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A pastry braid filled with raspberries and cream cheese with toasted almonds and an icing on it sliced into portions.
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Iced Raspberry Pastries

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.
Prep Time20 minutes
Bake Time40 minutes
Chilling Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Recipe Author Lynn April
Servings: 24 servings

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
Need to keep track of your ingredients?Check out my Printable Ingredient List!

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

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