Last-Minute Fruit Cake

For spur-of-the-moment dinner parties that need something sweet and sophisticated—but very low maintenance—to end the evening, this cake is our go-to choice. The super-simple batter can be thrown together in 15 minutes and is totally customizable. We call for almond extract, but you can use whatever flavoring agent you like (more vanilla or anise extract would be lovely in its place). Just make sure you use whatever fruit is in season since it’s the real star of the show here.