Homemade Fruit Pizza
A delicious Fruit Pizza that can be made with a homemade pie crust base or your favorite store bough crust. Filled with an easy Italian pastry cream and topped with mounds of fresh fruit! The perfect dessert for any occasion.
I am always looking for different ways to use my Creamy Italian Pastry Cream. With the availability of fresh berries during the summer I knew a Homemade Fruit Pizza would be perfect.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pie dough
- Milk – whole or 2%
- Cream – heavy, whole or whipping at least 30% fat content
- Eggs – just the yolks
- Sugar – granulated sugar
- Flour – all purpose flour
- Vanilla – vanilla extract
- Strawberries
- Kiwi
- Banana
- Red currants, Blue berries or any of your favorite fresh fruit can be used
Variations And Substitutions
Instead of the Italian crostata dough that I used, you could substitute with a traditional pie dough, a chocolate pie crust or why not try a yogurt pie dough or even an almond crust? Of course if you are short on time a store bought crust will also work.
How to make a Fruit Pizza recipe
First make the pastry cream. In a medium pot add yolks and sugar, whisk together until combined, then add flour and vanilla, place pot over low heat, add warm milk/cream, whisking continuously until thickened. Remove to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap (make sure wrap touches the cream mixture) and refrigerate.
I decided I wanted to combine my Mom’s flaky pie crust and a creamy Italian pastry cream with all those delicious sweet berries and fruit that yell Summer!
The first thing I did was make the Pastry Cream since it needs to be refrigerated for a few hours. Then I made the pie dough and blind baked it.
I love these kinds of desserts because you can basically make everything in advance (the day before) and put it together just before serving, which is exactly what I did. Just top the baked crust with the pastry cream then add the sliced fruit on top, dust with some powdered sugar and serve.
How to Blind Bake a Pie
- Place your pie dough in a pie plate or pizza pan
- trim the edges, and prick the bottom of the pie, then line the crust with parchment paper.
- Add pie weights, such as dry rice, dried beans or like I do sugar (which you can use over many times and also use for baking so they say).
- Chill the crust for 30 minutes; this will solidify the fat, which helps prevent shrinkage.
- Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pie from the oven, and lift out the paper and weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is baked all over.
- Let cool completely before filling.
Can the recipe be made in advance?
Yes the pie dough can be made in advance and stored well wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pastry cream can also be made and stored for up to 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to use fresh milk and cream that has a longer expiry date.
How to store a fruit pizza
The fruit pizza should be stored in a air tight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap or foil. It will keep for up to 2-3 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing as the pastry cream will separate.
More Recipes with Italian Pastry Cream
- Sporcamuss Italian Creamed Pastries
- Pasticiotti
- Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
- Italian Chocolate Pastry Cream Tiramisu
- Cappuccino Cookie Parfait
Whatever fruit or berries you choose to use, I hope you enjoy this Homemade Fruit Pizza Recipe as much as we did!
Homemade Fruit Pizza Dessert
Ingredients
ITALIAN PASTRY CREAM
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup cream (whipping or whole cream)
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- 2½ tablespoons flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
PIE PASTRY**
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch sugar
- ¾ cup salted butter (if using unsalted then increase salt to ½ teaspoon)
- 4-5 tablespoons cold water
**Recipe makes enough for a 2 pie crust, so the extra dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months or refrigerated up to 3 days.
FRESH FRUIT
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 2 kiwi fruit (peeled and sliced)
- 1 medium banana (peeled and sliced)
- ½-1 cup red currants, blue berries or berries or fruit of choice (more if desired)
Instructions
ITALIAN PASTRY CREAM
- In a medium pot, heat over low the milk and cream, do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool to warm.
- In a medium pot add yolks and sugar, whisk together until combined, then add flour and vanilla, place pot over low heat, add warm milk/cream, whisking continuously until thickened. Remove to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap (make sure wrap touches the cream mixture) and refrigerate 2-3 hours or even overnight. If the pastry cream is very stiff, then whisk to combine.
PIE PASTRY
- Sift flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl, add butter and cut into the flour (using a pastry blender or even your clean fingers) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (the size of peas).
- Sprinkle with the water (one tablespoon at a time) just until dough starts to come together. Then move to a lightly floured flat surface and knead lightly into a round ball.
- Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Pre-heat oven to 350° grease and flour an 8 – 10 inch pie plate or pizza pan.
- Remove from fridge (divide the dough in half, the unused dough may be frozen for future use) and place on a lightly floured surface, gently knead the dough a couple of times to soften it up. Roll out to ⅛" thickness (or a little thicker). Transfer to prepared pie plate, trim the dough of any extra dough then prick the dough all over.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and fill it with dried beans, rice or even sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until done. Let cool completely before filling.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
- Once the chilling time has passed, spoon the pastry cream onto the cooled pie crust, spread evenly, then top with sliced fruit and berries of choice. Dust with a little powdered sugar and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from July 7, 2018.
This was perfect. Not too sweet and perfectly light and delicious! Reminded me of my dad’s fruit pizza, which he found in an old Italian cookbook. I had been searching for something similar and this was it! Loved it
Hi Chenoa, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it and it was similar to your Dad’s. Take care!
What is the best way to thaw the pastry dough?
Hi Kelsey the best way is to remove it from the box and the paper wrapping and let it thaw at room temperature until it is soft enough to unroll without breaking, an hour should be enough time. Hope that helps. Take care!
Can the pastry cream be frozen?
Hi Sheila, no pastry cream shouldn’t be frozen because of the cream it can separate.
Sounds delicious. Definitely going to make. I just love Italian pastry cream.
Hi Ann, thanks I hope you enjoy it.