A little cake perfect for the changing of seasons, celebrated on a mountaintop.
Jump to RecipeWe were planning a big mountain bike adventure over the mountains on Sunday morning; the type of adventure we’ve been wanting to do for years + finally had a sliver of space for. It just so happened to be the Fall Equinox, which made it feel all the more appropriate. But, in a true act of kismet, the snow started falling on Saturday night and it was very clear that riding bicycles up to 11,600ft was going to have some added *adventure* components. Fall had arrived before we had the opportunity to send off summer.
And so, like the smart athletes we are, we pivoted. We agreed to meet at the trailhead with hiking gear instead; warm layers, an adventurous spirit, an appetite for the summit anyway, under cozier more reliable conditions.
And naturally, at 9pm at night, I started making a cake with what I had on hand. This Pear + Almond Summit Cake was it. The house filled with spiced, sweet smells as I packed my gear + went to bed.
In the morning, I packed our slices in a little box, along with my down jacket and a thermos of warm hydration, and headed for the mountains.
When we arrived at the trailhead, it looked like winter.
Drooping aspen boughs, adorned with brilliant yellow, orange and green leaves and a thick coat of snowy frosting leaned over the road. Fog filled the valley, hiding the summits above. The pine trees all had a little sugar-snow dusting as well. It was glorious. The cold / rough / mobile weather of the season had arrived. Our bodies start to shift when this weather comes our way. Through the summer, the high activity and outward expression of the season requires us to be light on our feet, and cool in our bodies, which means the system will hold onto as little as possible. (Note that each of our bodies has a different doshic reason for holding onto our shapes, of course.) But as fall and winter arrives, the opposite is true. Especially in modern life as active people, when we’re creating wind, mobility and instability, our bodies need the grounding, dense and heavy force of kapha to keep us balanced. This comes in the form of excess moisture held on to by the tissues, mucus and even fat to cushion our organs and vital systems against the cold and harshness. This accounts for the couple of pounds that we all put on during the darkest months of the year.
The more unstable we are, the more cold, rough, dry qualities we keep in our bodies and lives through this season, the more kapha will build.
The more we include warmth, stability and comfort into our days, the more balance we’ll enjoy.
Which is the perfect reason not to take a certainly cold, uncertainly safe bike ride up a mountain in a snowstorm, and to hike up with layers, still sweating, with a little box of cake instead.
Perhaps one of the things I like most about going out into the mountains is the preparation. Considering the gear, the clothing, preparing for the weather, preparing for the worst, and plotting a snack to go with it. Considering what kind of treat will be accompanying me on my hikes/runs/rides is a favorite part of the journey. Now, I don’t know about you, but the first thing I want to do when I reach an alpine lake is sit down, have a snack and admire the beauty. Which, is a very sensible thing to do considering how much fuel our bodies need to get us up to these higher elevations.
I hope I don’t need to remind anyone here that our bodies need fuel when we’re moving in the mountains. Particularly when the weather is rolling in, and our summer-acclimated bodies are quickly adjusting in the cold, when we’re moving above treeline, and when we’re moving through many microclimates over the duration of our efforts. The higher we climb, the more vata dosha is present in our environment; pushing on our bodies from the outside, and putting the pressure of cold, rough, dry, mobile and subtle energy on our bodies. The more time our bodies spend fending off this kind of energy, striving to keep balance, the more energy we burn, which makes the summit of a mountain the perfect place to eat a slice of tender, sweet pear-almond cake.
There are measured physiological factors as well. The lower oxygen levels at altitude mean that our bodies need to work harder to get oxygen to our muscles. This increases heart rate, breathing rate and overall energy expenditure. Our Basal Metabolic Rate (or BMR) is also increased to adapt to colder temperatures and lower oxygen availability. This means that even when you’re sitting still eating your snack, you’re burning more of it. And the colder the climate becomes at higher altitudes, the more energy the body burns trying to keep the core temperature stable.
Of course, the actual caloric expenditure is dependent upon individual fitness levels, altitude, and type of exercise, but generally speaking anytime we’re above 8,000ft (2400m) we’re burning 10-20% more fuel than at sea level. And once we go above 10,000ft (3000m) we require even more.
So, the next time you find yourself hiking up a mountain, do yourself a favor and take more than water, a piece of fruit, or the stale pretzels you have laying around the house. All of this sounds like a recipe for a headache, sore body and a severely depleted spirit. Instead, consider making yourself a little cake…just like this one.
…came together with the ingredients I had in my pantry + fridge. The same ingredients that I hope you, now, also have in your pantry or fridge (or at least have a well-worn source for.) The mixing is simple, and can be done in a basic bowl with a spatula. There isn’t anything fancy here, save for maybe the almond extract which I do hope you’ve already brought in to make these. Pears are everywhere this time of year, the star child of the season so no rub there. There are some notes below for those of you looking to make it gluten-free or vegan.
The result is a sweet lil cake that’s crunchy on the top and tender in the middle, and will hold up in a pack. To me, it tastes like a cake you might find in a bakery in the French or Italian Alps, of even one that you would find down in the cities as the weather starts to cool. It’s a perfectly lovely cake for eating on a mountaintop, with warm ginger tea (as we did) or in a cafe with a cappuccino – a very welcome break from your regularly scheduled high-mountain menu.
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