Dessert Pizza
intro
A fun, shareable sweet twist on classic pizza, featuring a cinnamon-sugar crust, tangy cream cheese frosting, and bright fresh summer berries for a crowd-pleasing treat.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F). Line a 12-inch round pizza pan with parchment paper, then lightly grease the parchment with 1 teaspoon of the melted unsalted butter. Press and stretch the 450g refrigerated pizza dough into an even 12-inch circle on the prepared pan, pinching the edges to form a consistent ½-inch raised crust border.
Stir the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon together in a small bowl until fully blended. Use a pastry brush to spread the remaining 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of melted butter evenly over the entire surface of the pressed dough, including the raised crust edge. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the buttered dough, covering every spot for a consistent sweet, spiced coating.
Place the prepared pizza pan on the middle rack of the preheated 220°C (425°F) oven. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the crust is golden brown at the edges and firm to the touch in the center. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and transfer the crust to a wire rack to cool completely for 10 minutes before adding any toppings, to prevent frosting from melting.
While the crust cools, make the cream cheese frosting: add the 226g softened full-fat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt to a medium mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl sides once halfway through, until the frosting is completely smooth, fluffy, and free of lumps.
Once the crust is fully cooled to room temperature, use a rubber spatula to spread all of the prepared cream cheese frosting evenly over the flat surface of the crust, leaving the ½-inch raised cinnamon-sugar edge exposed to act as the pizza’s crust border. Spread the frosting in a thin, uniform layer so it covers the entire inner surface of the crust.
Scatter the 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries and ½ cup fresh blueberries evenly over the cream cheese frosting, distributing the fruit so every slice will have a mix of berries. Slice the finished dessert pizza into 6 equal wedges, and serve immediately, or chill for 10 minutes for a firmer frosting texture.
Tips
2.Do not use low-fat, non-fat, or whipped cream cheese for the frosting, as these products have higher moisture content that will create a runny, watery frosting that slides off the crust.
3.You can easily customize the toppings to match your taste: try adding mini chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers, sliced peaches, toasted coconut, or a drizzle of salted caramel in place of or alongside the berries.
OMG this cinnamon sugar berry dessert pizza was such a hit at our weekend block party potluck! I was worried the cinnamon cream cheese spread would be too sweet but it balanced perfectly with the tart strawberries and blueberries I picked up from the farmers market. My kids loved it so much they begged me to make a second one before we even left the party! It was so easy to throw together too, even when I was running 15 minutes late, total game changer for last-minute event dishes.
Total game changer for quick weeknight treats! I only had frozen mixed berries on hand so I thawed them and patted them really dry before piling them on top, and it turned out perfect. Total cook time was right at 40 minutes like the recipe said, no surprises or weird fumbles. The only little tweak I made was adding a tiny drizzle of salted caramel on top after it cooled, and wow—chef’s kiss, SO good.
As someone who burns toast 50% of the time, I was shocked how easy this was to make! I threw it together in my dorm kitchen with a pre-baked thin crust I grabbed from the campus market, a block of cream cheese I had left from bagel week, and a bag of frozen mixed berries from my mini fridge. I even stole extra cinnamon sugar from the dining hall to top it, and it was SO good. My roommates devoured half the pan before I even got a second slice.