Best Fruit Pizza
My favorite part of a fruit pizza is the beautiful array of fresh fruits and flavors. As a kid, I would decorate in rings of fruit--kiwis, strawberries, plums, raspberries, nectarines, peaches, mandarin oranges, etc. In fact, the look of the pizza was even better than the taste--until now. Growing up, we'd always put a cream cheese frosting on top of the cookie to hold the fruit on and help prevent the cookie from getting soggy.
However, cream cheese and dairy-free aren't compatible friends. So, when I was picking beautiful, ripe, home-grown strawberries and raspberries, and imagining how beautiful they would look on a fruit pizza, I decided to create a delicious and dairy-free fruit pizza.
You see, in my opinion, the sweet frosting makes the fruit taste sour instead of complimenting the flavor. And let's be real, I wanted to showcase the delicious tasting fruit on the fruit pizza not just the pretty colors. Years ago, I might have used Cool Whip, which would be tasty. However, the Cool Whip creators altered the recipe to create the "creamier" whipped topping. However, the new creamier style comes with more dairy.
Chilled coconut milk can be whipped into a probably even more delicious, completely dairy-free whipped-topping. Win-Win!
- 2/3 cup shortening (Usually I avoid shortening, but in this recipe, shortning works best.)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 eggs
- 4 tsp almond milk
- 2 cup flour
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 can coconut cream or full fat coconut milk, chilled
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- Berries, peaches, nectarines, grapes, bananas, kiwis, pomegranate seeds, etc
- Cookie Dough Crust
Cream shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg and almond milk. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined. Press into parchment-lined 15" pizza pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 13-14 minutes. Cool completely.
- Whipped Coconut Cream
Make sure the can of coconut cream or full fat coconut milk has chilled in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Carefully open can and take hardened coconut fat out of the top of the can. Save the liquid for pancakes or curry or another recipe.
Whip the coconut fat with a hand mixer just until it is getting fluffy. Add powdered sugar and mix. Keep chilled in the fridge until it you are ready to assemble and serve. *
- Assembling Pizza
Spread whipped coconut cream over completely cooled cookie crust. (If it isn't completely cooled, the coconut cream will quickly melt). Top with fruit (fresh is best).
*When I made this the other day, my coconut milk had been sitting on the shelf in my basement pantry for so long that there was a hard layer of coconut fat on the top that didn't whip or mix in. If this happens to you, don't try to mix it in. Just pull it off and whip the other solids. Otherwise, you'll have little hard chunks of coconut oil in your coconut cream.