots but could not find them, Wal-Mart foodlion, Harris-Teeters could not find them. So they it was deleted. Thank you for your simplicity in explaining how to make this cake Only insecond day but I am so excited about getting to the final day when I can actually make the cake.
I do have one question for you. Will I have to remake the starter once the second batch of starter is given out to friends or is there a way to save the original starter and continue to add to it? Thank you for all you great help. I could not find anyone that explained it as you did. Really didn’t have to look anymore and finding you.
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Veronica can you make jelly with the liquid fruit starter? I googled it but nothing out there!!
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Does anyone know how long the leftover fruit (since I only made one cake) can be stored in the refrigerator and used to make more cakes? Mine’s been in fridge for about 3-4 weeks and I wonder if it is safe to make more cakes with it now?
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