Lemon Cream Cheese Danish Recipe: A Delicious Twist on Classic Pastry
This easy cream cheese danish is made with lemon curd, and puff pastry for an easy breakfast or brunch danish recipe that everyone will love.
A good cheese danish has always been my favorite breakfast indulgence. That flaky puff pastry crust and the sweetened cream cheese in the middle….it’s the ideal way to start the day!
This easy cream cheese danish recipe uses premade puff pastry to keep things simple but we have fancied it up by lacing the top into a beautiful braid.
Inside is sweetened cream cheese and delicious lemon curd to the perfect combination of sweet and tart (we have a recipe for peach cream cheese danish too!). Add a little glaze on the top after everything is baked and you end up with a breakfast pastry that is easy enough to make for the family and awesome enough to add to your brunch menu.
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Using premade doughs is a great way to simplify your breakfast baking without sacrificing flavor. We use it for our easy chocolate croissants, holiday breakfast ring, and even our air fryer maple bacon donuts…OMG you have to try them!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Frozen puff pastry – You’ll need 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry. Some people use crescent rolls dough to make a quick danish but puff pastry cooks into a buttery, flakey crust that is perfect for breakfast pastries.
- Cream cheese – Cream cheese adds the perfect tangy flavor to this cheese danish.
- Confectioner’s sugar – You’ll use this powdered sugar to sweeten the cream cheese filling and to make the glaze for the puff pastry.
- Vanilla extract – A little vanilla extract helps mellow out the lemon without masking the flavor.
- Lemon zest – Zesting a lemon is a great way to get a real punch of flavor without the added liquid of using lemon juice. You’ll use this in both the filling and the glaze.
- Lemon Curd – Yum! I could eat this stuff with a spoon. You can make your own lemon curd or you can find it in the aisle with the jellies and jams at the grocery store.
- Egg – This is used to make a simple egg wash to brush over the puff pastry to give it a nice golden brown appearance.
- Milk – You’ll add this to the glaze to thin it out enough to drizzle it over the cooled danish before serving.
Instructions
Step 1 – Prepare oven. Preheat oven to 400F.
Step 2 – Make the filling. In a small bowl mix cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest together until thoroughly combined.
Step 6 – Egg Wash. Make a simple egg wash by mixing the egg whites and egg yolk with the water. Set aside.
Step 3 – Prepare dough. Unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet. Place the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Lightly brush some of the eggwash along the edges of the pastry dough.
Cut 1-inch strips down the left and right thirds of the puff pastry, leaving the middle section untouched.
Step 4 – Fill Pastry. Add the cream cheese mixture to the middle of the puff pastry and then spread the lemon curd over it.
Step 5 – Braid. Fold the end of the puff pastry up and over, then fold the top strip from the left in towards the middle. Fold a strip from the right inwards to overlap the left strip. Continue alternating left and right down the length of the puff pastry.
Brush the remaining egg wash over the dough.
Step 7 – Bake. Place in a 400 F oven to bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 8 – Cool. Once the pastry has finished baking remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Approximately 1 hour.
Step 9 – Glaze. When the lemon pastry has cooled to room temperature mix up your glaze by mixing the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and lemon zest together in a bowl. Drizzle the glaze over it.
Step 10 – Serve. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Tip: Sometimes the dough puffs up a lot as it bakes and your braid may start to pull apart. Don’t panic! When the pastry comes out of the oven let gently use a fork to move the pieces of the braid back into place. As the dough cools it will fall and everything will lay in place nicely.
Traditional cheese Danish filling is made of cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and sometimes eggs. We skip the eggs for our simplified version!
To change up the flavor you may include ingredients like lemon curd, strawberry preserves, cherry, apple, or blueberry pie filling, fresh berries, or chocolate.
Yes, cream cheese danishes are typically sweet. The filling is usually made with sugar, which gives it a sweet taste. In addition, the puff pastry crust may be dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with a sweet glaze, adding to the overall sweetness of the pastry.
A cheese Danish typically has a flaky, buttery puff pastry crust and a creamy, tangy filling made with cream cheese and sugar. The filling taste similar to cheesecake, specifically a no-bake cheesecake. It may also include additional flavors like fruit preserves or lemon curd.
Yes, cream cheese danishes should be refrigerated to keep them fresh. The cream cheese filling can spoil if left at room temperature for too long.
To store them, place the danishes in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Yes, cream cheese danish can be frozen. To freeze, wrap the pastry tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn.
