Cream Cheese Danish
Squares of puff pastry folded around a sweet cream cheese filling, baked until golden and finished with a thin icing.
Cream Cheese Danish: Step by Step
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Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Beat the cream cheese, caster sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth.
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Cut the pastry into 8 squares. Spoon the filling into the middle of each and fold two opposite corners to the centre, pressing them down.
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Brush with beaten egg and bake on a lined tray for 18 minutes until deep gold.
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Cool for 10 minutes. Stir the icing sugar with the milk and drizzle it over the danishes.
Keep an Eye on These
- Soften the cream cheese first.
- Press the folded corners down firmly.
- If your oven runs hot, check at 14 minutes.
- Wait for the pastries to cool before icing.
The Short Version
Why does a puff pastry danish look so complicated and take so little work? Because the pastry is already made, and layers do the rest.
Beat the cream cheese with the sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. It should hold its shape on a spoon. Cold cream cheese will lump, so leave it out for 20 minutes first. Lumps do not vanish in the oven.
Cut the pastry into eight squares and spoon the filling in the middle. Fold two opposite corners to the centre and press them down, which stops the filling spilling.
Brush with beaten egg and bake at 200°C for 18 minutes, until the pastry has risen and gone deep gold. If your oven runs hot, check at 14 minutes. Let the danishes cool before the icing goes on, or it runs straight off. A little lemon zest in the filling gives a clean edge to the sweetness, if you have a lemon to hand.
To Go With It
Fresh berries · Hot coffee · Orange juice · Warm milk
Keeping Cream Cheese Danish
Best the day they are baked. Keeps in the fridge for 2 days.
Common Questions
How long does Cream Cheese Danish take to make?
About 40 minutes in total — 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe serves 8.
What are the key tips for making Cream Cheese Danish?
Soften the cream cheese first. Press the folded corners down firmly. If your oven runs hot, check at 14 minutes. Wait for the pastries to cool before icing.
What should I serve with Cream Cheese Danish?
Fresh berries; Hot coffee; Orange juice; Warm milk.
How should Cream Cheese Danish be stored?
Best the day they are baked. Keeps in the fridge for 2 days.
Is Cream Cheese Danish suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Cream Cheese Danish?
About 308 kcal per serving, with 5 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate and 20 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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