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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast Sweets

    Published: Aug 30, 2022 by Amy · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission (see disclosure).

    Homemade Cream Cheese Danish (from scratch) 

    In the mood for a breakfast idea that the whole family will scarf down? This Homemade Cream Cheese Danish recipe is so delicious and made completely from scratch! It makes light, pillowy, and sweet danish pastries filled with cream cheese and your choice of fruit filling.  

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    5 from 39 votes
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    A closeup of soft cream cheese danish pastries, one open with the cream cheese and cherry filling showing on the inside. this Post

    A soft and fluffy cream cheese danish is one of my all-time favorite treats (especially if it includes homemade cherry filling)!  While we were known for our cinnamon rolls at Amycakes Bakery, whenever we served cream cheese danish they always received rave reviews. 🙂 

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    On the weekends, there seems to be more time for baking. This recipe is the perfect example of an impressive pastry you can create entirely from scratch in your free time.  Give yourself two days to make these cheese danish so you can spread out the steps and really enjoy the process. 

    Jump to:
    • 🥣 Key Ingredients 
    • 🥐 How to make Cream Cheese Danish from Scratch
    • 🎥 Step-by-Step Video
    • 👩‍🍳 Quick Tips 
    • 💭 Frequently Asked Questions
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🥣 Key Ingredients 

    While this recipe takes some time, it’s easy to follow and only requires a few simple ingredients.  You can fill these danish with a delicious cream cheese filling and add your choice of fruit filling. You can also enjoy them plain as a sweet croissant! 

    An overhead shot of cream cheese danish ingredients with the following text: flour, sugar, salted butter, eggs, salt, instant yeast, cream cheese, powdered sugar, almond extract.
    • It wouldn’t be a danish pastry without lots of butter.  I prefer salted butter because it adds extra flavor to the pastries and balances the sweetness of the fillings and glaze.  
    • One of the most important ingredients in this recipe is instant yeast. It provides these cream cheese danish with their signature soft and sweet yeast dough.  Even better, instant yeast will save you time as the dough will rise much faster. 
    • For the filling, you're going to need full-fat block cream cheese. The creamy deliciousness of the cream cheese filling with a hint of almond extract makes these the ultimate danish pastry. 
    • What makes this breakfast pastry so customizable is that you get to choose the fruit filling you want. Try all my easy homemade fruit filling recipes and pick out your favorite! 
    A plate with a large fluffy cream cheese danish on it, with more soft danishes pictured in the background.

    🥐 How to make Cream Cheese Danish from Scratch

    To make cream cheese danish from scratch, you start with slightly-sweet yeast dough, then fold and roll it several times with cold butter. By incorporating the cold butter into your danish dough, you create lots of soft flaky layers in your pastries.

    The detailed instructions are included within the recipe card at the bottom of this post, and you can watch how to roll out the danish pastries in the recipe video. 

    Every step will be worth it when you taste and share the final product! 😊 

    Two circles of rolled out danish dough cut into 8 triangles each, topped with cream cheese filling, cherry filling, and blueberry filling.

    Make them in advance

    This recipe makes 16 large danish pastries.  I considered sharing a smaller batch size, but there is little difference between making 8 and 16 in terms of time.  You might as well enjoy 16 if you're going to spend two days making them!

    When I'm not serving a crowd I like to freeze half of my unbaked danishes (after they rise). Then I let them thaw in the fridge overnight the day before baking and serving.

    🎥 Step-by-Step Video

    This Cream Cheese Danish recipe video takes you step-by-step, from mixing sweet yeast dough to rolling out the flaky layers.

    Watch the recipe video above or watch it on my Youtube.

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    👩‍🍳 Quick Tips 

    When it comes to cream cheese danish, one thing you want to ensure is that your cream cheese filling is very smooth without lumps. You can use room temperature cream cheese to help with this.  

    Another option is to just beat the cream cheese on high within a stand mixer (scraping frequently) until no lumps remain. The stand mixer will make your life so much easier and save you time too! 

