Pillsbury has invented the next level in comfort food - pizza cake. Layers upon layers of pizza dough are covered in tomato sauce and topped with cheese and pepperoni. Even though this recipe is certainly over the top, it is still a dish that anyone can make in their own kitchen. In the time it would take to have delivered to your home, this pizza cake and be prepared, baked and served. Also, you can tailor the pizza cake to include your favorite pizza toppings. There are endless variations of the pizza cake; you can create a vegetarian pizza with olives, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and mushrooms or invent your own version of a meat lovers pizza to include salami, ham, bacon, sausage and more. Pizza cake is guaranteed to blow your family's mind.
Pepperoni Pizza Cake
Courtesy of Pillsbury
2 cans Pillsbury™ refrigerated classic pizza crust
1 1/2 cups Muir Glen™ organic pizza sauce (from 15-oz can)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (12 oz)
1 cup sliced pepperoni
1 tablespoon butter, if desired
Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil.
Measure diameter of tall-sided ovenproof pan. (Pan used was 6-inch in diameter with 4-inch high side.) Unroll 1 can of dough onto work surface; press out into thin layer. Cut out 3 (6-inch) rounds; place on cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool.
Unroll remaining can of dough; cut 2 additional (6-inch) rounds from long edge of dough, leaving opposite side untouched. Place rounds on cooled cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet; cool.
Meanwhile, line pan with cooking parchment paper so that ends of paper stick up and out of pan. Cut long strip of dough at least 1/2 inch wider than height of pan. Carefully drape long strip of dough around inside edge of pan to line, leaving 1/2 inch hanging over outside edge of pan and bottom of pan open. Pinch seam to seal.
Carefully place 1 partially baked crust round in bottom of pan. Spread pizza sauce over crust; top with pepperoni slices and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese (when cheese melts, crust above will stick to it). Repeat to make 3 more layers. For top layer, place last crust over cheese; sprinkle with remaining cheese and arrange remaining pepperoni on top.
Fold overhanging dough over top layer of pizza cake to make a raised crust edge.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until dough around pizza cake is fully cooked. (To test, carefully pull up parchment paper to raise pizza cake out of pan.) Once completely baked, cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove pizza cake from pan; brush crust with butter. Use sharp knife to cut slices like you would a cake.
Want to make a from-scratch version? Check out this Pizza Cake recipe from So Good Blog here.
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