Freaky/Scary cake thingy I got going on right now

Okay, so my sis sends me down a "starter" for a friendship cake. And me being the frugal person I am could not throw it out, even though I do not really like messing with these sort of things. So I start doing it.

It takes 30 days, 7 1/2 cups of sugar (no splenda sub for this one which makes it something we wont eat)

1 32 oz. can of each of these fruits. pineapples, peaches, fruit cocktail

1 jar maraschino cherries

now you add a can of each of the fruits every 10 days, peaches on the first day you get it, then the pineapples then the fruit cocktail and the cherries. along with that you also add 2 1/2 cups sugar every 10 days.

This mess is mixed up in a glass gallon jar (didn't have one so I used two half gallon Mason Jars)

Left to set out on the counter top for 30 days straight to do its thing. Scary

after you let it set out and make what smells like a nasty whisky, you drain the juice off, divide it in 3 parts 1 1/2 cups each, and give it to some other poor unsuspecting soul.

then you take the fruit, and add 1/3 cup of it to 1 box of yellow cake mix, 2/3 cups veg. oil. 4 large eggs, 1 pack vanilla instant pudding, 1 c. coconut, 1 c. chopped pecans.

do this 3 times, cause this crap makes three of these cakes.

bake it for 50-60 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

This cake scares me to death. Not to mention it has enough sugar and calories in it to drop a cow... it has set out for 30 days and just what I would say, rotted... yuck. I got it working, in the jars, and will make the cake, and take it to church dinners, or give it to family, but Myself or my husband will not be eating any of it, because he is a diabetic, we are trying to diet, and I am not sure I can get over the fact that it set out for an entire month, without being put in the fridge. Anyway, thought I would show you all a pic of it, cause it was bubbling this morning, and kinda made me uneasy.

My mom has ate a piece of one of the cakes already and says its good, but my mom would eat dirt with a little salt... love her heart she has no taste buds, so I can not honestly trust her opinion on it.

What kinda cook are you?

I often wonder, how do other people cook.. are they like me and can cook the normal stuff without recipes, and then the stuff they make, but not often, have to have recipes for.

I can cook my mac and cheese, potatoes, gravy, biscuits and such without a recipe at all... just throw it together, no biggie..but when it comes to my pies and cakes, my meatballs, anything "special" I best have the recipe handy. Not to tell me what to do with it, just what goes in it, I can remember how to put it all together, just not what to put in to put it together.. So my question to you is this...

Can you look at a recipe once, use it, tweek it, and then make the stuff over and over without the recipe?

Can you create awesome meals outta your head just from stuff in the cubbord?

Can you cook the old fashion stuff that people pay big money at The Cracker Barrel to get?

Just courious since most of my friends are all from or have lived in East Tennessee, just wonder how they are in the kitchen.