Making flakey buttery Danish pastries at home can sound nothing short of intimidating. I get it. But if you take two very small but mighty shortcuts, you can make Danish at home, without even breaking a sweat. I tested my market for these very Easy Lemon Cream Cheese Danish on Instagram to see if you all would be interested in the recipe, and the feedback was kind of insane. The answer was a resounding ‘yes’, so here we are. They’re an incredibly luxurious way to start your day, with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Few things are better, let me tell you. But first…
What is a Danish and why do I need it for breakfast?
This kind of pastry is a flakey, buttery type of puff pastry that originates from Denmark. Danish pastries are in the same “viennoiserie” family as croissants and puff pastry.. The viennoiserie process involved layering butter between very thin layers of dough.
How to make Danish at home
If you want to make your own quick 15-minute puff pastry, please do so! I love that recipe and use it often. But, when I want to take a tiny shortcut, I grab all-butter puff pastry from the store. My all time favorite brand is Dufour, if you can find it! You start by cutting out your puff pastry into large 3.5″ circles (or squares if you don’t want any scraps).
Then I mix 8 oz. room temperature cream cheese with about 1/2 cup powdered sugar and a teaspoon of fresh lemon zest. Beat until it’s really smooth and well combined. This alone tastes like cheesecake, and completely addictive. I spoon a generous tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each piece of pastry, sprinkle the pastry with raw turbinado sugar, and bake for about 20-25 minutes in a hot 400 degree F oven.
Once the pastries cool completely, I drop my favorite store bought lemon curd (it’s this one from Bonne Maman) on top, leaving some of the sweet cream cheese peaking through. I chose lemon curd here, but if you can ABSOLUTELY switch up the flavor of preserves. Blackberry, raspberry, strawberry would be incredible too!
How to candy lemons
Now this next step is, of course, totally extra. But it takes your homemade Lemon Cream Cheese Danish to beautiful pastry-case level! I had some stunning Meyer lemons laying around that I was dying to candy. If you’re not familiar with Meyer lemons, they’re a sweet-ish hybrid of a tangerine and a lemon, perfectly tart and floral. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, regular lemons are fine! I make a quick simple syrup of 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Then, slice the Meyer lemons thinly and try to remove any seeds or fragments of seeds. Place the slices in the simple syrup and cook for about 10 minutes until they are soft, but still retain their shape. Place on parchment and let them dry for about an hour. Then, you dip them in granulated sugar for serious wow-factor!
I think I’ve made my case for simplified, easy Danish at home, and I really hope that you make these, perfect for a lovely weekend brunch. As always, please remember to tag me in any of your posts @lions.bread so I can see what you’re making from the blog! Nothing makes me happier than seeing my recipes come to life in your kitchens!
Easy Lemon Cream Cheese Danish
Flakey, buttery pastry topped with sweetened cream cheese, tart lemon curd, and candied Meyer lemons
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
- 1 cup lemon curd, I love Bonne Maman brand
- 1 Meyer lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for dipping
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
Make the candied lemon slices: Place the water and cup of granulated in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Place the thinly sliced Meyer lemon into the sugar mixture. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes until the lemon slices are soft, but not falling apart. Remove the slices, one by one, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and allow the slices to dry, it should take about 1 hour to dry. Once dry, dip the slices halfway in granulated sugar.
Remove the puff pastry from the freezer, and let thaw in the fridge. It should be cold and pliable, not frozen.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Flour a large work surface generously, and roll out the puff pastry slightly. Use a 3ยฝ" round cutter to cut out circles. You can also cut them into squares if you prefer. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the cut out pastry onto the baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest. Use a wooden spoon, or electric hand mixer to combine thoroughly. Place generous tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each pastry round.
Brush the beaten egg around the edges of each Danish. Sprinkle the edges with raw turbinado sugar, or granulated sugar. Bake for about 25-28 minutes until very golden brown and flakey.
All the Danish to cool completely. Then spoon a scant tablespoon of the lemon curd on top of the cream cheese, allowing some of the cream cheese to peak through. Top with the candied lemon slices.
Recipe Notes
These Lemon Cream Cheese Danish are best eaten within 1-2 days of making them.
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