    Be sure to pay attention to the temperature of each component of this Danish recipe (as described in the recipe instructions): 

    • The butter and flour mixture should be cold and firm.  
    • The danish dough should be room temperature (not warm) when it’s rolled out with the cold butter.  We want to ensure the butter doesn’t melt, which would eliminate the soft flaky layers of the danish. 
    • The fruit filling should be completely cool when placed on top of the cream cheese danish filling. 
    A picture with a hand holding a large danish with cream cheese filling, with a plate of danish drizzled with a powdered sugar glaze in the background.

    💭 Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I make these ahead of time?  

    Yes, you can! I recommend freezing your unbaked filled danish (as soon as they have risen) so you can bake them hot and fresh the morning you want to serve them.  Thaw the danish pastries in the refrigerator overnight before baking. 

    How long do they last?  

    In the fridge, these cream cheese danish will last for about 2-3 days, though they have the softest texture the day you bake them. Or freeze them for longer as described below. 

    Can I freeze them?  

    Yes, you can! Make sure to wrap the danish thoroughly in plastic wrap or place them in a freezer-safe bag. When you're ready to eat them, just thaw them overnight in the fridge and reheat them in a 300-degree oven. 

    Can I make different danish shapes with this recipe? 

    Sure!  I love the look of the homemade croissant-shaped danish which holds extra cream cheese filling, but feel free to try out different danish pastry shapes. 

    What is in the filling for cheese danish? 

    The filling is made of cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract for my recipe.  You can also make a blueberry cream cheese danish by adding blueberry compote filling, or cherry cheese danish with cherry filling. 

    Is Danish dough the same as puff pastry? 

    No, they are not the same. Danish dough is made with yeast, egg, and (more) butter, while puff pastry is made mostly of flour, water, and (less) butter.  Danish typically have a softer and fluffier texture, while puff pastries are more crisp and flaky. 

    Can I use a different filling?

    Sure! Try some of my easy cake fillings inside the pastries and see which one you like the best!

    🥞 Other Breakfast Pastries You’ll Love 

    Here are some more of my favorite scratch-made breakfasts sweets (secret bakery recipes from the former Amycakes Bakery!). 

    • Soft and Gooey Bakery-Style Cinnamon Rolls
    • Soft Harvest Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with Apples, Raisins, and Pecans
    • take and bake cinnamon rolls in an aluminum pan with a side of glaze
      Take and Bake Cinnamon Rolls: a Bakery Recipe
    A closeup of a plate of large soft and fluffy cheese danish with glaze.
    Share or save this Homemade Cream Cheese Danish recipe for later ↓ 
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    I hope you enjoy this recipe for scratch-made Cream Cheese Danish! It's one of my all-time favorite bakery recipes!

    If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I'm always happy to help!  I’d also love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comment section below! 

    Thanks for Reading. ❤️

    Amy's Signature

    📖 Recipe

    A closeup of soft cream cheese danish pastries, one open with the cream cheese and cherry filling showing on the inside.
    Save this Recipe Saved!

    Homemade Cream Cheese Danish (from scratch!)

    5 from 39 votes

    This bakery recipe makes light, soft and flaky cream cheese danish pastries entirely from scratch. Fill them with a delicious cream cheese filling and add your choice of fruit filling (if desired).
    I highly recommend watching the cheese danish recipe video before making these--there are a lot of steps, but it's worth it!
    This recipe makes 16 large danish. When I'm not serving a crowd I like to freeze half of my unbaked danishes (after they rise on Day Two in step #5 under "Form the Danish Pastries"). I then let them thaw in the fridge overnight the day before baking and serving.
    👩‍🍳 For the most accurate baking results, use the grams measurements with a kitchen scale. Watch the quick step-by-step-video
    Servings 16 danish
    Prep Time1 hour hr
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Rising Time9 hours hrs
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Equipment

    Rolling Pin
    kitchen scale
    Bench Scraper
    Silicone Pastry Brush
    an image of parchment paper
    Parchment Paper
    Sheet Pans or Cookie Sheets

