Fruit Pizza – a festive dessert for any occasion that will surely tickle your sweet tooth. Beautiful, colorful, and oh-so delicious. This heaven-sent dessert pizza recipe is an absolute summer superstar dessert!
Reading those first few sentences above makes me want to make one right now! It’s really simple to make! If you come to think of it, it’s just made up of three parts: the soft cookie base, the smooth cream cheese frosting, and the most beautiful fruit topping decor.
Easy recipes such as this is a fun way to bond with your kids or loved ones, especially these days when destinations are limited. You get to decorate it the way you want and share the creative finished product with those that are dear to you. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world!
So what are you waiting for? Let’s make one right now!
Content…What Is It? |
What is Fruit Pizza?
Pizza, in general, is a baked flat crusty bread topped with sauces and filling such as vegetables and meats. That concept built the whole idea of our dessert.
There are rumors that Fruit Pizza originated in California when a chef accidentally added strawberry slices to a pizza he was making. The idea caught on and people started to replace the ingredients one by one: the tomato sauce with cream cheese, the meat and veggie topping with fruits and berries, and the flat crusty bread with a cookie base.
Today, you can find many versions of the fruit pizza but what I’m sharing with you now is my very own take of this wonderful summer treat! Perfect for this 4th of July celebration!
Easy Fruit Pizza Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for this dessert pizza are readily available from your local grocery store. However, if you have farmer friends or you know people with small businesses that sell fresh produce, I suggest you buy from them directly. Not only will you save money but you’ll also help these businesses thrive especially during these trying times.
Here are the components of this sweet summer pizza dessert.
Sugar Cookie Crust
Personally, I prefer my sugar cookie crust as simple as possible because I want to highlight the flavors of my topping and frosting. To make this, I mix butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until light and creamy. In a separate bowl, I sift flour, salt, and baking powder to avoid those pesky lumps. Then mix the dry and wet ingredients. Once the dough is ready, roll it out and bake it in a preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes. Yep, as quick as that! Then the rest would be the decoration part.
Cream Cheese Frosting
This dessert pizza recipe wouldn’t be complete without our creamy frosting. In a small bowl, we’re going to mix together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and heavy cream until it’s airy and fluffy. Then gradually add the powdered sugar while slowly mixing. Continue mixing until you reach a thick consistency.
How to Make Fruit Pizza
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Then line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper. In a medium bowl cream together sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, and almond extract until light and fluffy. In another bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add to the butter mixture. Place dough in the fridge and chill dough for about 30 minutes or until dough is firm.
Roll out dough into about a 14-inch circle, you may carefully push in or crimp any hanging dough to form a circle. Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes. You do not want to overcook it. Allow it to cool completely before frosting.
Add cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and heavy cream into a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer mix together until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar and continue mixing until fully combined.
Add cream cheese frosting to cookie crust, spread all over the crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese frosting according to your preference – You may refer to pictures for inspiration or guidance. Slice and serve cold or at room temp. Pizza can be refrigerated until ready to use – keep in mind that as it sits, it gets soggy.
Pro Tip: You can try adding a teaspoon of lemon juice or lemon extract into the mix for an added layer of flavor in your cream cheese frosting.
Fruit Topping
There aren’t really any special instructions for our fruit topping aside from cutting the strawberries and kiwi in the right shape and size. Of course, don’t forget to wash the fruits and berries before slicing.
Pro Tip: Once you start cutting the fruits, it will release excess fruit liquids that might mess up your decoration or get the crust soggy, to avoid this, use a paper towel to lightly pat the fruit slices so that the excess liquid will be absorbed by the towel.
What Other Fruit Toppings Can You Use?
Aside from those you see in these photos, you can also try adding other fruits and feel like a Martha Stewart prodigy when it comes to your decorating skill.
- mangoes
- peaches
- raspberries
- plums
- nectarines
- dragon fruit
- star fruit (perfect 4th of July decor)
The Assembly
Now we’re here in the fun zone. Make sure that your sugar cookie crust is at room temperature or chilled before we spread the cream cheese frosting. Once we have a clean spread, we could start decorating. I like to start my design on the edges and work my way up to the center. Playing with colors and patterns, I made mine as a radiant sunflower with the pineapple chunks in the middle.
In the spirit of the 4th of July, you can decorate this into red, white, and blue using strawberries, blueberries, and start fruit to look like the American flag.
Can You Make Fruit Pizza in Advance?
Yes, you can. Start with preparing the soft cookie crust and the frosting 1 day in advance covering each of them tightly. Place the sugar cookie crust at room temperature and keep the covered cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator. Frost and assemble everything on the day of serving.
More Fruity Treats
Watch How to Make It
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Britney says
Love this recipe sista! U did yo ting! I will make this over and over again I hear me
Britney says
I mean to say u hear me hahaha
ImmaculateBites says
YAY! Am so thrilled!!
Monique says
This looks delicious! I’m supposed to be cutting down on sugar, but since there’s so many fruits topping this pizza, I think it’s kinda healthy… lol. Can’t wait to try this!
ImmaculateBites says
Hahaha. Yes, it is kinda healthy :). Looking forward to your feedback !
Wiyli says
I will definitely try this! It looks amazing. Thanks for sharing
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Do let us know how it works out for you.
Kathryn says
Thank you for this recipe! I served it on the Fourth of July to rave reviews from the whole family.
Wish there was a way to post a photo here to show you my masterpiece!
ImmaculateBites says
So happy to hear this Kathryn.
Wendy says
Hola Imma; Wow ! Espectacular y las fotos dicen “cómeme”. Rico nó, lo siguiente. Cuídate, Besitos
ImmaculateBites says
Hola Wendy! Necesitas comer esto jajaja. Espero que pruebes esta receta. 🙂
Billie says
Perfect Summer Desert!! Will be making on the fourth!!!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Great time to make and share with the family.