Danishes
A tasty treat to start the day or celebrate a special event. It’s easy to use different fruits and toppings. I love using my homemade Lemon Curd, but you could use store-bought or jam too. The lemon curd can be pre-made in advance, so you just assemble and cook the danishes the day you want to eat them (easy if you’re feeding a crowd too!). I use ready-made frozen puff pastry, but you can of course make your own!
Berry Cream Cheese Danishes:
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 120g cream cheese
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- 3 x frozen puff pastry sheets (slightly thawed)
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- Egg wash: beat together 1 egg and 1 tbsp water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper or reusable baking sheets.
- To prepare the cream cheese filling: Beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed for a couple of minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until smooth and creamy.
- Add vanilla essence and the icing sugar; beat until smooth. Set aside.
- Cut each 24cm square puff pastry sheet into six rectangles and place on lined baking tray.
- Gently score a 2cm border around the edge of each rectangle. Prick each centre with a fork several times.
- Place a spoonful of cream cheese filling in the centre of each square, top with blueberries, pressing in gently.
- Beat the egg and water together to create an egg wash, and use a pastry brush to brush the edges of each pastry rectangle.
- Bake for approx. 15-18 mins until puffed up and golden.
- Cool on racks, then dust with icing sugar to serve.
- Best eaten on same day.
- Any leftover cream cheese filling can be used in the Lemon Curd Pinwheels, or on cupcakes etc.
Lemon Curd Pinwheels:
Ingredients:
- Frozen puff pastry sheets (slightly thawed)
- Lemon Curd (store-bought, or make your own – try my recipe here!)
- Egg wash: beat together 1 egg and 1 tbsp water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking tray.
- Cut each pastry sheet into four squares and place on lined baking tray. (Eg a 24cm square pastry sheet makes four 12x12cm squares)
- Using a knife or pizza cutter make a 5cm cut at each corner of the dough, diagonally towards the centre of the Danish. (The four cuts should not meet in the middle).
- Spoon a dollop of lemon curd into the centre of each square (if using cream cheese filling as well, place a small spoonful on the pastry first and the lemon curd on top).
- Brush every second corner of the pastry with a little water, and gather up those corners towards the centre of the Danish. (The water will help them stick together). There should now be four points folded in and four points sticking out – just like a pinwheel! Press each of the four corners together slightly.
- Brush the outside of the pastry with the egg wash. Bake for approx. 15-18 mins until puffed up and golden.
- When cool, dust with icing sugar to serve.
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Featured on The Cafe, Wednesday 4 November 2020