Herman the German

You might have seen cryptic mentions in you Facebook feed regarding some German named Herman.  It seemed to start in the kitchens of earth mothers in the northern suburbs but clearly has moved further afield, our Herman came from the thriving metropolis of Donald. 

To avoid sounding culturally inappropriate I should swiftly refer to the full title, Herman the German friendship cake.

It starts from a starter (a very good place to start).  A friend who has the starter gives it to you (and another friend) as a sign of friendship while keeping a share for themselves.  Over the next 10 days you keep the starter alive by not putting it in the fridge, not putting a lid on it and stirring it well every day for 10 days.  

Oh and by keeping it away from places where ants might find it (which is what happened to our first friendship gift).

As long as it keeps bubbling away (and no ants), it's still a go-er.

On a couple of the days, you feed the starter with a cup of flour and a cup of sugar.  

After 10 days you divide your Herman into 4: one to keep, two to give to friends and one to turn into your friendship cake.

And so you can bake your German Herman cake - adding the usual cake ingredients including chunks of apple.  It's essentially a sourdough German teacake.

The kids loved the process.  The cake smelt decicious.  Licking the bowl was a tad odd, left a yeasty taste that I would love in a craft beer but it was strange on the end of my wooden spoon.

However, in what some may see as a metaphor for me and friendship, my Herman fell apart.  Still tasted good, a fun activity despite the end result for us.