Puff Pastry Braid with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

You only need a few ingredients to make this delicious Puff Pastry Braid filled with sweetened cream cheese and lemon curd.

This is the perfect puff pastry recipe to serve for an easy breakfast or brunch. It's also elegant enough to serve for dessert on a holiday.

Everyone is going to love this recipe for the taste and you're going to love it for how simple it is to make.

You would never believe by looking at the photo above how easy this recipe is to make. My sister was with me when I put this recipe together and she couldn't believe it either!

Using frozen puff pastry really helps create an impressive easy dessert recipe for you to serve for special occasions or for when your girlfriends are coming over for coffee.

I used lemon curd to go with the sweetened cream cheese mixture which gives you a sweet and tart flavor that is so delicious. You could add a little freshly grated lemon to decorate the top of the danish to let everyone know it's lemon flavored.

Looking for more lemony recipes? Try my Lemon Curd Cream Cheese Puff Pastry or this Mini Lemon Tartlets.

Table of Contents

• How to Thaw Puff Pastry Quickly
• Helpful Kitchen Tools
• Main Ingredients Needed
• Recipe Variations
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• How to Form the Puff Pastry Braid
• How to Fold up the Puff Pastry Braid
• Top Tip
• Add the Egg Wash
• Baking Instructions
• Before You Begin!
• Puff Pastry Storage Tips
• More Recipes to Love
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments

How to Thaw Puff Pastry Quickly

The best way to thaw puff pastry is to plan ahead. Remove it from the freezer the night before you want to use it for a recipe. Place it in the refrigerator to defrost slowly.

However, life is not always perfect, so here are a few ways to thaw puff pastry quickly:

• The easiest way to defrost puff pastry quickly is to simply put the sheet on top of the counter.
• Remove the puff pastry from the paper wrapping and cover in plastic wrap.
• Place on a plate and watch closely. You do not want it to get too soft too quickly.
• Once it gets soft enough to start unfolding you should be able to roll it out and use in the recipe.
• Do not try to thaw puff pastry using the microwave.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

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Main Ingredients Needed

Here's a quick overview of the ingredients for this recipe. Find the exact amounts and click the Instacart button to easily add them to your cart – all in the printable recipe card below!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Then add the heavy cream and beat until combined.

Step 2: Add the powdered sugar. Beat well after adding.

Step 3: Then add the vanilla extract, then mix for a few minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Step 4: Set it aside while you prepare the puff pastry.

How to Form the Puff Pastry Braid

Step 5: Carefully unfold the puff pastry sheet onto parchment paper. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll out the pastry to remove fold lines and reach a thickness of about ¼ inch.

Step 6: Spread the cream cheese mixture down the center of the pastry. Try to keep it in the center of the dough.

Step 7: Then spoon the lemon curd on top. Try not to add too much as it might leak when baking.

Step 8: Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, carefully cut diagonal strips (around 8-10) down both sides of the pastry, leaving a ½ inch border around the filling.

How to Fold up the Puff Pastry Braid

Step 9: To form the braid, start folding each pastry strip over the cream cheese/lemon curd mixture, crisscrossing them alternately from each side. Finally, tuck in and fold under both the top and bottom pieces of dough to seal the ends and prevent the filling from leaking out during baking.

Add the Egg Wash

Step 10: Brush the entire braid with the beaten egg wash. Sprinkle a little granulated sugar on top of the braid.

Baking Instructions

Step 11: Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for about 17 - 22 minutes or until golden brown. Just before serving, drizzle the top with the powdered sugar glaze.

Puff Pastry Storage Tips

Filled puff pastry desserts, like this lemon cream cheese danish, need to be stored in a airtight container in the refrigerator.

They will remain fresh like this for about a day. However, they are best eaten fresh.

📖 Recipe Card