With holiday gift-giving season commencing in full force after Turkey Day, I’m always on the lookout for locally made, gourmet goods to share with family and friends who love to cook.

Fresh Vintage Farms nut oils are definitely worth checking out.

The Turlock company produces cold-pressed, artisanal nut oils from almonds and walnuts grown in the Central Valley. The business was founded in 2019 by husband and wife, Tommy and Tara Tickenoff, whose families are third-generation almond growers.

I had a chance to try samples of both the almond and walnut oils. Both are lush and buttery tasting. The almond oil has a subtle natural sweetness to it, while the walnut one has a lovely roasty taste. Drizzle over salads, pastas, grilled bread, warm brie or goat cheese, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A bundle of two bottles (375ml each), one of each variety, is $27.99 on the Fresh Vintage Farms website or $23.99 on Amazon.

I love oil-based cakes because they bake up so moist. So, I put the Fresh Vintage Farms Almond Oil to good use in this recipe for “One-Bowl Lemon and Olive Oil Cake” by Brian Levy, which was published in the New York Times on Jan. 3, 2025.

This is one of those easy-peasy, no-fail cake recipes that you always need in your back pocket when you want to bake something, but you’re not sure what, and when you want it unfussy but still crowd-pleasing.

Its baked in a cake pan. But you could also do what I did, which is bake it in a springform pan.

The batter contains 5 eggs, full-fat yogurt and melted white chocolate, all of which add to the cake’s moistness and plush, velvety crumb.

To up the nutty taste of this cake, which already has both all-purpose and almond flours in the batter, I swapped out the called-for extra-virgin olive oil for almond oil instead. I also added some almond extract, and topped the just-baked cake with sliced almonds.

The recipe instructed to bake the cake for 60 to 65 minutes, but I found mine was done at about 45 minutes. So, in the recipe below, I recommended checking for doneness at the 45-minute mark.

This may be a simple cake whose looks are on the plain side, but it possesses a gentle sweetness, a nutty caress, and a comforting quality that is always welcome.

One-Bowl Lemon and Almond Oil Cake

(Makes 8 to 10 servings)

1/2 cup (105 grams) almond oil or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan

4 ounces (115 grams) white chocolate, chopped or broken into small pieces

5 large eggs

1 cup (190 grams) granulated sugar

2/3 cup (145 grams) full-fat plain yogurt (not Greek; see Tip)

Zest of 2 medium lemons, preferably organic

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup (100 grams) almond flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Pinch ground nutmeg

1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour

Sliced, toasted almonds, for garnishing (optional)

Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a 9-inch round metal cake pan or springform pan with olive oil and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Add the white chocolate to a large, oven-safe mixing bowl (or metal stand-mixer bowl, if you’ll use a stand mixer), place it in the oven and set the oven to 325 degrees (the gradually warming oven will gently melt the chocolate). Check on the white chocolate every 1 to 2 minutes, prodding it with a whisk to determine whether it has melted; it should take 3 to 5 minutes in total. (Alternatively, microwave the white chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl at 50 percent power, stirring at 15-second intervals, until melted. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.)

As soon as the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from the oven (the bowl will be hot!) and whisk it gently to make sure it’s perfectly smooth (If it’s not, let the residual heat of the melted chocolate melt any tiny solid bits, or briefly return the bowl to the oven to finish the job).

Let the bowl cool until just warm. Add the almond oil to the white chocolate and whisk until well combined. (An electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment will also work.) Add the eggs and mix well. Whisk in the sugar, yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond and vanilla extracts until well combined. Add the almond flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg to the bowl. Give it a good whisking to make it very smooth.

Finally, add the all-purpose flour and gently whisk just until the batter is evenly mixed with no lumps remaining. Use a flexible spatula to give it a final gentle mix, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Tap the bowl a few times on the countertop to eliminate large air bubbles.

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and tap the pan on the countertop to force out more air bubbles. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes.

Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a table knife around the edge of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Invert the cake onto a large plate, remove the pan and invert the bare cake back onto the cooling rack to cool at least 30 minutes more. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top, if using. When ready to serve, use a sieve to dust it lightly with powdered sugar, if you wish. Serve warm or at room temperature. When completely cooled, store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Tip: If you already have Greek yogurt, combine 1/2 cup (115 grams) of it with 2 tablespoons of water in place of the unstrained yogurt.

Adapted from a recipe by Brian Levy in the New York Times, Jan. 3, 2025