Sharon, it's so good to "see" you! I've been thinking about you but can't help with the cake.

Arlene

I don't know about the cake, either, but I second that it's good to see you! I recently made the "Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Sauce" that you posted a while back and it was delicious. Thanks! Hope things are well.

Wow! What a nice surprise to "see" you this morning! Hope things are going well.

That German Friendship Cake has turned up at a good time for me. I'm looking for fun homemade holiday gifts & this might very well have a place in a couple baskets as I'm of solid German descent. Thanks!

Hope to hear more from you as life allows.

/tricia

Hi Sharon!
That cake made the rounds here about 3 years ago. It was called Amish Friendship Cake. I'm sure it has several titles.

If you don't have some people to take the extras on the 10th day, the starter can be frozen. I Freecycled my starters.

I made a cake with brown sugar, raisins and nuts, and another with poppy seeds. I only made them twice. We didn't care for them, but others love them.

It's a fun little project!

Here's a site with several different options. The starter is the same though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amish Friendship Bread

I went through a "Herman" era back in the 1980's (thanks to the generosity of a neighbor). So what's old is new again!

It's also known as Friendship Cake or Amish Friendship Cake. I have a nice little booklet "Friendship Starters with Recipes", and as with any sourdough starter you can use it for cornbread, pancakes, biscuits, scones, coffee cakes, etc.

People who use starters often name them - mostly because they need so much care and feeding (speaking from experience ;-).

It's really not "German" any more than it is any other country of origin that makes naturally-leavened baked goods, but just a modern version of a sourdough starter.

It can be a lot of fun. I remember sharing it with my mother and she called to tell me "Herman" was dead and she was glad... She lived in a tiny town (2-blocks big), and there was a Herman in every refrigerator. After you've given away the "Herman" starter to everyone you know, and even some you don't know, you will end up "killing" Herman by baking the last bit of him into any number of quick breads and other recipes it can be used for.

-Grainlady

Well hello there! So good to hear from you. Know you are missed.

Oh, about the cake...I never envn took the time ti open the link. I'll go back now!

Glad to see our favorite "canarybird" posting today! So...Herman didn't make it over to Spain yet? LOL! Here is another link to a Friendship Bread site that has lots of recipes to make with the starter.

Now I know what I might be making for holiday gifts this year!

Teresa

Here is a link that might be useful: Friendship Bread Kitchen

Here is another 'welcome back', LOL. I thought of you yesterday; we were picking up some Spanish wines and food items.

Thank you all for your kind comments for me and your thoughts on the bread.

I might just try making this one day soon and if it turns out well, perhaps make some for friends at Christmas. Not sure if they like sourdough but I get the impression that this one is sweet. One of the local ladies posted the link I put at the start of the thread on a Tenerife forum and said her bread was delicious.

Hopefully my big oven will still work, as today I found that large chunks of the pink fluffy insulation from the bottom of the oven had been scratched out and was lying on the floor of the warming oven underneath. I actually heard something scratching when I walked into the kitchen.

The other day I found a gecko inside the oven. He ran out when I opened the oven door. Just shows how much I use it! I just hope thereôs nothing bigger than a gecko trying to make a nest in there.

I still use my little countertop toaster oven but would need the big one for making bread.
Will have to call someone to check it out before I start baking.

SharonCb

Hi Sharon,

Greetings from me, too.

Better open the oven door and take a peek before preheating! (With my nosy kitty, I always check the clothes dryer before starting it up.)

Sue

This is the first I am seeing this, but I am so so so glad to see you! Geckos. that reminds me of Hawaii. Happy memories. Scares the dickens out of one when they aren't prepared to see one.

Sharon, it IS so good to "see" you and I too, hope things are going well with you. Miss your postings, your lovely photos, actually, just miss you.

jude

Sharon, I follow you a little on FB, but it is nice to see you posting here again.

Ann

Sharon, I'm so happy to see you here again!

I went through the Herman/Amish/German Friendship cake a few years ago. Soon everyone I knew would run if they saw a container in my hand, they knew it was going to be "starter", LOL.

We added blueberries, zucchini, pineapple, pears, peaches, various nuts, just to "change it up" a little. It actually was a pretty good quick bread but everyone got so tired of it and it was never really gone!

Annie

I was like Grainlady's mother and I was glad when Herman died. LOL Actually I did make the recipe that came with mine and I didn't like it at all, and I like sourdough. In fact, I made a new starter this week and made four loaves of bread today and shared with neighbors.

Mi querida amiga, your presence is the exclamation point to my day! I check in here occasionally, but not nearly as often as I used to, so I'm glad I didn't miss your post.

In any case, it's good to see you back, if only for one fleeting moment.

I've missed you and check your beautiful blog very often, awaiting your next entry.

Sharon's Tenerife Blog

Happy weekend all.

Sol