Thirty-Day Friendship Cake

1. Stage

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.

2. Stage

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.

3. Stage

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.

4. Stage

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.

5. Stage

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x13-inch baking dishes.

6. Stage

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.

7. Stage

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