Sweet Pizza with Mascarpone & Blackberries

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.

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.

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

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.

Assembling and Cooking Tips

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

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• 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

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Instructions for Cooking 2 Pizzas Together

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.

Can I use Raspberries Instead?

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 Recipes to Try:

• Blackberry hot chocolate
• Almond Frangipane Tart with Blackberries
• Feta & blackberry cheesecake
• Non-alcoholic mulled apple & blackberry juice
• Nutella ice cream with blackberry ripple
• Chocolate & blackberry bourbon cocktail

If you have tried this Italian iced coffee recipe please give it a rating below. Don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram too - I love to hear how you've got along. Use #littlesugarsnaps and tag me @jane_littlesugarsnaps.