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Zucchini Platz is a crumb-topped coffee cake with a sweet filling made from zucchini, raisins, lemon and spices.
Are you looking for a new way to bake with some of that zucchini growing in your garden? Give this sweet and delicious Zucchini Platz a try!
What is a Platz?
Platz (pronounced plowtz) is a flat Mennonite coffee cake that is typically topped with fruit and crumbs. Just about any kind of fruit or jam can be used to make this simple dessert.
But – since we have so much zucchini on hand – and cooked zucchini resembles the taste and texture of cooked apples – we decided to make a Zucchini Platz.
How do you make it?
You’ll start by cooking the filling – which is a mix of diced zucchini, golden raisins, lemon zest and lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg. Simmer the mixture together until the zucchini pieces are fork-tender.
While the filling simmers, start to mix the crumb topping. Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and butter. At this point, reserve half of this mixture – which will get stirred into the filling to thicken it. To the remaining half of the crumbs, add chopped walnuts and combine to form a crumb topping.
Next, mix up a simple cake batter of flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, melted butter, whole milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Spread the batter in a half sheet pan, them drop spoonfuls of the zucchini raisin filling over the cake batter. (It’s OK if the batter isn’t completely covered by the filling.) Then sprinkle the crumb topping over the filling and bake.
One important thing!
Because this is such a flat cake – be careful not to over-bake it, otherwise the cake will be dry.
How do I serve Zucchini Platz?
We think this dessert is best served slightly cooled, shortly after it comes out of the oven – cut into squares just like any other sheet cake.
This Zucchini Platz is sweet (but not too sweet) and goes wonderfully with coffee or tea. Aside from a few flecks of green in the filling, you’d never guess that you are eating zucchini! It tastes just like an apple raisin coffee cake, and the touch of lemon, cinnamon and nutmeg is a really delicious flavor combination!
Can I peel the zucchini before adding it to the filling?
Yes! We chose not to, but if you really want to make this dessert resemble an apple dessert – go ahead and peel the zucchini before cooking it down in the filling.
You may enjoy these other “you’d never guess there is zucchini in there” recipes:
- Apple Zucchini Crumb Bars
- Mock Apple Crumb Pie (Made with Zucchini)
- Zucchini Brownies
- Zucchini Relish
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Zucchini Platz
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter to grease a 18X13 sheet pan
Filling
2 pounds zucchini (about 2-3 medium zucchini)
1/2 cup golden raisins
Zest of one lemon
1/3 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Few grinds nutmeg
Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Cake base
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8th teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk
2 whole eggs beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Use the butter to thoroughly grease an 18X13 inch sheet pan.
Cut ends off zucchini and slice in half the long way. Use a spoon and scoop out large seeds. Leave skin on and slice into quarter inch thick slices.
Place zucchini in a medium sauce pan along with raisins, lemon zest, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook until tender. Depending on the size of the zucchini, the cooking time will vary. Very large zucchini take longer to cook than small tender zucchini so keep testing until the zucchini is tender. My large zucchini took about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
While the zucchini is cooking, mix the topping by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and butter but not the nuts yet. Remove half a cup and set aside then add the nuts to the remaining topping. The reserved half cup of topping without nuts will be added to the filling to thicken it.
Once the zucchini is tender, remove from heat and stir in the reserved half cup of topping without nuts and stir. Lay the filling out on a flat tray to cool to room temperature.
While the filling is cooling, make the cake base. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in the melted butter and milk. Then stir in the beaten eggs and vanilla.
Spread into the prepared pan evenly to the edges, then dob the top with the zucchini filling dropping the filling over the top of the batter. The filling does not need to be evenly spread.
Sprinkle on the topping. The topping does not have to be perfectly spread evenly across the top. Un-topped cake poking through is fine.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until a tooth pick poked into an exposed cake part comes out clean. Because the cake portion is thin and the zucchini is fully cooked, you just want to bake this long enough for the top to get golden and the cake to cook through.
Cool and cut 4X6 for 24 pieces.
Refrigerate leftovers.
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Notes
This recipe fits in a half sheet pan (18X13-inch pan) but it could easily be cut in half to fit a quarter sheet pan (9X6½-inch pan).
I made this today and it tastes so good! My family loved it, my son does not believe me that it’s zucchini and not apple filling!
So glad you all enjoyed the recipe Anna! 🙂