I have been making this cake for a very long time...I got the starter from a friend many many years ago. As my story goes my father use to go to Africa to do mission work. He had many good friends who would help him go with their money donations due to it cost so much. He wanted to do something for these friends every time he came home. So my sweet mom would make her old fashion fruit cakes and ev
eryone loved them. When it got to be to much for her to make these cakes my dad looked everywhere for fruit cakes to give to his friends....well the cost was to much and I told him one day that I had this starter for a fruit cake. Every time I made them I would change the recipe and my mom was my tester. After about 4 times of changing the recipe my mom said "do not change anything else in this recipe, this is the best cake you have every made" So I will never change it again. I give this cake for gifts, take it to church functions and so on. They freeze very well and I put one in the freezer for 11 months and took it out and tested it out on my family one Thanksgiving and they could not tell that it had been frozen. I have had one in the refrigerator for 5 months and again took it out for my family to taste and they thought I just made it. My grandchildren even like them. On the first day I add to the starter a fruit and sugar, ..every ten days I add a fruit and sugar and on the 40th day I cook. I also stir it with a wooden spoon every day. In the cake is....sugar, oil, pudding, cake mix, walnuts, pecans, coconut, pears, peaches, cherries, grapes, pineapple, eggs and a lot of love. I can make it with or without nuts. Like I say...It takes 40 days to make but, worth the wait!