    Ingredients

    Danish Butter Ingredients

    • 2 sticks (8 ounces) salted butter (at room temperature)
    • 44 grams (⅓ cup) flour

    Danish Pastry Dough Ingredients

    • 500 grams (3 ¾ cup) flour
    • 2 Tablespoons instant yeast
    • 1 ⅓ cup hot water (around 120 degrees)
    • 1 egg
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon almond extract
    • 50 grams (¼ cup) sugar

    Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients

    • 16 ounces (2 blocks) cream cheese
    • 200 grams (1 cup) sugar
    • ½ teaspoon almond extract

    Additional Danish Ingredients

    • 1 cup prepared fruit filling of your choice (optional) (I recommend my homemade blueberry compote and/ or my tart cherry filling. A 1x batch of any of my fruit fillings will be plenty.)
    • 1 egg, beaten (for an egg wash)
    • ¼ cup sugar (for sprinkling)

    Simple Glaze

    • 141 grams (1 ¼ cup) powdered sugar
    • 2 Tablespoons room temperature water

    Instructions

    Day One

      Prepare the Danish Butter

      • Stir the room temperature butter and flour together in a medium-sized bowl until well mixed. Spread the butter mixture onto one half of a 12x16 piece of parchment paper (this half-sheet parchment works perfectly).
        Softened butter mixter being spread into a folded piece of parchment paper.
      • Fold the parchment paper over the butter mixture, then use a rolling pin to flatten the butter between the parchment sheets. Wrap and place the butter-filled parchment on a flat place in the freezer until very firm, about 1-2 hours (or overnight).
        A folded piece of parchment paper containing butter being rolled smooth with a rolling pin.

      Make the Danish Dough

      • Whisk the flour and instant yeast together. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, mix the egg, salt, almond extract, and sugar together. Pour one cup of very hot water over the ingredients in the bowl, then top with the flour/ yeast mixture.
        A measuring cup of water being poured over a bowl containing wet ingredients, and a second bowl of dry ingredients.
      • Stir with a sturdy spatula until the dough is uniform, stretchy, and sticky, about 5 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes at room temperature until it is no longer warm.
        A bowl of sticky but smooth dough being stirred with a spatula.

      Roll Out the Danish Dough

      • Scrape the cooled danish dough on top of a counter generously dusted with flour. Use your fingers to scrape out any stuck to the bowl and add it to the dough. Avoid kneading the dough or turning it into a ball--this will overwork the pastry dough. We want to roll it out with very little shaping of the dough and only sprinkle additional flour as necessary to avoid sticking. Lightly press the dough into a rectangular shape before rolling.
        Danish dough being rolled out with a rolling pin on a floured surface.
      • Roll the dough into a 12x18 rectangle. Remove the firm butter from the freezer and discard the parchment paper. Place the butter on one half of the rolled-out dough. Brush the edges of the pastry dough with water using a pastry brush to help the dough stick to itself when folding. Then fold one half of the danish dough over the butter.
        A rectangle of rolled out pastry dough with a smaller rectangle of firm butter filling on top
      • Turn the dough 90 degrees, then roll out the folded dough into an approximate 10x16 inch rectangle. Brush the edges with water. Fold the dough into thirds like a tri-fold brochure. (Watch the recipe video).
        A rectangle of dough being folded into thirds.
      • Repeat the previous step three more times. You have now added many buttery layers to your danish pastry dough, which will make it light, airy, flaky, and fluffy.
        A rectangle of danish doug being folded up like a tri-fold brochure.
      • Place the danish dough into a baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and very loosely wrap the pan in plastic wrap. Place this in the refrigerator to rise slowly overnight.
        Folded up danish dough in a baking pan.

