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At Chiaroscuro in the FiDi, chef Alessandro Campitelli's mom has been helping out in the open kitchen while visiting from Italy. Through Dec. 2, you can watch her make a rustic, not overly sweet apple cake that's perfect for fall.

2 Fuji apples

1 lemon

2 eggs

3/4 cup (5 ounces) sugar  

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

1 1/2 cups (7 ounces) sifted 00 flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Powdered sugar for decorating

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9-inch cake pan.

2. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. Zest and juice the lemon. Reserve the zest, and in a bowl, soak the fruit in the juice while you make the cake.

3. In a separate bowl, whip the eggs and sugar with an egg beater until foamy. With a wood spoon, stir in the reserved lemon zest, olive oil, and vanilla powder. Continue stirring while adding the sifted flour a little at a time. Sift and stir in the baking powder. Add the presoaked apples, and stir.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until the tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes.