Raspberry Danish with Toasted Almond Icing
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This shortcut flaky and buttery raspberry pastry braid starts with a simple frozen puff pastry dough. With an easy cream cheese and fresh raspberry filling and a delicate toasted almond icing drizzled over the top, each bite of this easy raspberry danish is the perfect balance of creamy, sweet, and slightly tart. Recipe makes two braids.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Bushel and Berry®.
THIS EASY RASPBERRY DANISH RECIPE IS SHORTCUT RECIPE
Welcome to not-your-grandma’s-real-danish-pastry! Fear not, though, you’re going to love how simple and easy a pastry braid can become when you use a shortcut that still delivers delicious results.
Traditional pastry dough is typically a laminated dough, meaning it is folded between layers of butter, like a croissant. But we’re eliminating about 8 hours of work by utilizing one of my favorite shortcut ingredients: store bought puff pastry. I’ve used puff pastry to make so many things around here including apple hand pies and pumpkin hand pies. It’s a really handy ingredient for lots of reasons.
This pre-made ingredient makes pastry accessible, simple, and something that won’t have you tied up in the kitchen all day. You’re going to love the simplicity of this show-stopping treat!
RASPBERRY DANISH INGREDIENTS
The ingredient list might look a bit long, but trust me, it’s short! We’re repeating some ingredients in different components of this raspberry cream cheese danish. In total, you’ll need 12 ingredients shared among the raspberry and cream cheese filling, the egg wash for the pastry dough, and the simple almond icing.
Here’s what you’ll need:
FULL FAT BLOCK CREAM CHEESE: this is the base for our cream cheese filling. It’s creamy, lightly sweet, tangy, and the perfect complement, flavor- and texture-wise, to the raspberries and buttery pastry.
EGG: we’ll split this egg between the filling and the egg wash. The yolk goes into the filling and the white will be used to help brown and crisp up the pastry dough.
GRANULATED SUGAR: just a touch sweetness the cream cheese filling.
LEMON JUICE: lemon juice complements the tanginess of the cream cheese filling and adds some brightness to the overall flavor.
ALMOND & VANILLA EXTRACTS: I love using almond extract, but if it’s not for you, feel free to leave it out. Do not leave out the vanilla extract! Both of these ingredients are here to give the filling flavor.
SALT: to help cut the sweetness.
FRESH OR FROZEN RASPBERRIES: you’ll need 6 ounces of raspberries. Fresh are preferred, but frozen will work, too. Thanks to Bushel and Berry®, I always have fresh raspberries available to me because I have my own plant. This Raspberry Shortcake® plant stays small enough to grow in a patio container and doesn’t have any pesky thorns.
FROZEN PUFF PASTRY: this recipe uses two puff pastry rectangles, folded into thirds. You can use one or both. See the notes in the bottom of the recipe card for how to navigate the second dough.
MILK OR CREAM: we’ll use this in the egg wash but also to thin out the icing. Either is fine!
SLICED ALMONDS: these will add texture and flavor to the danish. We’ll toast them before sprinkling them onto the baked dough.
POWDERED SUGAR: for the icing! This almond icing is super simple, gooey, and drippy. It’s my favorite part!
READ AND WATCH THE VIDEO BEFORE YOU BEGIN
It’s always best practice to read through a recipe at least once before beginning so you know what to expect!
Lucky for you, I’ve included a video to help guide you through everything. While I promise you that the braid is simple, sometimes a video is the most helpful way to learn unfamiliar steps. I’ve also included photos and all of the thorough steps so that you succeed at this on the first try.
HOW TO MAKE DANISH PASTRY WITH PUFF PASTRY
This recipe is quick, but be sure you’re building in 20 minutes for freezing the braids before baking. This will help solidify the butter and promote extra puffiness and flakiness in the braid layers.
BONUS: if you want to make this ahead of time, check the notes section of the recipe for the best way to approach this.
Make the filling: beat the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, lemon juice, extracts, and salt together to make the simple filling. This will chill in the refrigerator until needed, so this is another step that’s great to make ahead if you want to save some time.
Prepare the pastry: unfold the pastries, then slice the flaps into strips. These are the strips we will fold over to make the “braid.”
