A cherry danish makes the best breakfast or afternoon treat! Combining the sweetness of cherries with the flakiness of puff pastry – all you need is one bite of this delicious cherry cream cheese danish, and your taste buds will be singing! Not to mention this recipe is also super quick and easy to make – win-win!
Buttery pastry topped with the most delicious cinnamon cherry mixture? You can’t go wrong! But when combined with my sweet but citrusy cream cheese – this cherry cheese danish recipe is next level. It’s the perfect breakfast, lunch, or anytime treat that your family and friends will beg you to make again and again!
I think everyone should enjoy a cheese cherry danish, no matter how confident you are in the kitchen. That’s why my cherry danish recipe uses store-bought puff pasty – there is no need to spend ages laminating the dough! All we do is top it with my yummy sweetened cream cheese and cherry mixture and bake until golden – it’s that easy!
Why You’ll Love This Cherry Danish Recipe
- Uses whole cherries. Using whole cherries just adds an extra layer of fresh deliciousness. Plus, you can alter how much sugar you add to your cherry cheese danish topping – making it as sweet or as tart as you like.
- Quick to make. Making a cherry danish using ready-made puff pastry is much quicker than making it from scratch. This means even those with the busiest schedules can enjoy a cherry cheese danish sweet treat!
- Looks super cute. The spiralized rose-like shape of my cheese cherry danish looks almost too pretty to eat! Drizzle over some glaze icing, and your loved ones will be so impressed when you whip out this beautiful breakfast.
Ingredients For Cherry Danish
- Cherries
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Puff pastry sheet
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Water
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
Instructions For Cherry Cream Cheese Danish
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Slice the puff pastry crust into 6 even strips.
- Twist the strips and then roll them in a swirl pattern on a sheet tray.
- Combine the cherries, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture evenly between the puff pastry swrils.
- Spoon the cherry mixture over the cream cheese.
- Whisk together the water and egg to create an egg wash.
- Brush the pastry with the egg wash.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
A cherry cream cheese danish is always best served the same day you make it. However, you can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. As my cherry danish recipe includes cream cheese, it’s important to keep it refrigerated.
To serve, simply pop the cherry danish back in the oven for a few minutes until warm. Or if you want your cheese cherry danish fix right away, you can also microwave it for a few seconds.
Yes, you can freeze cherry cheese danishes. Once cooled, place them in a sealable bag/ container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave them in the fridge until completely defrosted. You can enjoy a previously frozen cherry danish either cold or warmed through, as specified above.
Either fresh or frozen cherries will work in my cherry danish recipe. If you have previously frozen cherries that have now thawed, you may need to drain off the excess juice before using them – depending on how juicy they are.
Puff pastry is so versatile – you can add almost anything to create something truly delicious. So, yes you can absolutely use any other fruit you like in this cherry danish recipe.
Be sure to check out my recipes for blueberry cheese danish or apple danish for some inspiration!
If you can’t get your hands on any fresh or frozen cherries, you can definitely use canned cherry pie filling to make a cheese cherry danish. If you do use cherry pie filling, you probably won’t need to add any extra sugar as the filling will already have plenty.
I know the feeling of wanting to try a recipe, only not to have all the right ingredients! If fresh or frozen cherries are not available – yes, you can use fruit jam instead. Bonus points if you use homemade jam – yum!
I can’t even begin to explain the levels of yumminess that cream cheese adds to this cherry danish recipe. However, if you don’t want to make a cherry cheese danish, you can absolutely omit it from this recipe. You will still have a delicious cherry danish, but without any lemony cream cheese flavor.
Cherry Danish
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherries fresh or frozen
- 1 tablespoon flour coarse
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Slice the puff pastry crust into 6 even strips.
- Twist the strips and then roll them in a swirl pattern on a sheet tray.
- Combine the cherries, flour, cinnmamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine cream cheese, sugar, and lemon juice.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture evenly between the puff pastry swrils.
- Spoon the cherry mixture over the cream cheese.
- Whisk together the water and egg to create an egg wash.
- Brush the pastry with the egg wash.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Alli says
Delicious!