This is a perfect Cheese and Cherry Danish recipe with tender yeast dough, creamy cheese filling, and sweet cherry topping. This bakery-style pastry brings professional results to your home kitchen with easy step-by-step instructions.
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🥐 Cranberry cream cheese danish is a delicious way to enjoy seasonal cranberries. They add a bright, tart flavor that pairs perfectly with rich cream cheese and buttery pastry.
My 2 Best Tips For Making Cheese and Cherry Danish
Master the Braided Pattern: When creating the signature lattice design, cut your side strips uniformly at exactly 1 inch wide and 2 inches long. Work systematically, alternating sides as you fold each strip over the filling at a slight angle. Keep gentle, consistent tension to ensure even spacing and a professional bakery appearance that will impress everyone.
Don’t Overfill Your Danish: Resist the temptation to add extra filling. Too much will cause leakage during baking and prevent proper sealing of the braided strips. Use about half the cheese mixture and half the cherry filling for each danish, reserving some cherries for final decoration.
This cheese and cherry danish recipe delivers the same flaky, buttery pastry you’d find at your favorite bakery. The combination of enriched yeast dough with sour cream creates an incredibly tender texture that rivals any professional kitchen.
The creamy cheese filling provides a delightful contrast to the sweet cherry pie filling, while the vanilla-scented dough adds depth to every bite. This harmony of flavors makes each piece absolutely irresistible!
🩷 Melissa
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Easy Cream Cheese and Cherry Danish
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast* (1 package)
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling
- 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature (two 3 oz. packages)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 can 1 lb. 5 oz. cherry pie filling
Icing
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine yeast, 1 cup flour, salt and sugar.
- Heat water, sour cream and butter to 120º to 130º F; add to dry ingredients. With mixer, beat 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed.
- Add eggs and vanilla; beat 1 minute.
- Gradually add remaining flour by hand or with a mixer that has dough hook(s); knead for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
- To prepare filling, cream together cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt. Set aside
- Punch down dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half to a 12 x 17-inch rectangle.
- Spread half of filling lengthwise over center third of dough. Top with approximately half of pie filling. (Save a few cherries from filling to decorate danish after it is baked.)
- On each long side, cut 1-inch wide strips, 2 inches long. Starting at one end, fold strips at an angle across filling, alternately from side to side.
- Place dough on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after lightly touching the side of the dough, approximately 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350º. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Drizzle with icing; place a few cherries on small lattice openings to decorate. Cut into individual danishes, if desired.
Notes
- Store cooled danish in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- For longer storage, wrap individual pieces and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat gently in a 300°F oven for best texture.
Nutrition
How To Make Cheese and Cherry Danish
Step 1: In mixing bowl, combine yeast, 1 cup flour, salt and sugar. Heat water, sour cream and butter to 120º to 130º F; add to dry ingredients. With mixer, beat 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs and vanilla; beat 1 minute. Gradually add remaining flour by hand or with a mixer that has dough hook(s); knead for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
Step 2: To prepare filling, cream together cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt. Set aside
Step 3: Punch down dough and divide in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half to a 12 x 17-inch rectangle.
Step 4: Spread half of filling lengthwise over center third of dough. Top with approximately half of pie filling. (Save a few cherries from filling to decorate coffeecake after it is baked.) On each long side, cut 1-inch wide strips, 2 inches long. Starting at one end, fold strips at an angle across filling, alternately from side to side. Place coffeecake on greased baking sheet. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after lightly touching the side of the coffeecake, approximately 30 minutes.
Step 5: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake in preheated over 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Drizzle with icing; place a few cherries on small lattice openings to decorate coffeecake.
Recipe FAQs
The dough is ready when it has doubled in size and passes the “poke test.” Gently press two fingers into the dough – if the indentation remains and doesn’t spring back, your dough has risen sufficiently and is ready for shaping.
If your dough is excessively sticky, add flour. One tablespoon at a time during kneading. However, slightly sticky dough is normal and preferable to overly dry dough, which can result in tough pastry. Use lightly floured surfaces when rolling.
Absolutely! You can prepare the shaped danish, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Allow extra rising time (45-60 minutes) the next morning before baking, as cold dough takes longer to rise.
More Delicious Sweet Rolls Recipes to Consider
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram.
The Contessa (Linda)
This is beautiful. Love cherries. I’d love it if you would bring these by What’d You Do This Weekend? At Tumbleweed Contessa.
Thanks for sharing,
Linda
Amanda
Be still my heart! My favorite flavor combination for a breakfast coffee cake, love it Barb!
Mila
WOW!!!! MERAVIGLIOSA!!!! My compliments
Ala
Here’s another set of ooh’s and aah’s for you. I love the visual appeal of all of your recipes–next time, instead of bringing a dish to the potluck, I think I will just have to bring you and your recipes via the laptop and call it a day 🙂 thanks, Barbara!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
We love yeast cakes! This is indeed perfect for coffee break.
Coleens Recipes
I love the idea of adding the cream cheese layer, I think I’ll incorporate (steal) your idea and use it in my sour cream ladder crust. Thank you so much for sharing.
nessa
This is super pretty!
Auntiepatch
Looks yummy!
carrian
you’re crazy amazing at these lattices. I wish you’d invited me over to try it though
Kathy
This looks scrumptious!!!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
Oh my goodness, does this look good! What a delicious treat for your daughter!
Cookin Canuck
Your daughter must have been very excited to have this for her birthday breakfast. It looks fantastic!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
My boy would die of happiness if I made him this. Love it!
kristy
Everyone knows I love anything yeasted and yours looks sooooo tempting. I wanna a bite. :o)
Kristy
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
What a STUNNING breakfast loaf! I love cheese and cherries so I’m definitely trying this soon!
Rosa
Beautiful! This coffeecake look mighty delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Carol
Ohhhhh my goodness…….what a gorgeous coffeecake that is. I’m sure Red Star is over-the-moon happy to have you baking their recipes.
I agree with Averie, you are one very talented lady. I’m looking forward to giving this recipe a try.
Carol
Barbara Schieving
Thanks so much Carol! Red Star is a great company to work with. I’m sure we’ll team up again. Please let me know how you like it.
Deborah
Barbara, this is gorgeous! I would most definitely love it!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Barbara, you are so talented! This is stunning and so precise and PERFECT!
Barbara Schieving
Awww thanks Averie! It really is easy to make.
Kat
Barb, that looks so good. You did a great job. Have a wonderful week.