Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish Pastries
Flaky homemade square Danish pastries filled with vanilla cream cheese and thick strawberry filling. They are made using a laminated, yeast-leavened Danish pastry dough.
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- Rolling Pin
- Two large baking sheets
Ingredients
Base dough
- 120 g whole milk
- 80 g water
- 7 g instant or active dry yeast
- 440 g all-purpose flour with at least 11% protein
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 30 g butter room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom freshly ground, optional
- 1 large egg
Butter packet
- 226 g butter cold
Strawberry filling
- 250 g strawberries hulled and finely chopped, fresh or frozen
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Cream cheese filling
- 226 g cream cheese full-fat block , softened to room temperature
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated, optional
- salt pinch
Egg wash and finishing
- 1 large egg
- 15 g water
- powdered sugar for dusting, or vanilla glaze
Optional vanilla glaze
- 120 g powdered sugar
- 15 to 30 g milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the dough
- If you're new to laminating dough, read my detailed post on Danish pastry with full step-by-step photos. See the link in the notes below.
- Add the milk, water, yeast, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, softened butter, cardamom and egg to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Mix on low speed until combined, then continue kneading on low for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth, strong and elastic. It should stretch easily, though it may not form a very thin windowpane.
- Shape it into a flat rectangle, wrap it tightly and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Make the butter packet
- Cut the cold butter into four slabs and arrange them in a two-by-two grid on parchment paper.
- Fold the parchment into a neat rectangle 15×20 cm / 6×8 frame around the butter. Turn the packet seam-side down. Pound the butter firmly with a rolling pin to flatten and soften it, it might take quite a few whacks. Then roll it toward the corners of the packet. Continue until it forms one even sheet without gaps.
- Refrigerate the packet. Before laminating, bash it again with the rolling pin until the butter is bendy and pliable but not melty or soft. It should feel similar in firmness to the dough, and be really easily bendable.
Laminate the dough
- Roll the chilled dough into a rectangle approximately twice the length of the butter packet. Place the butter in the center, fold the top and bottom sections of dough over it so they meet, and pinch the center seam closed. Turn the dough 90 degrees and use a sharp knife to slice down the closed sides to release the tension.
- Press gently along the length with the rolling pin to flatten the butter, then roll in one direction from one short end to the other. Focus on length rather than width and lift the dough regularly to make sure it is not sticking. Roll it to about 8 mm thick.
- Brush away all loose flour and fold the dough into thirds like a business letter. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then repeat the pressing, rolling and folding process. Chill for another 30 minutes.
- Rotate, roll and fold the dough a third time. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. See the Danish pastry dough guide for detailed lamination photographs and troubleshooting.
Make the strawberry filling
- Add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for around 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until the berries have softened and the liquid has reduced.
- Mash some of the berries with the back of the spoon, leaving a few small pieces intact. The filling should be thick and jammy, and it will thicken a little more as it cools.
- Transfer to a shallow container, cover and refrigerate until completely cold.
Make the cream cheese filling
- Beat the softened cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Avoid whipping in lots of air.
- Mix in the egg yolk, vanilla, lemon zest and salt until combined.
- Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Shape and proof
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the chilled Danish dough into a 40 x 30 cm rectangle. Trim the edges if needed, then cut it into twelve 10 cm squares.
- Divide the squares between the trays, cover loosely and proof until visibly puffy and airy. At approximately 24°C, this takes around 2 hours. Cooler rooms may require 2 1/2 to 3 hours or longer.
Fill and bake
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) conventional. Whisk together the egg and water.
- Use a small, flat-bottomed glass to press a deep indentation into the center of each proofed square. Brush the edges of the pastry lightly with egg wash. Avoid brushing the cut edges where possible.
- Add approximately 1 generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling, then top it with 1 to 2 teaspoons of strawberry filling.
- Bake for approximately 18 minutes, until deeply golden brown. If baking one tray at a time, refrigerate the second tray once it is fully proofed while the first tray bakes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool. Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with vanilla glaze.
Optional vanilla glaze
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and vanilla. Add more milk a little at a time until the glaze is thick but pourable.
- Drizzle over the cooled Danish and allow it to set.
Notes
If you're new to laminating dough, read my detailed post on Danish pastry with full step-by-step photos.
Cream cheese: Use full-fat block cream cheese rather than spreadable cream cheese from a tub.
Filling temperature: Both fillings must be cold before they are added to the proofed pastries so you don't melt the butter.
Make ahead: The laminated dough, strawberry filling and cream cheese filling can all be prepared the day before and refrigerated separately.
Storage: Refrigerate the baked Danish in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 474kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 7gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 360mgPotassium: 133mgFiber: 1gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 872IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 2mg
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