12 friendship recipes

Super moist friendship cake starts with a 30-day brandied fruit starter, layering peaches, pineapple, and cherries, then bakes into a tender, fruit-and-nut loaf. The shareable holiday baking tradition.

Brandy-fermented friendship cake made with a homemade fruit starter of pineapple, peaches, and maraschino cherries. A beloved sharing tradition where each batch creates starters for friends.

Amish friendship cake with brandy-soaked fruit starter, warm spices, and pecans in a bundt pan. A share-with-friends chain recipe where the fermented fruit starter grows and gets passed along.

Friendship fruit starter ferments pineapple, peaches, apricots, and cherries in brandy and sugar for three weeks. A boozy heirloom base for cakes, ice cream, or gifting.

Friendship Fiesta Cake hides mashed pinto beans in a spiced bundt cake with apples, raisins, nuts, and a vanilla glaze. Moist, dense, and nobody guesses the secret.

No-starter friendship Bundt cake with brandied fruit, coconut, dates, and a hit of orange and walnut extracts. The classic friendship cake without the 30-day countdown.

Monkey bread made with canned buttermilk biscuits tossed in cinnamon sugar and baked in a Bundt pan with a buttery cinnamon glaze. An easy pull-apart treat in about an hour.

Amish friendship bread with hazelnuts and dried cherries: a cinnamon-scented sweet bread loaded with crunchy nuts and chewy fruit. Bakes 4 loaves built for sharing with friends.

Herman starter coffee cake with chocolate chips, nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. A friendship bread tradition that turns sourdough starter into a rich, one-bowl cake.

Herman wheat and honey starter: a 5-day yeast-based friendship starter made with whole wheat flour, milk, and honey. Classic American bread-sharing tradition.

Herman coffee cake bakes a 10-day fed sourdough-style starter into a tender cinnamon-raisin coffee cake. The classic friendship cake passed jar-by-jar between neighbors.

If you cannot find fresh peaches, use frozen ones (they will further thicken the smoothie). Peaches were first cultivated in China where they are considered a symbol of immortality and friendship. Nutritionally, they are a good source of selenium and vitamins A and C. Chia seeds are not only a complete protein, but supply the much needed omega-3 fatty acids missing from so many modern diets.