Glazed Fresh Fruit Pizza

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Description

Fruit Pizza is an easy year round dessert that everyone loves. The crust is similar to shortbread or a cookie but the filling softens it slightly so it can be easily cut into wedges and served like pizza. Any combination of fresh fruit creates a colourful presentation and when the fruit is added in a random fashion it looks fun and casual.

So why call it pizza? Just our North American fascination for pizza I suppose.

Fresh Fruit Pizza

Fresh Fruit Pizza -photo credit Jim Little

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Fruit Pizza vs Fruit Tart

The people I serve dessert to always appreciate the fact they are getting dessert and have never commented on the name I chose. Although I do occasionally make a beautiful fresh fruit tart I think a Fruit Pizza is slightly different.

When I call it a Fruit Pizza I like to honour the name and make it look like a pizza. Instead of the edge that a tart pan has I simply use the bottom of the pan making the crust flat right to the edge. I also arrange the fruit in a scattered fashion the way I would add toppings on a pizza. My fruit tart would have concentric circles of carefully placed fruit with no filling showing through.

When you make dessert in your kitchen you can do whatever you want. It’s good to know the basics of baking, the ‘rules’ you might say. Then you can make it and name it your own way.

Fillings and Toppings For A Fruit Pizza

Every recipe I have ever seen for a Fruit Pizza has a cream cheese filling. If you prefer the vanilla custard filling typically used in a bakery Fruit Tart then go for it. I’ve served many variations of Fruit Pizza and Fruit Tart over the years. If you prefer to use a custard filling be sure to use a tart pan so there is a pastry edge to hold in the filling.

To Glaze Or Not To Glaze

The glaze gives it the kind of finished look you would see on a tart in a bakery. More importantly it keeps the fruit looking fresh allowing you to prepare the Fruit Pizza hours in advance. The glaze can also be brushed over the fruit only or the entire top surface.

Fruit Pizza doesn’t have to be glazed. Here are the comparison pics of my dessert. This one is before I added the glaze.

Unglazed Fresh Fruit Pizza

Unglazed Fresh Fruit Pizza -photo credit Jim Little

And here it is after being glazed with jelly. Which do you like better?

Glazed Fresh Fruit Pizza

Glazed Fresh Fruit Pizza -photo credit Jim Little

Another option for a casual dinner party or family gathering is to invite guests to assemble dessert as part of the entertainment. In this case you could simply skip the glaze. Assign a person or a small team to assemble the dessert giving them the creative license to decorate as they wish.

It’s All About The Pan, The Pizza Pan

A pizza pan will definitely work for this recipe. A 12-inch pizza pan is perfect. My pizza pans are well-used (quite black looking) so I don’t use them for baking. I use my 12-inch tart pan with removable bottom for dessert pizzas.

A tart pan has low sides and a removable bottom. To get the pizza look I used just the base piece of my two-part 12-inch tart pan. I simply rolled the dough right to the edges of the base and baked it like that. After it is completely cooled I easily transferred mine to a pizza board covered in parchment paper. You can leave the crust on the pan if you want and transfer it to a serving platter like that. I do this method when the crust is not easily coming away from the pan. Or sometimes I just couldn’t be bothered to carefully transfer it.

Have you made a fruit pizza? In the comments below I’d love to hear how you served yours.

Ingredients

COOKIE CRUST
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup white sugar
DRY INGREDIENTS
½ cup brown rice flour
¼ cup tapioca starch
¼ cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
WET INGREDIENTS
1 egg
1½ tsp milk
½ tsp vanilla
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
8 oz/250 g cream cheese
¼ cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
JELLY GLAZE - optional
½ cup apple, crabapple or red currant jelly, melted