Add the filling: once your pastries are ready to braid, fill them with the cream cheese filling, being sure you’re splitting the filling in half as best as possible. Scatter the raspberries evenly over the filling.
Braid the pastry: here’s where it gets fun! Fold the strips over the filling alternately to create a braid by gently pulling each strip on a slight angle, stretching it gently so it reaches across the filling and lands at the base of the next strip on the opposite side.
Add the egg wash + freeze: brush with the egg wash, then pop the baking sheet in the freezer to firm up the butter so the pastry puffs nicely in the oven.
Preheat the oven: while the braids freeze, preheat the oven.
Bake the braids: bake time on this is about 36-40 minutes. Keep an eye on the level of brown you prefer. If things are browning too much for your liking, you can cover the braids with foil.
Toast the almonds: while the braids cool, you can toast the almonds. Allow them to cool while you make the icing.
Make the icing: so simple! Just whisk all of the ingredients together.
Drizzle + serve: split the icing roughly in half and drizzle over each braid, then sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
As I mentioned, you’ll really want to watch the video to help you with any questions you have about the method to my braiding or the logistics of sharing a baking sheet with two braids. Don’t overthink this! You can totally make a gorgeous braided pastry without any fancy skills.
Iced Raspberry Danish Recipe
Ingredients
FILLING
- 8 ounces (227g) full fat block cream cheese room temperature
- 1 large egg separated
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15mL) lemon juice
- ½ teasponn almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
PASTRY
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
- reserved egg white + 1 teaspoon heavy cream or milk
TOPPING
- ¼ cup (30g) sliced almonds
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15mL) heavy cream or milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
FILLING
- In a medium size bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and egg yolk together on medium speed until smooth.8 ounces (227g) full fat block cream cheese, 1 large egg
- Add the granulated sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt, then beat until smooth. Cover the filling and refrigerate until you are ready to use.2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon (15mL) lemon juice, ½ teasponn almond extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Divide the raspberries into two 3 ounce portions. Set aside.6 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
PASTRY
- Place each pastry onto a piece of parchment about half the size of your baking sheet so that when the pastries are side-by-side on the baking sheet, they have enough space for their respective parchment squares. See photos in the post above for a visual.2 sheets frozen puff pastry, reserved egg white + 1 teaspoon heavy cream or milk
- Unfold the pastry thirds, then use a pizza cutter or kitchen shears to cut the edge flaps into 10-12 strips, each about 1" in thickness. Keep the center strip intact as this is where your filling will go.
- Remove the cream cheese mixture from the refrigerator. Add about half of the mixture to each pastry, spreading it evenly onto the center third and going all the way to the edges.
- Scatter the raspberries evenly over each pastry's cream cheese mixture, using 3 ounces for each pastry.
- Fold the strips over the filling alternately to create a "braid." Gently pull each strip on a slight angle, stretching it gently so it reaches across the filling and lands at the base of the next strip on the opposite side. Again, see photos in the post above for a visual.
- Transfer the braids to the prepared large baking sheet using the sides of the parchment paper as handles to lift each braid individually.
- Brush the braids with the egg wash, then place the pan of braids in the freezer1 for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC).
- Bake the danishes for 36-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the topping.
TOPPING
- Place the almonds in a medium size saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir the almonds with a spatula to keep them moving as they toast. Toast to your likeness, but in general, this will take about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.¼ cup (30g) sliced almonds
- In a small bowl or a measuring cup with a spout, combine the powdered sugar, milk or cream, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt. Whisk or stir together until the mixture is smooth.½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon (15mL) heavy cream or milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon almond extract, pinch salt
- Drizzle the icing over the warm pastry, then sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Slice and serve immediately. Leftovers stay fresh wrapped or covered tightly in the refrigerator up to 5 days. I prefer leftovers to be toasted in the air fryer, toaster oven, or oven to re-crisp the pastry. Unbaked braid freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and continue with baking step. Baked braid freezes well, iced or un-iced, up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and warm before serving.
Video
Notes
- Chill in the freezer: you can also cover and store this danish in the refrigerator for a longer-term pause. If you’re going to need more than 30 minutes of make ahead time, wrap the danish tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Continue with the recipe as instructed.
- Halve the recipe: feel free to use only one pastry to make one braid, or use a different fruit for your second braid. I suggest blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.