Apple Recipes from Tehachapi California

This little self-published book from 1979 was well used as many pages are full of stains. I presume the recipes on those pages must have been good because it looks like more than one time use stains :).

There is some history of the area also. In 1876 a Bakersfield nursery man filled "some large orders of fruit trees to be planted in the valley." Large quantities of trees were shipped to Tehachapi from Fresno nurseries in 1890. In the 1920's all the region's fruit was shipped from the railroad depot to New York and other Eastern markets. By the 30's there was a large drop off in production but the industry was revitalized in the 50's.

The names and addresses of seven apples growers are given in the book and a number of them provided recipes for the book.

I have noticed a lot of no sugar added pies at grocery store recently. This is the book's Natural Apple Pie recipe:

Natural Apple Pie

1 pastry shell and top crust

5 cups raw apple slices

1 6-oz. can frozen apple juice concentrate (undiluted)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon rum or rum or vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

2 tablespoon margarine

Mix cornstarch and some of the apple juice. Heat other juice in pan and add cornstarch mixture. Cook until thick. Pour over apples. Mix. Put apple mixture into unbaked crust (9"). Dot with butter or margarine and sprinkle on spices. Cover with top crust. Drizzle with honey, if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

This recipe is from one of the stained pages:

Autumn Apple Bread

1/4 cup shortening

2/3 cups sugar

2 eggs, well-beaten

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups grated raw apple

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Mix and sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add alternately with grated apple to egg mixture. Stir in lemon peel and nuts. Batter will be stiff. Fill pans about three-quarters full. Bake in greased and floured loaf pans, 8x5x2-inches, at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Do not slice until cold.

This recipe is for a rather different applesauce cake. I would make in in a bundt pan though.

Choco-Applesauce Cake

2-1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 squares semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup canned chocolate syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1-1/2 cups applesauce homemade or purchased

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Grease and flour a 10-inch angel food cake pan. Sift flour and baking soda together. Melt chocolate in small pan over low heat and stir in chocolate syrup, vanilla and almond extracts. Cool. Cream together butter or margarine and sugar in large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time. Add cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in flour, in quarters, and add applesauce alternately. Fold in walnuts and turn into pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour 35 minutes (or until straw in center comes out clean). Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out on wire rack to completely cool.