Herman the German Friendship Bundt

A few weeks ago I made Herman the German Friendship Cake for the first time. Since then a few portions of Herman have been doing the rounds at work, and I found myself in possession of a 'spare'. I love nothing more than to tinker with recipes, and I couldn't help but feel my first Herman was a bit safe. I had bundts on the brain...

I cultivated the spare Herman and then took the plunge. I made an Apple and Cinnamon version this time, as I had a cake tester/colleague who was most militantly opposed to sultanas, but everyone thought apple was the way forward.

I made the cake in exactly the same way apart from I used two portions of Herman instead of one. This also means doubling up the ingredients on day 10 (see below). I was a tad concerned that this cake mix just wouldn't tollerate a bundt tin, and that it may stick a little. It does take longer to cook because of the size, but I adjusted the oven temperature so the top wouldn't burn. I stayed with the simple fluted tin design to minimise stress...

It worked perfectly! I just left it in the oven until the edges started to shrink from the sides of the tin, and it came out quite easily. If you get a Herman starter, try something a little different!

Herman the German Friendship Bundt Instructions:
Day 1: Take Herman home and decant him into a big bowl. Leave him on the worktop (not the fridge - it's chilly in there) covered with a tea towel.
Days 2 & 3: Stir well.
Day 4: Feed him with 200ml milk, 200g caster sugar and 250g self raising flour. Stir well.
Days 5-8: Stir well.
Day 9: Feed him with 200ml milk, 200g caster sugar and 250g self raising flour. Stir well and split into four equal portions. Split into three portions where one portion is half of the mix and the other two are the remaining quarters. Give the two quarter portions away.
Day 10: Feed him with 300g self raising flour, 6 beaten eggs, 300g caster sugar, 4 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp mixed spice, 2 tsp baking powder, 300g finely chopped apple and 200ml sunflower oil. You can substitute the combined fruit with your own favourite fillings! Spread him into a greased and floured bundt tin. I used a 10 inch tin. Bake him for about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours on gas 3/160 C.