      Prepare the danish fillings

      • Blend the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar together with a stand mixer or handheld mixer until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until using.
        A mixing bowl with cream cheese filling and a spatula showing the creamy consistency.
      • If you would like fruit filling in addition to the cream cheese filling, prepare your fruit compote fillings and keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.
        A skilled containing cherry danish filling

      Day 2

        Form the Danish Pastries

        • Pull the risen dough from the fridge. Cut it in half so you have two equal halves. On a floured surface, roll each half into a 14-inch circle (only add flour as needed).
          A circle of danish dough being rolled out with a rolling pin.
        • Cut each circle into 8 triangles (a pizza cutter works well for this). Top the large end of each triangle with either 2 slightly heaping Tablespoons of cream cheese filling or 1 heaping Tablespoon Cream Cheese filling plus 1 heaping Tablespoon of fruit filling.
          Two circles of rolled out danish dough cut into 8 triangles each, topped with cream cheese filling, cherry filling, and blueberry filling.
        • Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of each triangle with water. Roll up each danish like a croissant with the cream cheese filling on the inside, then place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, at least 2 inches apart.
        • Brush each danish lightly with the beaten egg wash, then sprinkle them with sugar.
          Several danish pastries being brushed with an egg wash.
        • Allow the danishes to rise for one hour or until double in size. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the danishes are puffed up, lightly golden, and flaky. Make sure they are baked all the way through.
        • While the danishes are baking, make the simple glaze by whisking the powdered sugar and water together until smooth. Drizzle the warm danishes with the simple glaze. Enjoy!
          A sheet pan of baked danishes, half glazed and one being drizzled with glaze.
        Author: Amy
        Calories: 430kcal
        Tried this recipe?Mention @amycakesbakes or comment below! I'd love to hear from you!
        Print Recipe

        Related Web Stories:
        Cream Cheese Danish Web Story

        More Breakfast Sweets

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        ⭐ For help with a recipe, visit our detailed FAQ page.

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        Reader Interactions

        Comments

        1. Leslie says

          December 27, 2022 at 7:51 am

          5 stars
          This is a wonderful danish recipe! Thank you for the tips about the temperature! So helpful in making this.

          • Amy says

            January 20, 2023 at 10:58 am

            Thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

        2. Lauren Michael Harris says

          December 26, 2022 at 8:50 am

          5 stars
          Cream cheese danishes are one of my favorite pastries. These were so much fun to make at home and turned out so amazing!

          • Amy says

            December 30, 2022 at 8:16 am

            So glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for taking the time to comment! 🙂

        3. Katie Crenshaw says

          December 25, 2022 at 7:10 am

          5 stars
          These pastries turned out light and flaky. The filling was delicious. We absolutely loved them.

          • Amy says

            December 30, 2022 at 8:16 am

            So happy to hear that you enjoyed the cream cheese danishes, thank you Katie! 🙂

        4. Ann says

          December 22, 2022 at 12:13 pm

          5 stars
          These danishes were so delicious! The pictures you posted were very helpful during the making process. Will definitely make these again!

          • Amy says

            December 22, 2022 at 1:46 pm

            So glad to hear you enjoyed the cream cheese danish recipe, thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙂

        5. megane says

          December 21, 2022 at 3:55 pm

          5 stars
          Love the step by steps and tips. I am a pretty lousy baker but they turned out pretty awesome.

          • Amy says

            December 22, 2022 at 1:46 pm

            I'm so happy to hear that! 🙂

        6. Amanda says

          December 21, 2022 at 2:01 pm

          5 stars
          These danishes came out so good! The dough was so light and pillowy, and it was wonderful with that creamy filling. I made them for holiday gifts, but I just may have to repeat them for Christmas morning.

          • Amy says

            December 22, 2022 at 1:46 pm

            Thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed them!

        7. Andrea says

          October 02, 2022 at 7:56 am

          5 stars
          Very delicious! I had never made a danish before. I loved the step by step photos. Thanks!

          • Amy says

            October 03, 2022 at 8:19 am

            So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂

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        A pin image with a closeup of soft cream cheese danish pastries, one open with the cream cheese and cherry filling showing. With the text “homemade cream cheese danish” and “a bakery recipe” and “amycakesbakes.com.”