Make this Berry Cream Cheese Danish for a wonderful summer dessert. Made using store bought puff pastry, frozen mixed berries, a tub of cream cheese and a few pantry staples. It’s great served as it is or topped with fresh whipped cream or ice cream!

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If you are new to making danishes, don’t be intimidated. They are no where near as difficult as you might think. It just requires cutting and folding with a filling in the centre. And much like the Nutella Puff Pastry Braid, this one will be a crowd pleaser.

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What is this Danish Like

• Difficulty – This is a medium difficulty recipe. Although it’s isn’t difficult to make, you should pay attention when cutting and folding the pastry. There are images below to help you along the way.
• Taste – It has the perfect combination of a tart berries, creamy and sweet cream cheese and a very crisp pastry exterior.
• Serving – This danish makes eight good sized servings.

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Ingredients

This recipe ingredient list is broken down into three parts: The berry filling, the cream cheese filling and the pastry layer.

• For the berry filling – For the filling I used mixed frozen berries, granulated white sugar and cornstarch.
• For the cream cheese layer – This filling uses cream cheese and granulated white sugar.
• The pastry layer – I used a sheet of puff pastry which was topped with a brushed egg wash and granulated white sugar.

NOTE, The full recipe and ingredient list can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

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Instructions

• Make the berry compote – Put the berries and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring them to a gentle simmer for about 3 – 4 minutes and start mashing them down with a fork. Continue to cook for about 10 more minutes over a low heat until it reduces. Combine the corn starch with 2 tablespoons of water. Pour this mixture into the berry mixture and stir until it thickens. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
• Preheat oven – Preheat oven to 350 degrees f/180 degrees c. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
• Make cream cheese filling – In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese with the sugar. Mix on high speed for about 2 minutes until really smooth. Set aside.
• Cut pastry – Lay the cold pastry out of a sheet of parchment paper. Using a knife, gently score the pastry into thirds. Next, cut around six to eight equal strips on each side. *see images in post to help*
• Fill the pastry – Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture in the centre of the pastry. Then top with the berry filling. Fold the pastry strips over each other. Gently press down the edges so they stay shut.
• Chill the pastry – Place the prepared pastry braid in the fridge for about 20 minutes to chill.
• Finish and bake – Brush the pastry with the egg wash.Sprinkle over a little sugar and bake for around 20 minutes or until golden and puffed.

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Recipe Tips

• Prep ahead of time – This can be prepared up to 8 hours before baking. Just cover it and refrigerate it until baking. Don’t brush with the egg wash until just before baking.
• Use cold puff pastry – When putting the braid together, make sure to use cold puff pastry. It’s much easier to work with. Warm puff pastry will be difficult to fold properly.
• Chill the braid before baking – It’s important to place the prepared danish in the fridge for about 20 minutes before baking. This will ensure the pastry puffs properly.

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Substitutions and Flavour Changes

• Puff Pastry – I recommend using store bought puff pastry, but if you have your own recipe, you could use it. Alternatively, this recipe would also work with shortcrust pastry, filo pastry or Leftover Pizza Dough.
• Berry filling – You could keep this recipe really simple by using a jam filling or a store bought compote filling. And yes, you can use fresh berries in place of the frozen ones if you prefer.

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Serving

This Danish would be great alongside a weekend brunch or a dessert any day of the week. Here’s a few things you could serve it with to make the danish even more delicious.

• Fresh whipped cream
• Ice cream
• Custard
• Homemade Lemon Curd

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Thanks For Stopping By & Hope To See You Soon!