Meet Herman the German

Friendship Cake
When I was given my first German friendship cake I had no idea what it was. A
friend of my wife knocked at the door one day and presented me with a small
bowl of goo. It was a bit odd to have been given a bowl of goo that had a name
and strict instructions to follow for ten days. Nevertheless I decided to give
Herman a go and after 10 days I cooked the final cake. He was the first cake I
had ever baked and he was surprisingly good! If you get given a Herman you
must give it a go.

What Is A German Friendship Cake?

Herman the German friendship cake apparently originates from the Amish
people, many years ago. From what I have found out they would give out a type
of sourdough bread that was passed among the needy and sick. I will happily
post the correct origin if this is wrong; use the contact form to drop me a line if
you know more.
Herman is a sourdough cake, whose recipe dates back centuries. Similar to an
annoying chain letter he gets passed round circles of friends and families but
actually isnt quite as annoying. You must nurture Herman for 10 days before
baking as a yummy cake.
What you get given is usually a starter mix, which is a substitute for baking
yeast. It can also be used for other types of yeast-based baking such as breads,
it can be shared among friends and can even be frozen for use in the future.
After someone gets the friendship cake starter they follow the instructions and
every so many days they add sugar, flour and milk. When the time is right the
growing mixture is separated into four portions; one to bake with and three to
share and so the cycle goes on. This is a great idea for getting your young child
baking. They can look after Herman for 10 days before getting to help bake him
into a delicious cake.

Accepting My Herman
Here is Herman the on the day he arrived. All he appeared to be was a bubbling
mess in a bowl. This was my German friendship cake mix. An A4 sheet of paper
had some typed instructions for me and they were very specific. In particular
You cannot put me in the fridge or I will die. If I stop bubbling, I am dead. Was I
ready for such a task? What if I killed him?
Download the instructions for Herman here.
Actually, as I read the instructions I soon realised that I didnt have to do much
with Herman other than give him a stir. What a relief!

Surely even I could manage this after a few days add some milk, flour and
sugar, then after ten days mix in some more ingredients and bake a cake. I was
up for the challenge (as a man who had never baked before it was a challenge,
believe me).
I hadnt realised just how popular Herman is. Its quite simple really and the
whole process is based on letting him sit for four days, on the fifth day adding
equal quantities of flour, milk and sugar. Following this Herman sits for four more
days and gets baked on the tenth day. Before baking the mix is shared into four
equal amounts for the cycle to start again or for cakes to be baked.

Baking Herman
I am a sourdough cake. Im supposed to sit on your worktop for 10 days without
a lid on.
You CANNOT put me in the fridge or I will die. If I stop bubbling, I am dead.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Day1: Put me in a large mixing bowl and cover loosely with a tea towel.
Day 2: Stir well
Day 3: Stir well
Day 4: Herman is hungry. Add 1 cup each of plain flour, sugar and milk.
Stir well.
5. Day 5: Stir well
6. Day 6: Stir well
7. Day 7: Stir well
8. Day 8: Stir well
9. Day 9: Add the same as day 4 and stir well. Divide into 4 equal portions
and give away to friends with a copy of these instructions. Keep the fourth
portion.
10.Day 10: Now you are ready to make the cake. Stir well and add the
following:
i.
1 cup of sugar (8oz or 225g)
ii.
2 cups plain flour (10oz or 300g)
iii.
half tsp. (teaspoon) salt
iv.
2/3 (two thirds) cup of cooking oil (5.3oz or 160ml)
v.
2 eggs
vi.
2 tsp. vanilla essence
vii.
2 cooking apples cut into chunks
viii.
1 cup raisins (7oz or 200g)
ix.
2 heaped tsp. cinnamon
x.
2 heaped tsp. baking powder

Mix everything together and put into a large greased baking tin. Sprinkle with a
quarter of a cup of brown sugar and a quarter of a cup of melted butter. Bake for
45 minutes at 170 180C. You may need to cover in tin foil and bake for a further
20 minutes to make youre your Herman is done in the middle. When cold; cut
into finger pieces. The cake freezes well and is also delicious warm with cream or
icecream.

Hope you enjoyed Herman as much as I did!