Sweet pizza with mascarpone and blackberries is great to bake and share. The combination of vanilla-infused mascarpone, baked fruit and just a drizzle of chocolate work wonders in this recipe for dessert pizza.
Try it after a pizza bianca or a selection of pizzette.
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Have you heard of sweet pizza (aka dessert pizza)? More to the point, have you tried sweet pizza? If not, you really need to and I suggest trying out my recipe for dessert pizza with mascarpone and blackberries. It’s divine.
The combination of vanilla-infused mascarpone, baked fruit and the crust work to deliver a winning flavour combination.
At times the twang of fruit takes the lead, but this gives way to the combination of sweet creaminess and bready flavours, rather reminiscent of eating a doughnut.
Absolute bliss.
Think that bread based dessert is a little strange? Well, everybody loves a jammy doughnut, currant buns or a sticky lemon roll, so I say it’s okay to embrace the dough for dessert.
What is a dessert pizza?
Sweet pizza, also known as dessert pizza can mean one of several things:
- it could be a regular dough topped with various sweet ingredients – like this one
- instead the pizza dough itself could be sweet as well as the ingredients used to top it – who’s for brioche pizza dough?
- or an alternative pizza crust might be used – cookie dough for example.
My recipe for dessert pizza uses my favourite beer pizza dough. This is unsweetened, so the overall pizza is not over sugary. It’s definitely dessert, but it’s not overwhelmingly sweet.
Ingredients notes
I’ve carefully selection the ingredients in this recipe for dessert pizza to compliment each other, whilst also being able to stand up proudly on their own:
- Mascarpone sweetened with sugar and infused with vanilla adds an essential creamy, indulgent edge to the pizza
- Blackberries add a burst of tartness and cut through the richness of the cream cheese
- Milk chocolate ties both of the above elements together. I’ve used just a light drizzle to avoid the chocolate overpowering the other flavours
- Almond flakes add toasty notes to the overall dish
- Fresh mint brings a welcome burst of colour and a gentle hint of extra flavour to sing things off in style
All of these ingredients bring enough sweetness to this recipe for dessert pizza, so I do not recommend using a sweetened dough or a cookie crust.
Honestly, my beer pizza dough works a treat here. And no, you can’t taste the beer, but it does produce a crisp and delicious crust.
Do look out for Mascarpone cream cheese. It is far milder in flavour than regular cream cheese and that’s what makes the difference in this recipe.
Ideally, use fresh blackberries, but at a pinch frozen will work too. Just defrost and drain before using.
Step by step instructions
When making this recipe for dessert pizza it is important to be organised. Ensure your oven is fully heated before you begin rolling out the dough. And likewise, make sure that toppings are also ready.
- Preheat the oven (with 2 baking sheets inside) to 275C/ 525F/ GM 11 or as hot as your oven will go.
- Beat the mascarpone with the sugar and vanilla bean extract until smooth.
- Roll out a portion of dough on a floured worktop.
- Place on a baking sheet dusted with coarse semolina.
- Working quickly, top with the mascarpone – dollop teaspoons onto the dough and use a blunt knife to spread it out.
- Top with 12 blackberries.
- Sprinkle one of the hot baking sheets (in the oven) with semolina and slide the topped pizza onto it
- Bake for 6 minutes, then scatter the almond flakes over and cook for 2-3 more minutes
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate
- When the pizza is cooked drizzle the chocolate over the pizza – use the end of a knife to flick it across
- Scatter a few mint leaves over the pizza and dust with icing sugar
- Cut into pieces and serve immediately
How to cook 2 pizzas at the same time
The trick to cooking two pizzas successfully is not to let the first pizza that is prepared sit around waiting to go into the oven.
Whether it is on a worktop or baking sheet, uncooked pizza that sits around has a high chance of sticking to that surface.
If cooking 2 pizzas at once, put the first pizza onto a lower shelf in the oven as soon as it is ready to cook. Do not let it sit around waiting for the second pizza to be rolled and topped.
Since food placed lower down in an oven generally cooks slightly slower than food placed higher up, if you manage to get the second pizza into the oven on the top shelf within 2-3 minutes of the first going in lower down, they should end up cooked at around the same time.
Essentially, working at speed is key here.
Frequently asked questions
Just like savoury pizzas, it’s okay to mix and match toppings when trying out this recipe for dessert pizza:
– If you cannot get hold of blackberries, then raspberries or even cherries would make a great substitution
– Likewise, dark or while chocolate can be used in place of milk chocolate
– Try swapping the mint for basil leaves
– And why not go for chunks of hazelnuts in place of the almonds (or leave nuts out altogether if necessary for allergy sufferers)
More blackberry desserts
Have you made this sweet pizza with blackberries and chocolate? Let me know if you enjoyed it by leaving a review. Did you you create your own toppings? I’d love to hear about it.
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Sweet Pizza with Mascarpone and Blackberries
Ingredients
- 425 g Beer pizza dough the equivalent of 2 portions
- 24 Blackberries
- 2 tablespoon Mascarpone cheese
- 1 tablespoon Caster sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon Flaked almonds
- ½ tablespoon Butter melted
- 30 g Milk chocolate
- 12 Mint leaves
- ½ teaspoon Icing sugar
Coarse semolina for sprinkling baking sheets
Instructions
- Preheat the oven (with 2 baking sheets inside) to 275C/ 525F/ GM 11 or as hot as your oven will go
- Beat the mascarpone with the sugar and vanilla bean extract until smooth
- Roll out a portion of dough on a floured worktop
- Place on a baking sheet dusted with coarse semolina
- Working quickly, top with the mascarpone – dollop teaspoons onto the dough and use a blunt knife to spread it out
- Top with 12 blackberries
- Sprinkle one of the hot baking sheets (in the oven) with semolina and slide the topped pizza onto it
- Whatever you do, don't let the topped pizza sit around on the baking sheet while you prepare more – it will stick and become difficult to transfer to the oven. Transfer it to the oven straight away. See my recipe notes for cooking 2 pizzas at the same time
- Repeat steps 3-7 with the remaining portion of pizza dough and toppings. When ready to bake, sprinkle semolina onto the remaining hot baking sheet and slide the prepared pizza onto it
- When there are just a few minutes of cooking time left for each pizza, scatter the flaked almonds over the top and let finish cooking
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate
- When the pizza is cooked brush a little melted butter around the crust edge then drizzle the chocolate over the pizza – use the end of a knife to flick it across
- Scatter a few mint leaves over the pizza and dust with icing sugar
- Cut into pieces and serve immediately
Betty
My friend sent me this recipe and I’m so glad she did! I made it as a surprise for her and we both loved it! I used a store bought crust as I was short on time and it will really tasty, will make it again with the dough recipe you shared!
Jane Saunders
Fantastic! So pleased you enjoyed it and that you’re planning on making it again.