I have written about my favorite cake recipe — the Tre, Tre, Tre Cake — for Epicurious. Recently, with a rather empty larder and company coming for dinner, I played around with that recipe and came up with this delicious dessert, which I named Anarchy Cake, because with recipes, as with so many things, Italians are basically anarchists.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 6 to 8 servings

　　1 1/2 cups fruit (or 4 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate), sliced if using peaches, apricots, or plums (neatness does not count); if using cherries, pit them

　　3/4 cup of cake or pastry flour (all-purpose flour works in a pinch)

　　3/4 teaspoon baking powder

　　Pinch of salt

　　1 egg

　　1/2 cup superfine sugar, plus an additional 2 tablespoons

　　1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　1/4 cup milk

　　1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

Line bottom of a 10-inch-diameter springform pan with parchment paper, brush with oil, and lightly flour.

　　

Step 3

Gently toss prepared fruit with 1 tablespoon of sugar and set aside. (If using chocolate, do not toss it with the sugar, just put aside until needed.)

　　

Step 4

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

　　

Step 5

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg with the 1/2 cup of superfine sugar and lemon zest until light, fluffy, and pale in color. This could take as long as 5 minutes.

　　

Step 6

Add the olive oil, then the milk and balsamic vinegar, beating until fully combined.

　　

Step 7

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture.

　　

Step 8

Pour batter into the prepared springform pan and drop the sliced fruit over the top. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar.

　　

Step 9

Bake for 50 minutes, until the top is a beautiful golden brown. A knife blade inserted into the cake’s center should come out clean.