Homemade Cherry Cream Cheese Danish

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My husband recently wanted to buy a bunch of those prepackaged cherry cream cheese danishes for an upcoming hunting trip. I told him that was silly, and I dug out my old recipe for homemade cream cheese danish.

Y’all know it will taste much better, because it’s baked with love and without all those preservatives.

Something important for you to know about this recipe is that the dough has to chill for at least two hours before you can actually put the homemade cherry cream cheese danish together and bake it. In other words, if you get a hankerin’ for this at 3 pm, it definitely won’t to be ready to eat until after suppertime.

Although the top of this homemade cherry cream cheese danish appears “braided”, it is NOT difficult at all to do. You simply roll out your dough and imagine it divided in thirds the long way. The middle third is where the filling goes. Both outer thirds get strips cut all the way down the length of the dough, perpendicular to the middle third.

After the filling is spread on the middle, those outer strips get pulled one by one, crisscrossed over one another, back and forth.

You can make this danish with any kind of fruit filling; we use 1/2 can of pie filling. Our favorite is cherry, but you could certainly use any kind: apple, peach, strawberry, blueberry, whatever your heart desires. You don’t even have to use fruit filling if you don’t want to (or don’t have any on hand). This is delicious with just the cream cheese filling.

Icing the top is optional, but certainly appreciated by most everyone who will consume this treat. A simple mixture of powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little milk whisked up will give you exactly what you need.

If you’d like to watch the video I made about this process, you can find it at Make a Homemade Cherry Cream Cheese Danish. I joke in the video that it’s my “trainwreck danish” as so many things turned out differently than they normally do when I make it, but I just decided to go with it and it still produced a worthy treat!

If you try this recipe, I’d love to know what you used for fruit filling and how it turned out!

Homemade Cherry Cream Cheese Danish

Stop buying those prepacked danishes from the store. You can totally handle making your own! This is one of our favorite recipes, and I'm passing it along to you!

Ingredients

Dough, First Step

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter (that's a half of a stick, my friends)
1/4 `cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Dough, Second Step

1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1/2 tsp sugar

Dough, Third Step

1 egg
2 cups flour

Filling

1 (8 oz) brick of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 (15 oz) can of pie filling (optional)

Instructions

Place the sour cream and butter in a saucepan. Melt and stir together on low heat. When they are melted smooth, add the sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat to cool a bit.
In a separate container (I use a 2 cup measuring cup) place the warm water, 1/2 tsp sugar, and the yeast. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it gets good and foamy.
When the sour cream mixture is cooled a bit (I give it 5-10 minutes to cool) transfer it to a bowl (or your kitchenaid mixer) and also add the foamy yeast to it. Then add an egg and mix well.
Add in the flour, one cup at a time, and mix well. If it is really humid or rainy (and the dough is still really sticky) you may need more flour.
Put the mixed up dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours. I just put the Kitchenaind mixer bowl right in the fridge and let it sit. You can also let this sit overnight if you want to make the danish in the morning.
After the dough has chilled, roll it out on the counter into a long and fat rectangle.
Make the filling: combine softened cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until it is smooth.
Imagine the long rectangle is divided into thirds the long way. The middle third will be where the filling goes. The outer thirds get slits cut in them going all the way down the length of the dough. Slits should be approximately 2 inches long, and "braiding" will be easiest if the slits on one side line up with the slits on the other side (but don't cut through the middle section!)
Spread the filling on the middle section of dough. Top the cream cheese filling with fruit pie filling if you're using it. Don't go too crazy, if you over fill the middle part it will all ooze out while baking.
Starting at the top of the danish, take a strip from one side of the dough and pull it diagonally down across the filling. Take a strip from the other side of the dough and pull it diagonally down across the strip you just pulled across the filling. Continue this pattern going back and forth from side to side until you have reached the bottom of the danish.
Seal up both ends however you see fit. If there are any large holes in the edges, your filling will leak out.
Place the danish on a parchment paper covered jelly roll pan. Depending on how your dough turned out, you may be able to just lift it, or you may need to put two long spatula/turners under both ends and lift it on to the pan.
Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, you can put a glaze/icing on it. 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and a little milk until it arrives at the consistency you like. Drizzle it on top. Enjoy!