Directions

1
COOKIE CRUST
2
Combine all dry ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
3
In a small bowl whisk egg, milk and vanilla. Set aside.
4
In a stand mixer beat butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
5
Reduce speed to low and using a large spoon add half of the flour mixture letting some get incorporated before adding the rest.
6
Keep the motor running, add the wet ingredients then continue to add the dry ingredients mixing until it is all combined.
7
Place the dough on a piece of wax paper. Cover with a second piece of was wax paper and flatten into a disk and tuck the edges in to cover the sides of the dough. At least one of the pieces of wax paper should be large enough to hold the finished size of your pizza. Refrigerate until cold*, at least 30 minutes or over night.
8
The cream cheese filling and fruit can both be prepared up to a day in advance.
9
FILLING
10
In the small bowl of a stand mixer beat cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
11
GLAZE
12
In a small pan on low heat melt jelly. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before brushing on the fruit.
13
BAKING COOKIE CRUST
14
Preheat oven to 350°F. Choose a 10-inch or 12-inch pizza pan.
15
Lightly sprinkle both sides of the chilled dough disk with tapioca starch.
16
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough always rolling from the center toward the outer edge. Do this in all directions, adding more tapioca starch as needed.
17
Cover dough with wax paper, turn it over and remove the wax paper.
18
Sprinkle with tapioca starch and repeat rolling process until dough is almost large enough for your pan.
19
Use same flipping method to put dough onto pizza pan or a tart pan with removable bottom. Use you hands to push the dough right to the edges. Use extra pieces of dough to fill in any missing spots.
20
Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown around the edge. Cool completely.
21
ASSEMBLY & SERVING
22
Spread cream cheese filling over the entire pizza crust.
23
Top with your choice of fresh fruit in a random pattern.
24
Optional – Brush glaze over the entire surface or just on top of the fruit. Best served within 4 hours.
25
*If you are still learning to competently roll out gluten free dough then chill the dough for at least two hours. You can also sprinkle the dough more generously until you get the knack of rolling and flipping.

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Ingredients

Directions
  • COOKIE CRUST
  • 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • DRY INGREDIENTS
  • ½ cup brown rice flour
  • ¼ cup tapioca starch
  • ¼ cup potato starch
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • WET INGREDIENTS
  • 1 egg
  • 1½ tsp milk
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • CREAM CHEESE FILLING
  • 8 oz/250 g cream cheese
  • ¼ cup icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • JELLY GLAZE - optional
  • ½ cup apple, crabapple or red currant jelly, melted
  1. COOKIE CRUST
  2. Combine all dry ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
  3. In a small bowl whisk egg, milk and vanilla. Set aside.
  4. In a stand mixer beat butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
  5. Reduce speed to low and using a large spoon add half of the flour mixture letting some get incorporated before adding the rest.
  6. Keep the motor running, add the wet ingredients then continue to add the dry ingredients mixing until it is all combined.
  7. Place the dough on a piece of wax paper. Cover with a second piece of was wax paper and flatten into a disk and tuck the edges in to cover the sides of the dough. At least one of the pieces of wax paper should be large enough to hold the finished size of your pizza. Refrigerate until cold*, at least 30 minutes or over night.
  8. The cream cheese filling and fruit can both be prepared up to a day in advance.
  9. FILLING
  10. In the small bowl of a stand mixer beat cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla until smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
  11. GLAZE
  12. In a small pan on low heat melt jelly. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before brushing on the fruit.
  13. BAKING COOKIE CRUST
  14. Preheat oven to 350°F. Choose a 10-inch or 12-inch pizza pan.
  15. Lightly sprinkle both sides of the chilled dough disk with tapioca starch.
  16. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough always rolling from the center toward the outer edge. Do this in all directions, adding more tapioca starch as needed.
  17. Cover dough with wax paper, turn it over and remove the wax paper.
  18. Sprinkle with tapioca starch and repeat rolling process until dough is almost large enough for your pan.
  19. Use same flipping method to put dough onto pizza pan or a tart pan with removable bottom. Use you hands to push the dough right to the edges. Use extra pieces of dough to fill in any missing spots.
  20. Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes or until slightly brown around the edge. Cool completely.
  21. ASSEMBLY & SERVING
  22. Spread cream cheese filling over the entire pizza crust.
  23. Top with your choice of fresh fruit in a random pattern.
  24. Optional – Brush glaze over the entire surface or just on top of the fruit. Best served within 4 hours.
  25. *If you are still learning to competently roll out gluten free dough then chill the dough for at least two hours. You can also sprinkle the dough more generously until you get the knack of rolling and flipping.