A Childhood Favorite: Boysenberry Cheesecake Pizza
This Boysenberry Cheesecake Pizza is a nostalgic treat that has been a staple in our family for over 15 years. Originally created by my mom, it’s the star of our 4th of July neighborhood block parties, and even now, I find myself craving it every summer. With its tangy pudding-like cheesecake layer paired with sweet boysenberry jam, this dessert is truly worth every step involved.
A Sturdy Crust: The Secret Behind the “Pizza” Name
The pie dough used in this recipe is uniquely sturdy, which is why it’s called a “pizza.” It’s firm enough that you can easily slice and pick it up with your fingers—trust me, you’ll want to! While you could opt for a traditional flaky pie crust, the recipe provided here offers something a little different that perfectly complements the cheesecake and jam.
How to Perfectly Prepare the Crust
Start by preparing your pie dough, then proceed with a blind bake. This involves partially baking the crust with parchment paper and dried beans or pie weights. Once partially baked, remove the weights and bake the crust until it’s golden brown.
Tips for Maintaining Crimped Edges
If you prefer your crust to have well-defined crimped edges, be sure to chill the shell for 30 minutes before baking and place it directly into the oven from the freezer or refrigerator. However, if you’re like me and don’t mind a more relaxed look, you can skip this extra step. It won’t affect the taste of the final product, so feel free to simplify as you see fit.
Like all of us, this dessert NEEDS chill time. If you begin it in the morning and allow steps for cooling and set up time, I promise you will be rewarded with a boysenberry pizza you can pick up with your fingers and be absolutely delighted.
If you begin it in the early afternoon and let it set at least 4 hours like I did in the above picture, you will have a little more runny jam filling, but will be delighted nonetheless. Both are delicious and I hope you get a chance to make it this summer!
Cheers,
Christina
Boysenberry Pizza
Ingredients
Pie dough
- 1½ cup flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- 4-5 tbsp ice water
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sugar divided
- zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ kosher salt
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2- 6 ounce containers of boysenberries or blackberries
Instructions
Pie Dough
- In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt to blend.
- Add butter and pulse a few times to cut butter into the flour until you have small pieces of butter throughout.
- Add ice water a little at a time and pulse until mixture forms a dough that can holds together when you pinch a bit in your hand.
- Gather dough onto a very lightly floured board and press into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Chilled Dough
- Preheat oven to 400°. Roll dough out on a lightly floured board and place in a 9" glass pie dish. Crimp the sides as desired. Make several fork piercings around the bottom and sides of dough.
- Blind bake: Place a sheet of parchment paper on the dough and cover with dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove parchment and beans and continue to bake for another 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden. Set aside to cool. Lower oven temperature to 250°.
Filling
- In a medium saucepan, mash 1 container of berries with ⅔ cup sugar. Add water and cornstarch and bring mixture to a boil. While mixture is boiling, stir with spatula to prevent scorching and continue to cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Add cream cheese, egg, sugar, lemon zest and salt to a medium bowl. With a hand mixer, blend until smooth and well combined.
To assemble
- Fill cooled pie shell with cream cheese mixture and bake for 15 minutes at lower temperature until set. Cool.
- Scatter remaining container of berries over surface of cooled filling. Pour cooled crushed berry mixture over the whole berries.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours, until firm and can easily slice with a knife.
Nutrition
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