Thirty-Day Friendship Cake

Step 1
Day One: Place starter into a large glass jar or bowl. Strain peach juice over starter. Cut each peach slice into 4 pieces and add to starter-juice mixture. Stir in 2 1/2 cups sugar until combined. Cover the jar loosely with a clean dish towel. Let sit at room temperature for 10 days, stirring once each day. A pan of water underneath the jar will keep ants out.

Step 2
Day Ten: Strain pineapple juice over starter mixture. Cut each pineapple in half and add to starter mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar until combined. Let sit, loosely covered, at room temperature for 10 days, stirring once each day. The color should change and mixture should foam when stirred.

Step 3
Day Twenty: Slice each maraschino cherry in half and add to starter mixture. Stir in remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar until combined. Let sit, loosely covered, at room temperature for the final 10 days, stirring once each day. The color will turn slightly pink from the cherries.

Step 4
Day Thirty: Drain liquid from fruit and pour into 3 glass or ceramic pint jars — one for you to make your next cake and two for friends. Set aside fruit.

Step 5
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9×13-inch baking dishes.

Step 6
Beat together 1 box cake mix, 4 eggs, 2/3 cup oil, and 1 package instant pudding in a large bowl until well combined. Mix in 1/2 of the reserved fruit. Stir in 1 cup raisins, 1 cup nuts, and 1 cup coconut until incorporated; batter will be stiff. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Repeat this step for second cake.

Step 7
Bake cakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.