Rhubarb platz. You may be wondering…what the heck is a platz? Well, it’s an old german (mennonite) recipe that often comes with a very loose ingredient list, that may simply list “top with fruit” instead of exact measurements. I always love looking at age old recipe cards for platz and comparing them to my own tried and true version. There’s nearly always faded, loopy, cursive writing, and a distinct lack of clear directions. The old “bake til done” line is a classic.

But platz a great no fuss dessert that is made up of a thin layer of cake, a generous layer of fruit, and buttery crumbs on top. Perfect for spring and summer, and easy to customize with whatever fruit is in season. When recipes state “top with fruit”…they really aren’t lying. This version uses rhubarb, but you can seriously swap in any fruit you have on hand. Cherries, berries, and plums are all excellent. Maybe mix a bunch in for an extra burst of flavour! Adjust the volume of the fruit layer to your own desires. Serve plain, with a dollop of whipped cream, or even a scoop of ice cream.

And at the end of the day…what this dessert lacks in looks, it makes up for in buttery goodness.

small batch rhubarb platz

PRINT RECIPE HERE

recipe: Kelsey Siemens

yields: one 8x8-inch pan

cake ingredients

1 1/4 (156 g) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (76 g) salted butter, room temperature

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

fruit

1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb (feel free to swap in any other kind of fruit)

crumb ingredients

1/4 cup (57 g) salted butter, softened

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (63 g) all purpose flour

1/8 tsp baking powder

to make the cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.  Add in softened butter with a pastry blender (or simply a fork!) until mixture starts to resemble crumbs.  Slowly stream in the beaten egg, and then milk and vanilla extract.  Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and ensure there are no streaks of flour left.  The batter will be a little lumpy, that’s just right.  Pour batter onto the prepared pan, and smooth into an even layer.  

Place chopped rhubarb pieces over the cake batter in an even layer.

In a small bowl, stir the softened butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle evenly over the fruit layer.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until fruit is soft and crumbs are lightly browned.  Serve warm (with whipped cream or ice cream if desired). 

Keeps for a couple days at room temperature, or can be frozen for a couple months in an airtight container.

tips:

• bake time may vary depending on darkness and thickness of your baking dish. you can use metal or glass dishes. the best indicator is soft fruit and golden crumbs.

• double the recipe and bake in a 10x15-inch jelly roll pan if you need to feed a crowd

• add a little more or less fruit depending on your preference!
  

Happy baking!

-Kelsey