Easiest Lemon Curd Danish Cups
Ready for THE easiest breakfast pastries?
While these mini danishes could undoubtably pass as dessert, I designed this recipe as a breakfast dish. It is just the kind of recipe that I love making for overnight company or on an extra special weekday morning. They come together in the blink of an eye, but still feel super indulgent.
In order to not undermine the simplicity of this recipe, I opted for frozen puff pastry. If you’d like to make your own, here’s my favorite recipe but I know that life does not always allow for hour upon hour of folding and layering.
Set your puff pastry and cream cheese on the counter to defrost and soften for a while while you gather the other ingredients.
Cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and lemon curd form the cheese filling for these tiny pastries. These four simple ingredients form a zingy, custard-like filling.
The pastry will puff up as the danishes bake and will then be brushed with a layer of melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
Could there possibly be a prettier way to start the day?!
I used some candied lemon slices from Trader Joe’s to add a bit of bling to the cooled danishes. Just accessorizing your breakfast over here…
Now, pour the coffee and grab a plate - breakfast is served!
Sincerely,
Pedantic Foodie
Easiest Lemon Curd Danish Cups
makes 4
Cook’s Note: I made these danishes in my favorite cakelet pan. While you could make them in a standard muffin pan, I found that you do not get quite as much filling-to-pastry with the smaller cavities, and they are far less attractive. You will want to double the amount of puff pastry if you opt for the smaller pan, as it will make far more danishes. Or, you can purchase a cakelet or jumbo muffin pan here. It is the perfect size for individual cakes or tarts like these!
INGREDIENTS
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided use
2 large eggs
3/4 cup lemon curd
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
candied lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 6-cavity cakelet pan with nonstick spray. (You will only be using 4 of the 6 cavities.)
Dust a clean, dry surface with a bit of flour and lay the sheet of puff pastry out onto the surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the pastry once or twice, then use a very sharp knife to cut out four, equal rounds of pastry that will fill the cavities in your pan.
Place each round of pastry into the pan, folding over the edges a bit as needed. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy. Reduce speed and slowly beat in 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the lemon curd.
Pour the filling into the chilled cups of pastry, filling only 3/4-of the way full. You will likely have a bit of leftover filling.
Bake the danishes for 25-35 minutes, until the pastry is deep, golden brown and the filling has taken on just a bit of golden color.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the danishes to cool to room temperature before removing from the pan. This is very important, as the filling will need to cool in order to set up and hold its shape.
In the meantime, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush along the edges of the pastry. Combine remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle the buttered edges of each danish with a bit of cinnamon sugar.
Once the danishes have cooled completely, serve and enjoy! Decorate with candied lemon slices, if desired.
Cook’s Note: These danishes reheat very well. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply preheat your oven to 300 degrees and place the danishes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Reheat for 5-7 minutes; until the pastry is crisp and the danishes are no longer cold to the touch.