Platz aka Plum Cake

 Platz is a Mennonite treat baked often by my mother and my aunts. It highlights fresh summer fruits like plums, peaches, apricots and berries, but any fruit can be used. Best eaten the day it's made, although a slice for breakfast tastes pretty good, too. In Germany, this is known as Plummen Kuchen - Plum Cake.

Fruit Platz

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup cream (light, or even milk)
1 egg
 Fresh fruit: Use pitted cherries, plum slices, apricot halves, apples or peaches

Mix together the flour, baking powder and sugar. Add the butter and mix with your fingers to form fine crumbs. Stir together the egg and cream, then add to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened.
Pat out (flour your hands) onto a greased baking sheet (15 x 10 inches). I prefer lining my baking sheet with parchment paper. You want the dough to be fairly thin, but it doesn't necessarily have to fill out the entire baking sheet. 
Place a single layer of fruit over the dough. Top with the Crumb Topping, known as Ruebel.

Ruebel (Crumb Topping)

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons butter
Cream

Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together, then rub in the butter and add cream to make coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the fruit. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.