Cheese Danish

This Easy Cheese Danish Pastry is so flaky and creamy. You'll love the sweet tanginess of the filling and the delicious crust drizzled with icing.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Danish

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Servings

Calories 463kcal

Author Dina

Ingredients

danish dough and filling

1 lb puff pastry
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk + 1 egg for egg wash
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 tsp fresh lemon zest

Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions

Make the cream cheese filling

In a large bowl add 8 oz of softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 large egg yolk, 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract and the zest of 1 lemon. Make sure to only use the yellow part and avoid the white rind since its very bitter.
Alright now that you have all your filling ingredients in the bowl, beat it on high speed using an electric hand mixer until the filling is smooth and creamy.

Roll out the puff pastry and cut out strips

Now set that aside and lightly flour your work surface. Then unfold 1 lb package of thawed puff pastry and begin rolling out each sheet of puff pastry lengthwise about 2 inches. so that they measure (9x11 inches).
Now cut off the top 2 corners of the puff pastry. And set them aside. Don’t toss them. Bake those along with the danish and eat them with some jam or Nutella.
Take your kitchen shears and begin making slits into the dough along both sides. You’ll want to make about 9-10 slits per side. See where the puff pastry is was folded into 3rds, make sure not to cut past that line.
Once you get to the last strip at the bottom you’ll be left with 2 flaps, just cut those off and set them aside to bake with the other corner scraps.

Add the cheese filling

Now split your cream cheese filling among both danishes, keeping the filling contained in the middle third of the puff pastry.

Assemble the danish braid

Now fold over the top flap and begin crossing over the strips for the braid. So you’ll want to just switch from right to left until you get to the last 2 strips. Fold bottom flap up and cross the last 2 strips over.
Now you want to gently transfer the danishes over to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush with egg wash and bake

Then make your egg wash by combing 1 egg with 1 tsp of water. Give a good thorough swish then brush it over the danishes using a pastry brush.
Now place the danishes in the oven and bake them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 to 25 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Remove the cheese danishes from the oven and let them cool to room temperature.

Make the Icing

In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tbsp of heavy cream. Once the pastry has cooled to almost room temperature you can begin drizzling the glaze on top.

Video

Notes

How long will it keep?

Cheese danishes will last in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If you keep them wrapped and at room temperature, they will only stay fresh for 1-2 days.

Can I freeze it for later?

Yes, you can freeze these danishes. Once they have cooled completely, wrap them in foil or plastic wrap and place them in a ziplock freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for about 2 months

Nutrition