Berry Brownie Pizza with Cream Cheese Frosting

A delightfully nostalgic Berry Brownie Pizza topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and summer berries. This “pizza” is always a crowd-pleaser and can be customized to include your favorite fruits!

Berry Brownie Pizza

A few years ago, I created my own version of the Brownie Fruit Pizza I fondly remember enjoying at birthday parties as a kid. My “pizza” had chocolate cream cheese frosting and a mix of berries and nectarines (so good). With Valentine’s Day approaching, I wanted to make a red berry version with vanilla cream cheese frosting. I love the combination of rich, fudgy brownie with tangy vanilla frosting and sweet cherries and strawberries on top. The fruit brings a freshness to this indulgent dessert that makes it such a crowd-pleaser!

You’ll need a pizza pan (you can find these online or at stores like Target), your favorite cream cheese (vegan or regular), and whatever fruit you’d like to top your pizza with. Softer fruits like berries, stone fruits, and banana or kiwi work best for this kind of dessert. This recipe includes a homemade brownie base, but if you’d like to make this extra easy, feel free to use your favorite boxed brownie mix (you may not need all of the batter – I’m not sure as I haven’t made this with boxed brownies).

Why I Love This “Pizza”

• 100% homemade (unless you forgo the brownie recipe for a boxed brownie – no judgment!)
• Quick to make (especially if you have experience with homemade brownies)
• Perfect balance of rich, tangy, and sweet
• Will fly off the pan at any gathering
• Leftovers are a welcomed blessing (I could eat a slice every day!)

What You’ll Need + Possible Substitutions

• Melted chocolate chips create a fudgy, rich brownie.
• Olive oil adds moisture to the brownies. If you prefer, you can use melted butter (or melted vegan butter) instead.
• Instant coffee adds depth to the chocolate flavor. Feel free to leave this out if you don’t have any readily on hand.
• Eggs are whisked until thick to create lift in the brownies and work alongside the sugar to give the pizza a perfect, crinkly top. I don’t recommend any egg replacements for this recipe, but you can find my vegan brownie recipe here.
• Granulated sugar adds sweetness to the rich brownie. You can use white granulated sugar, raw cane sugar, or coconut sugar.
• Dutched cocoa powder adds richer flavor and darker color to the brownie base.
• All-purpose flour gives the brownie batter structure. Feel free to use a bleached or unbleached variety.
• Salt enhances flavor and cuts sweetness.
• Baking powder leavens the brownie base a tad.
• Plant-based butter helps make up the cream cheese buttercream frosting. You can use your favorite vegan butter or regular butter in this recipe.
• Plant-based cream cheese creates a delicious, tangy cream cheese frosting. Plant-based or regular cream cheese will work in this recipe – note that vegan cream cheese needs to be cold and regular cream cheese must be softened at room temperature.
• Vanilla extract adds flavor to both the brownie base and the cream cheese frosting.
• Powdered sugar is added to the cream cheese and butter to create a sweet frosting. There are no substitutions for regular powdered sugar.

More Brownie Recipes

Chocolate Strawberry Brownies

Brownie Fruit Pizza with Chocolate Frosting

Orange Brownies (grain-free)

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie Pizza

Yield: 8-12 Servings

Berry Brownie Pizza

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A crowd-pleasing dessert "pizza" topped with vanilla cream cheese frosting and summer berries. Customize it to include your favorite fruits!

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Brownie

• 1 cup (175g) chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup (60g) olive oil
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 3/4 cup (169g) white granulated sugar (see Note 1)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (20g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup (98g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/4 cup (58g) plant-based butter, softened (or regular butter, softened)
• 4oz plant-based cream cheese, cold (see Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (300g) powdered sugar

Topping

• 1-2 cups fresh fruit, sliced and/or pitted (as needed)

Instructions

Make the Brownie

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 12" pizza pan with non-stick spray. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
2. In a microwaveable bowl, add the chocolate chips, oil, and instant coffee. Microwave in 15-30 second intervals, stirring well between each, until chocolate is melted; set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and then the sugar. Whisk on medium-high until thick and light in color (about 3-5 minutes). Whisk in the vanilla.
4. Add the melted chocolate and gently fold into the egg/sugar mixture until well combined. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Gently mix until no flour pockets remain.
5. Spoon batter into your greased pizza pan and spread evenly - if needed, spray the back of a spoon or spatula with non-stick spray and then spread the thick batter into the pan.
6. Bake the brownie at 350°F for 9-11 minutes, being careful not to over-bake. Allow the brownie to cool completely in the pan before frosting.

Make the Frosting + Assemble

1. Once your brownie is cool, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened butter and cold vegan cream cheese (or softened cream cheese if using regular cream cheese). Beat in the vanilla extract.
2. Add the powdered sugar and slowly beat, increasing speed as the powder gets incorporated into the butter and cream cheese. Beat until totally combined and smooth. If your frosting is too thick at this point, you can add your favorite milk 1 tsp at a time until the frosting is spreadable. It's normal for cream cheese frosting to be less stiff than traditional American buttercream.
3. Spread the frosting over the cooled brownie, leaving about 1/2" of crust around the edge. Immediately top the frosting with fresh fruit - I chose strawberries, cherries, and raspberries.
4. Slice and serve the pizza. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow pizza to come to room temperature before enjoying (at least that's how I like it!).

Notes

1. Sugar: you can use white granulated sugar (169g), unrefined cane sugar (180g), raw cane sugar (160g), or coconut sugar (124g).
2. Cream cheese: plant-based or regular cream cheese will work in this recipe. Plant-based cream cheese must be cold when beat with the butter. Regular cream cheese must be softened (at room temperature) when beat with the butter.

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!

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