Frozen cream cheese danishes can be stored in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
To reheat, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and then bake in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
You’d never believe it was that easy to make just looking at it! This danish is delicious and beautiful and absolutely perfect for spring and summer brunches or make it ahead of time for a lazy morning breakfast this summer. Either way, you and whoever you share it with (I won’t tell if you keep it all for yourself) will love it.
Looking for More Breakfast Recipes?
- Overnight French Toast Bake
- Granola Fruit Tart
- Instant Pot Oatmeal
- Asparagus Goat Cheese Tart
- Blackberry Lemon Muffins
- Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole
- Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole {Overnight}
- More breakfast recipes…
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Lemon Cream Cheese Danish
Ingredients
Danish
- 1 sheet Frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 4 ounces Cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup Confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Lemons, Zest and set 1 teaspoon aside
- 2.5 ounces Lemon Curd
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon Water
Glaze
- ½ cup Confectioner’s sugar
- 2 teaspoons Milk
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Mix cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon zest (set 1 teaspoon aside for later) together until thoroughly combined.
- Make a simple egg wash by mixing the egg and water. Set aside.
- Unfold thawed puff pastry sheet. It will be divided into 3 parts. Place the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Lightly brush some of the egg wash along the outer edges of the pastry dough.
- Cut 1-inch strips down the left and right thirds of the puff pastry, leaving the middle section untouched.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the middle of the puff pastry and then spread the lemon curd over it.
- Fold the end of the puff pastry up and over the filling.
- Fold the top left strip in towards the middle. Fold the top right strip inwards to overlap the left strip. Continue alternating left and right down the length of the puff pastry.
- Brush the remaining egg wash over the dough.
- Place in a 400 degrees F oven to bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once the pastry has finished baking remove it from the oven and let it cool completely. Approximately 1 hour.
- When the lemon pastry has cooled to room temperature mix up your glaze by mixing the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and lemon zest together in a bowl. Drizzle the glaze over it.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Danishes are amazing. Lemon flavored things are amazing. I’m fairly certain that making this would be dangerous! xD I didn’t know I needed this in my life until now, but boy how do I need it in my life ASAP 😀
I hope you get a chance to make it I loved it!!
Oh wow, I love anything lemon and this looks amazing. Thanks for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop.
Yum! Featuring YOU tomorrow… Thank you for partying with us!
XO
Thanks Desiree!!
Thanks for this great recipe! I made two last night and they turned out beautifully and were really easy to make. I will definitely be making these again soon.
Thanks for letting us know. I’m glad you liked them as much as we did ! 🙂
How much Lemon Curd do you use?
We just eyeballed it and spread a layer of it over the cream cheese. I would say it is about 1/2 cup but feel free to use more or less depending on how lemony you want it!
Im sorry but i would like to ask: Where I can buy frozen pastry?
You can find frozen puff pastry in the frozen food section. It is usually near the frozen fruit and whipped topping or frozen pie section.
I love lemon everything! This would be such a great addition to my next brunch menu!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I am having a crowd for an early morning coffee at my house. Could this be put together the night before and then baked early in the morning?
Yes! You can make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator (cover it with plastic wrap) until you are ready to bake.
This looks amazing Kennett be frozen? Are there any other fruit you can put on top besides the lemon zest for a second choice?
Instead of lemon curd you could put any fruit filling such as cherry pie or apple pie filling (found in the baking aisle of the grocery store). You could also use any other curd or even a jam or jelly. I think these are best fresh so I have never tried freezing.
This was amazing. I made two and did raspberry jam on the second. Such a great idea!
Love the raspberry jam idea!
How large was the rectangle of dough when you were finished rolling?
You roll out a sheet of puff pastry slightly since it’s already pretty thin.
Where do u find the lemon crud
Most grocery stores carry it.
It’s usually in the same grocery store aisle as the jams and jellies
Wow! This is some of the best pastry I’ve ever eaten, and definitely the best I’ve ever made. It was quick & easy, flaky and delicious. I made and used Chef John’s Lemon Curd Light, and the finished product was SUPERB. I had to bake it about 4 minutes longer; otherwise made it exactly as directed. Thanks for the recipe!
Does the lemon curd melt all over? Can it be prevented? Cant wait to make this!
Sometimes you get a little leakage out of the sides but the pastry should hold most of it in. I hope you like it as much as I do!
Very late to this – but just waiting on my version to come out the oven! Followed everything but substited for alphonso mango curd instead! Looking forward to it for breakfast in the morning! But wondering how best to store it overnight? I’m sure I’ll figure it out!
Any leftover Cheese Danish should be refrigerated, covered, for up to a week!