| 1 | Prepare starter: day 1: blend the starter feed together, and then hand mix in the starter. |
| 2 | I find it easiest to mix the flour and sugar together dry, add the milk to the starter, and then slowly add the flour and sugar to the liquid. |
| 3 | The starter should never be beaten with a blender or refrigerated. |
| 4 | Pour the mixture into a large bowl, cover with cling-film or a damp towel, and leave to brew. |
| 5 | Day 2: thoroughly mix the sourdough, then leave to brew again. |
| 6 | Day 5: as day 1 day 6: as day 2 day 10: print off three copies of this recipe. |
| 7 | Here now is why this is called a friendship cake. |
| 8 | Take 3 cups of sourdough mixture, and give them away with copies of the recipe as starters to your friends. |
| 9 | Then proceed with the baking. |
| 10 | Making the cake: blend all ingredients thoroughly with remaining starter. |
| 11 | Pre-heat oven to 350 °F. |
| 12 | Pour mixture into a well-greased baking tin. |
| 13 | Bake for 1 ?hours (less in a fan oven), cool. |
| 14 | Notes: * a 10-day sourdough cake -- this is known as the friendship cake, it"s a bit like a chain letter in that you have to find a set of friends to pass on the starter to. |
| 15 | During preparation put the starter into a very large bowl (it foams up), and cover with a lid or with cling film. |
| 16 | Yield: starter and one cake. |
| 17 | * if you don"t get cake starter from a friend, you can probably buy it in a baking supply store. |
| 18 | * vary the spices to taste. |
| 19 | The cake is quite pleasant if you forget them. |
| 20 | : difficulty: easy. |
| 21 | : time: 10 days brewing starter, 30 minutes preparing cake, 2 hours baking and cooling. |
| 22 | : precision: measure the ingredients. |
