Blueberry-Coconut Tea Cake

We’ve had a few very windy, warm days in Boulder. A sign that fall is trying to blow in, despite that the herds of deer, apple trees, tomato fields and my deepest river dunking desires are resisting. The wind is evidence that summer is waning, and I’m keeping a watchful eye.

I distinctly remember the rule of “not wearing white after Labor Day,” a rule that I almost vehemently oppose in my adult life – as if Labor Day marked the end of the purity and simplicity of summer, a run that started on Easter Sunday and lasted through the heart of the year. If only the change of season were so punctual – perhaps we would know better how to shift to align with it.

Nature changes seasons when it’s damn well good and ready. And our bodies change with it, whether we like it or not. Certainly we can track these changes over time externally; the way that the field turn from green to gold, the shriveling of those tomatoes, the influx of the winds, the fattening of the deer. It can be harder to see the seasons changing in our own bodies, but rest assured it is happening. And when we start to feel the transition, our health is best safeguarded when we eat, move, rest and live in flow.

Along with the winds, my gentle and only-occasional pull towards the oven again is a sign for me that fall is on the way. Instead of only craving sweet juicy fruits, ice cold bowls of ice cream and grilled spreads enjoyed until steamy, starry skies, I notice myself longing for a cookie to dunk into milk, I’m reaching for a sweater before heading out to the patio to dine, and enjoying a slab of this tea cake as a second breakfast or on a bike ride is feeling just right.

This makes sense, as our bodies start to grave nutrient-dense foods as the summer winds down. Summer is the season of pitta – when our bodies run hot, and we’re burning the candle at both ends with activities. Our digestive systems are weaker during this time of year when our bodies are doing all they can to keep their cool, but as the weather cools and summer turns to fall – the season of vata – the digestive fire increases again and the body is inclined to start recovering from all the activity. If our bodies have been pinning it, making the most of summer’s bounty of fun for the past few months, it’s likely that activities and “busy-ness” are starting to catch up with us. We’re hungry, we might be ready for a break in training or go-go-going, and we’re ready for a little nap. And to be sure, what most of us are experiencing is likely a balance of “get it in while the weather is good!” and “start to feel the season unwind,” This is just part of the natural slowdown that nature wants us to engage in to be our best, to recover through the winter, to restore for the next summer ahead. Recipes like pasta with late summer tomatoes, warm salads with summer squashes, and cakes studded with last-of-season berries are all the things that are right, and transitional in the world.

This tea cake has been an immediate favorite in our house – a riff on one of my favorite carrot tea cake recipes, and let’s be honest – who does NOT enjoy a tender slice of cake that doesn’t require a fork? It’s packed with juicy blueberries and is a particularly portable snack cake when it’s been stored in the fridge before leaving for your long ride, hike or adventure. I hope you love it as much as we have, and that it rekindles your relationship with your oven in the weeks to come. Maybe even if just for a moment. : )

My BFF – coconut sugar

If you’re the kind of person tracking “desserts” here, you have likely noticed that I use a lot of coconut sugar in my baking and cooking in general. This is, yes, a more expensive granulated sweetener made of dehydrated coconut nectar, and it has about half the glycemic index of sugar. The reason that I choose to use it in recipes is that a granulated sweetener (like coconut sugar, brown sugar, cane juice or turbinado sugar) are what gives baked goods like this the structure that we all love. The use of invert sugars or liquid sugars such as maple syrup, agave, brown rice syrup, etc is what gives most “alternative baked goods their sad, sort of limp shape. Most of these sugars also read higher on the glycemic index than even granulated white sugar…meaning they’re spiking your blood sugar more than some of the most vilified treats out there.

Coconut sugar is a little bit more expensive than other granulated sugars, but the flavor is lovely, the minerals and nutrients are all intact, and it’s one of my favorite ingredients in the baking pantry. I don’t at all recommend replacing it with another sweetener, and I hope you love it too.