Friendship & Herman

There was a knock on the door earlier. I jumped up, expecting it to be the postman with a couple of parcels I'm expecting and wanting to get to the door before he's raced off up the path and left a red card through the door. As it happened it wasn't the postman, it was one of my friends bringing a portion of this round (picture is after putting it in my own bowl):

It is Herman the Friendship Cake.

I remember my mum doing one of these years ago and Joanne at RiversMEET was (maybe still is!) doing one recently. If you're not familiar with it, the basics are that a friend gives you some of the mixture. You then look after it for 10 days, during which time you mostly stir it occasionally and on certain days you add some specified ingredients to the mixture. On the 9th day, you split your mixture into 5 portions - one for yourself and 4 for friends. On Day 10 you cook your portion after mixing in extra ingredients, depending on what type of cake you want it to be. Each of your friends repeats the 10 day process...thus spreading the friendship cake to more and more people.

The mixture keeps at room temperature, you simply cover the bowl with a tea towel or loose fitting lid.

Hopefully I'll have some cake pictures for you in 10 days time!