Triple Berry Almond Olive Oil Cake

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Triple Berry Olive Oil Cake || To Salt & See

In case you missed my announcement on Instagram last week - we are MOVING!!!!

Match Day was pretty much exactly how I had imagined it would be. Granted I have watched countless videos about past Match Days - watching graduates all over the country open their letters with excitement, tears, nervousness, etc while their family and friends eagerly wait for them to reveal what the letter says. Without fail all of these videos brought me to tears because one day I knew that we would be their shoes.

The day started early at 9:30 AM, but we knew we wouldn’t be able to open the envelope that contained the Match results until 11:00. Speeches were given, jokes were made, and then there was 40 minutes of waiting because said speeches and jokes were not as long as the planners had imagined. These 40 minutes were the slowest minutes of our lives. And not only were they slow, but they halted to a glacial pace once Alex was able to get his envelope at 10:45 and we just had to stare at it for 15 minutes.

The last 5 minutes is when the emotions started to ramp up. Everywhere you looked, you could already see tears starting to form in people’s eyes as they knew the moment they had been waiting for was finally about to happen. The countdown started and before we knew it, it was time. Screams of joy and excitement slowly built in the auditorium as students read their letters. Alex opened his envelope. It took Alex a good 3 seconds to react because he couldn’t find where the program name was amongst the other information on the paper; whereas I found it immediately since I had seen so many Match videos and knew exactly where to look for the results. It said U Southern California. Both of us completely blanked as to what this meant for a hot second because never have we seen USC referred to in this way. But we are moving home to California!

We both called our parents immediately. My mom was in Hawaii so I knew I would be waking her up at 6AM. As soon as she answered the phone, I kid you not, I broke down crying. I could not say a word. And finally after her saying my name a few times I was able to muster out what I had been dreaming of telling her “we’re coming home”. She started crying and I literally could not rein in my ugly crying.

After letting everyone know back home and comparing results with everyone there, I felt more emotionally drained than I ever had in my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but it is the truth. Despite all of our preparation for the day, I did not know exactly how Match would make me feel.

The entire time that I have been with Alex for the past 7.5 years, he has been pursuing a career in medicine. We took some of the same pre-rec classes. We went on the same medical volunteer trip to Ecuador. We were in the same pre-medicine clubs. I was with him as he studied for the MCAT. I was with him as he applied to medical schools, flew to interviews, and got accepted into medical school. I flew out to Minneapolis with him to visit the city again and to see if we both liked it. I flew out again to attend his White Coat Ceremony and help him start moving into our place. I was with him through the first two years of studying nonstop everyday, and was the person who he practiced on when learning how to do a physical exam. I was with him as he studied for and took Step 1. I was with him as he rotated at a new hospital every month in a different specialty. I saw him in the halls and took breaks with him when he rotated at my hospital a couple times. I dropped him off or picked him up from some of the rotations so that we could both get to where we needed to be with our one car. I was with him when he studied for and took Step 2. Then I pretended to be patients as he studied for the second part of Step 2. I was with him when he was trying to decide for months whether to do general surgery or go for his dream of an integrated vascular surgery program. I was with him when he meticulously researched all of the programs and placed them on a google map. I was back home while he did a month long away rotation across the country in order to gain more experience in his chosen speciality. I was with him when he started getting interview requests and made a calendar to keep all 20+ of them straight. I drove him to the airport more times than I can remember to get to and from his interviews. I went with him to an interview in Portland and a set of interviews on the East Coast. I was with him as we reviewed each program and created our rank list. I watched his email on the day when students were told whether or not they matched. And finally I was with him the day that envelope was opened and 8 years of hard work came together for one result.

Needless to say I am happy that we’ve made it this far and can finally move onto the next phase of training come June.

In the meantime, let’s talk about this Triple Berry Olive Oil Cake! Personally I am new to the olive oil cake game, and after this cake, I am bummed that it took me so long to get on board! If you haven’t tried an olive oil cake yet, you may be thinking that that olive oil in a cake sounds odd. But it’s not! It is a complete game changer.

The olive oil has a distant flavor with a slight spicy aftertaste and bitterness, which is well balanced with the sweetness of the cake. The cake is extremely moist in texture thanks to its use of oil instead of butter. Imbedded within the cake are the raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. You can even top the cake with more berries for decor! The best part about this recipe is that it is easy to make and can be made ahead of time. For best results and flavor, I recommend using a high quality extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.

Triple Berry Almond Olive Oil Cake

Prep time:

Bake time:

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 medium lemon, zest
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup raspberries
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup blackberries
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds
  • (Optional) additional berries

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9-inch baking pan, line with parchment paper, and then lightly spray again with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the oil and sugar together. Add the eggs and lemon zest. Whisk until fluffy. Set aside.
  4. In a pyrex or small bowl, stir together the milk and vanilla.
  5. Add the dry ingredients and milk mixture to the wet ingredients in 3 alternating additions, whisking after each addition. Whisk just until no more flour is present.
  6. Gently fold in the berries. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the batter with an offset spatula. Evenly sprinkle the top with the almonds.
  7. Bake 55-65 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  8. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. (Optional) Top with additional berries and powdered sugar.