What would this time of year be without some dense fruit cake doing the rounds? Give yours a fresh spin with juicy granadilla.

MAKES 1 // COOKING TIME 1 hour 30 min, plus soaking time

INGREDIENTS
For the fruit cake
400 g mixed glacé cherries
50 g raisins
50 g mixed peel
100 ml granadilla pulp (6–8 granadillas)
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
300 g flour
100 g ground almonds
100 g walnuts or macadamias
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
220 g butter, softened
200 g sugar 
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp almond essence
3 tbsp milk
Brandy, to feed, optional
For the granadilla icing
250 g mascarpone
3 tbsp icing sugar
Pulp of 2 granadillas, plus to decorate
250 g white fondant
Edible glitter

METHOD
For the fruit cake
1. Soak cherries, raisins and the mixed peel in granadilla pulp for at least 8 hours (or overnight). Add the zest after soaking.
2. Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line a cake tin.
3. In a bowl, mix flour, ground almonds, walnuts or macadamias, baking powder and salt.
4. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating between each addition. Add both essences.
5. Strain the soaked fruit, reserving the granadilla pulp. Add the fruit to the flour mixture, stirring to coat.
6. Add ½ the flour mixture to the butter mixture; add the granadilla pulp and milk; add the remaining flour mixture.
7. Spoon into the cake tin. Bake for 1 hour 15–20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
8. If you like your fruit cake with brandy, you can spoon some over the sponge a few days before Christmas. Allow it to absorb fully before icing. If you are not using brandy, you can ice your cake immediately.
For the granadilla icing
1. Beat mascarpone, icing sugar and pulp.
2. Roll out fondant and cover the sides of the cake. Spread the mascarpone on top. Decorate the cake with glitter.

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