Lemon Cheesecake Danish

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Lemon Cheesecake Danish

This cheesecake Danish is a fast but luxurious brunch or dessert dish using grocery store staples. It's flaky, buttery and lightened with a good dose of lemon from the filling and the glaze.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Morning Tea

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: cheesecake danish, cheesecake pastries, danish

Servings:

Calories: 431kcal

Ingredients

12 oz cream cheese block style; softened to room temperature, see notes
1/2 cup powdered sugar icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon large, zested and juiced; use 2 Tbsp juice and reserve remainder for glaze
1 sheet frozen puff pastry 16x9 inches (40x23cm), thawed and rolled out to flatten slightly, see notes
1 egg for glazing

Lemon glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar icing sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice you may need a little extra; reserve from the lemon you used in the filling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to Combi Steam 350°F/180°C, 30% (medium) humidity. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment or baking paper and set aside.

Make the filling

Put the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth.
12 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 lemon

Prepare pastry

Either put the rolled-out puff pastry onto your prepared baking sheet or a large cutting board. I find it easier to work with on the board, but it does need careful transferring after assembly, so if you aren't confident with that do it straight on the baking sheet.
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
Leaving a central area about 10x4 inches (25x10cm), cut the longer outer sides of the pastry into strips about 1 inch (2.5cm) apart.
Spread the cream cheese mixture in a rough rectangle down the center of the puff pastry sheet, leaving a 1/2 inch (12mm) border between the mixture and the strips, and a border at the top and bottom of the rectangle.
Gently bring the top and bottom borders up over the edges of the cream cheese. Then cross the strips over the top of the cream cheese mixture, overlapping the ends in the middle and alternating which side you cross over each time. You should finish with the cream cheese encased in the pastry with a braided/overlapped center.
Crack the egg into a small bowl with a tablespoon of water and whisk well. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the top of the pastry with egg, to give it a glossy finish after baking.
1 egg

Bake

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and very puffy. Once you take the Danish out of the oven it'll deflate somewhat; this is normal.
Let the pastry cool for 10-15 minutes before drizzling the lemon glaze over the top.

Make glaze

While the pastry is cooling, put the glaze ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice
This Danish is best served warm or at room temperature, on the day of baking. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days, and gently reheated in your steam oven.

Notes

Cream cheese temperature: To make the filling smooth and spreadable, make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you start the recipe.
Cream cheese brands: I have tried this with different types of cream cheese but the best results will come from using firmer, block cream cheese (I use Philadelphia). The spreadable tub types and some of the store brand blocks tend to melt and seep out of the Danish a lot during baking.
Puff pastry: I use all-butter puff for this recipe, because the pastry is an integral element of the overall flavor. The brand I buy is a local artisan puff that comes in a single sheet approximately 16x9 inches (40x23cm). If you're using smaller, store-bought square sheets, I would make two smaller Danishes, splitting the filling between the two.
Variations: You can change this recipe up by adding a handful of berries on top of the cream cheese mixture before braiding the pastry, or by spreading a small amount of jam underneath the cream cheese. If you want it to be especially lemony, make my steamed lemon curd and spread that underneath the cream cheese, then serve with a little extra dollop of curd instead of the glaze.

Nutrition