Easy Lemon Cheese Danish

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Semi-homemade and full of incredible lemon cheesecake flavor, this easy lemon cheese danish recipe is sure to be a hit at your next gathering.

There used to be an incredible bakery called the Apple Cellar in my college town. They sold amazing deli food, pastries, cakes, and probably one of the best chocolate mousses I’ve ever had in my life. One of the things I would always bring home for my dad, which was his favorite, was their cheese danish. A flaky crust, a perfect cheesecake filling, and a delightful glaze just made this one of the all-around best pastries, and he always looked forward to when I would bring one home. Fast forward to today, I was really craving a danish. I knew that puff pastry would be the perfect base, and I added lemon curd as a topper because I adore all things lemon. Now you can keep the lemon curd off and enjoy a perfectly wonderful cheese danish; it is totally up to you, but this lemon cheese danish recipe is sure to be a new favorite. Let’s make it.

What you’ll need to make this lemon cheese danish:

Cream cheese, softened to room temperature

Granulated sugar 

Pure vanilla extract 

1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk 

1 box puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator {cold but not frozen}

Lemon curd 

The Puff Pastry

So what is puff pastry? Puff pastry is a laminated dough. Butter is folded into the dough over and over, giving the final product its light, flaky character.

This recipe calls for one sheet of puff pastry, but you can certainly use both sheets and double the cheesecake filling for 18 mini danishes instead of 9. Begin by thawing one sheet of puff pastry, either in the refrigerator or the microwave, until cold but no longer frozen. Cut the sheet into 9 squares or 9 circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter. You can make them into circles. Discard the remnants or simply bake those on their own and enjoy some crispy puff pastry dipped in lemon curd!

The Cheesecake Topping

Beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolk in a small bowl until smooth, about 20 seconds. Divide the batter evenly onto each of the nine squares or circles, which is approximately just under 2 tablespoons each. Beat the whole egg and gently brush it on the outer rim of the puff pastry (avoiding the cheesecake filling as much as possible).

Bake the danishes in the oven at 350° for 18 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden and the cheesecake is set. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

The Lemon Curd

Now you can use store-bought lemon curd, to which I always recommend Trader Joe’s or Bon Maman because they are both the best. If you want to make homemade, I highly recommend it! My easy lemon curd takes only 10 minutes, and if you pop it in the refrigerator or freezer, it can set up within the hour. Now I usually go ahead and make mine ahead of time so it’s nice and firm the next day, but either way, it is well worth making your own with three simple ingredients!

Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of lemon curd onto the center of the cooled danishes. Allow the curd to set, about 20 minutes or so. You can also enjoy them right away, just know that the curd might drip a little but be just as delicious. Store any leftovers at room temperature for one day. These danishes are best consumed day off.

Dietary Substitutions 

I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either used and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest. 

As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy. 

Miyokos butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change. 

Miyokos also makes a wonderful cream cheese that would be an excellent dairy free base in this recipe. 

Jus-Rol makes a vegan friendly puff pastry. 

If you loved this easy lemon cheese Danish recipe, I’d be so grateful for you to leave a 5 star rating + review. 

Tag @heathershomebakery on Instagram if you upload a pic too, because I want to see your creations. 

Lastly, post this recipe to any of your boards by tapping the Pinterest icon and clicking on your favorite photo. Save and enjoy! 

XO,

Heather 

PS- Try these other amazing puff pastry recipes I love!

Puff Pastry Cookie Butter Rolls

Puff Pastry Caramel Apple Pies

Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Danishes