'Tis the Season to be Thankful for Family and Good Cake

It's November already! This year has seemed to fly by and on the other hand it has been a very long year.  2020 is certainly a year for the books. We will not forget this one too soon. But of course with November comes change to how we feel and what we look forward to.

I think November 1st brings the excitement of the holidays.  The feelings of cozy evenings by the fire and the beautiful looks on children's faces as they look for Santa and twinkling lights. 

Thanksgiving Day is my favorite holiday.  Nothing is nicer than the smells of Thanksgiving dinner in the oven and the excitement of hanging out with the family.  This year our groups may be smaller, but the feelings of thankfulness are huge.  

We at Joyful Sentiments Jewelry are all about being thankful for you, our families, and the things in life that mean the most to us. 

Take the time this Thanksgiving Day to show your loved ones how thankful you are for them.  Showing gratefulness and thankfulness makes you a happier more calm person.  The entire month of November has been dubbed the National Month of Gratitude in the United States.  How great is that? 

Also take some time to do some baking, it's relaxing and you forget about anything else as you focus on what you are making.

Here is a cake that you may not think is good because it's a fruitcake and we all know the stories about the one floating fruit cake that gets mailed around the world....

This is called a Friendship Cake.  It's made with a starter (recipe below) and once you make the starter, you have that to give to a friend along with the recipe and some of the cake you made.  You can make smaller cakes in loaf pans to give to friends.  You show them how thankful you are for them and they are thankful you gave them something so tasty!

                                                           Friendship Cake

Ingredients

2 cups Friendship Fruit Starter

1 (15 ounce) can sliced peaches with juice

2 ½ cups white sugar

1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks with juice

½ cup white sugar

2 (10 ounce) jars maraschino cherries

2 ½ cups white sugar

2 (18.25 ounce) packages yellow cake mix

2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

1 ⅓ cups vegetable oil

8 eggs

2 cups golden raisins

2 cups chopped walnuts

2 cups flaked coconut

Directions

• Step 1

Day One: In a large glass jar or bowl, combine 2 cups 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 once 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.

• Step 2

Day Ten: Add 1 can of chunk pineapple and its juice. Cut each chunk of pineapple in half. Stir in 1/2 cup of white sugar. Stir once everyday for 10 days. The color should change, and the mixture should foam when stirred.

• Step 3

Day Twenty: Slice each cherry in half, and stir in. Add 2 1/2 cups of the white sugar. Stir once every day for the final 10 days. The cherries will give the juice back its pinkish color.

• Step 4

Day Thirty: Drain fruit and reserve it and the liquid. The fruit will be used in the cake. Pour the liquid into 3 glass 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!

• Step 5

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x13-inch baking pans.

• Step 6

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 golden 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.

• Step 7

Bake cakes at in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes.

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                                                         Friendship Cake Starter                                                     

Ingredients

1 (15 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 ¼ cups brandy

1 ¼ cups white sugar

Directions

• Step 1

In a large glass jar, combine drained pineapple chunks, drained apricot slices, drained sliced peaches, drained maraschino cherries, brandy and sugar. Stir gently with wooden spoon. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 weeks, stirring at least twice a week. Drain and reserve the liquid - This liquid is your starter for the Thirty Day Friendship Cake.

Starter can be frozen for your next cake.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!