Years ago I stole a recipe from Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. It was for a rich cake which used olive oil instead of butter, and was flavoured with a sweet dessert wine. Reception of this dish in Britain was guardedly polite, i.e. they hated it, but the Italians went berserk about it. Over the years it has mutated slightly and acquired a topping of pine nuts and icing sugar. Serve it wit
