Mini Fruit Pizzas with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Sliced fresh fruit, for topping
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, then sift the cake flour into the same bowl and add the baking powder and salt. Whisk for 20 seconds, then put the bowl aside. In a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attached, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture looks creamy, a little lighter, and fluffy, about 1 – 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition, then mix in the vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and gradually work in the dry mixture just until the dough comes together. Split the dough into two even pieces, press each one into a disk, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3 hours or up to overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Flour a clean work surface generously. Take one portion of dough from the refrigerator, remove the wrap, and set it on the floured surface. Flour the top of the dough, then roll it out to 3/8-inch thickness, right between 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch. Stamp out 2 1/2-inch circles and move them to a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake for 7 – 9 minutes; the cookies should not brown, so pull them when they look lightly set but still dent a bit when touched. Take them out of the oven, leave them on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool all the way. Do the same with the remaining dough.
3. When the cookies have cooled, spread them with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. Add the diced fruit right before serving.
4. To make the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting, use a stand mixer with the paddle attached to beat the butter, cream cheese, and lemon zest until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Beat in the lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon extract. Add the powdered sugar and continue whipping for several minutes, until the frosting is fluffy.
5. For the flour, scoop and level rather than spooning and leveling. That matters here because it helps keep the dough from turning sticky. In high humidity, you may need to add an additional 1/4 cup of flour.
6. Good fruit options include berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries, kiwi, pineapple, peaches, or mangos. Dice the fruit into small pieces, except for kiwis, which should be sliced.