This Rhubarb Cheese Danish recipe has the perfect amount of sweetness combined with just enough tart. A flaky buttery breakfast pastry filled with cheese and rhubarb sauce that is perfect for weekend brunch, mother's day, and bridal showers.
The rhubarb sauce in this cheese danish recipe brings breakfast to a whole new level of delicious. It is an excellent way to enjoy this spring fruit in its sweet form.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Quick Flaky Pastry: Canned crescent dough delivers a buttery, multi-layered "puff" without the hours spent chilling and rolling traditional pastry.
- Balanced Tang: Rhubarb's natural sharpness cuts through the rich cream cheese, so the danish isn't overly sugary.
- Simple Braid: The diagonal cutting technique makes it easy to get a bakery style look that keeps the filling from leaking out.
What You Need To Make Rhubarb Cheese Danish
- Crescent roll dough: you can use the full sheet refrigerated dough, or frozen dough (thaw according to package before using).
- Rhubarb sauce: I have a great rhubarb sauce recipe on my website!
- Cream cheese: I recommend sticking with full fat cream cheese.
- Sugar: sweetens the cheesecake filling.
- Large egg: adds structure and makes the filling expand some, giving it more substance.
- Pure vanilla extract: for flavor.
Mix it Up
- Try Puff Pastry: Swap the crescent dough for a sheet of thawed puff pastry if you want a taller, even flakier crunch.
- Fruit Swaps: If rhubarb isn't in season, lemon curd, blueberry, or cherry pie filling work just as well with the cream cheese base.
- Sweet Finish: Once the danish cools, give it a light dust of powdered sugar or a quick drizzle of vanilla icing to make it look like it came straight from a bakery case.
Keeping it Fresh
Store your danish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you want to save some for later, it also stays good in the freezer for about 2 weeks.
When you're ready for another slice, a quick 10 second zap in the microwave or a few minutes in a toaster oven brings back that soft, buttery texture.
💭 Top Tips
- When starting to fold over the strips, it is always important to bring the first two straight over top of the filling. Then, start the criss cross that makes the braid. The same thing needs to be done at the bottom of the braid also.
- The cream cheese danish filling will be hot, be sure let it cool for 15 minutes before serving.
🙋 FAQ's
My cream cheese filling is too runny, how do I fix this?
- Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the cream cheese mixture. This will give it more structure.
- Use just an egg yolk in the cream cheese filling and save the egg white for the egg wash.
- Keep in mind, if the rhubarb sauce is not thick, it could cause a wetter filling. I usually cook my rhubarb sauce until it is fairy thick when making it for a recipe like this danish.
- You can also just leave the egg out completely. The cream cheese filling will be a little different, but still be delicious.
Serve with...
Serve this Rhubarb Cheese Danish with a hot cup of coffee or a scoop of Rhubarb Ice Cream.
More to Bake
If you enjoyed working with rhubarb and crescent dough, you might like these other easy-to prep treats:
- Caramel Apple Cheese Danish: A cozy, spiced version that uses the same braiding technique with a sweet apple filling.
- Pumpkin Danish Braid with Maple Drizzle: This one is great for fall, featuring a smooth pumpkin cream cheese center and warm maple glaze.
Let's Hear From You!
I'd love to see how your danish turns out! If you bake this, please leave a comment and rating below. As always, I love to see your photos on Instagram, just tag @grumpyshoneybunch so I can take a look!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Rhubarb Cream Cheese Danish
A cream cheese filling topped with rhubarb sauce inside a braided crescent roll dough, this Rhubarb Cream Cheese Danish is a great item to add to the weekend brunch menu or dessert.
Equipment
- Kitchen utility knife , or pizza cutter
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Ingredients
- 8 ounce crescent roll dough
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 large eggs divided
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup rhubarb sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° degrees F.
Make the cream cheese filling
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the room temperature cream cheese, 1 egg, granulated sugar, and salt until creamy. Set aside.
Prepare the crescent roll
- Lay the crescent roll dough out on a 9x13 rimless cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll the pastry out with a pastry roller until the creases in the dough smooth out.
- Starting from the inner seam where the dough was folded in half, cut 12, ½ inch strips on each side of the pastry dough going out to the end of the dough.
For the danish filling
- Spread the cheese mixture over the center of the dough from top to bottom, leaving about ½ inch space at top and bottom. Spread the rhubarb sauce over top of the cream cheese mixture.
How to make the danish braid
- Shape the danish by folding the top two strips of dough over top of filling. Bring the left side strip over to the right side of the filling and secure the strip by pressing the dough lightly.
- Bring the right side strip over top of the filling to the left and tuck into the danish to seal.
- Continue with the dough braid until the the last two strips at the bottom. Bring the bottom of the danish up towards the filling and then criss cross the last two strips over top of the danish pinching slightly to seal.
Apply the egg wash and bake
- Whisk the remaining egg until well combined. Brush the danish evenly with the egg. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the danish is golden brown.
- Remove the danish from oven and let cool at 10 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in a covered container.
Notes
🙋 FAQ's
My cream cheese filling is too runny, how do I fix this?
- Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the cream cheese mixture. This will give it more structure.
- Use just an egg yolk in the cream cheese filling and save the egg white for the egg wash.
- Keep in mind, if the rhubarb sauce is not thick, it could cause a wetter filling. I usually cook my rhubarb sauce until it is fairy thick when making it for a recipe like this danish.
Nutrition
Calories: 385kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 380mgPotassium: 74mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 344IUCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @grumpyshoneybunch or tag #grumpyshoneybunch!
Jill says
I have looked at the recipe ingredients as listed 3 times and no where does it mention needing puff pastry except in the instructions which are super confusing. For something this technical, a video would be nice
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Jill, please note that the recipe calls for Crescent Roll Dough and it is listed in the ingredients in the recipe card (and has always been there). Puff pastry is a variation recommendation only. This was made with crescent roll dough out of a can. I have taken good images and given specific instructions on how to assemble this recipe. There won't be a video anytime soon. If you need a video instruction on how to make the criss cross, please check out my bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast strudel as that does show how to make a shaped dough such as this one.
Joanna says
I would just like to let you know that I made the filling cream cheese filling exactly as the recipe is written Delicious and the consistency was perfect.
I made my own puff pastry dough. Thank you for the recipe.
Veronica says
This was so tasty but I believe the recipe is incorrect. I followed the recipe as directed and my cream cheese mixture was way too runny. It didn’t look like your photo at all. I wish I had read all the other comments about the mixture being too runny. After I made the recipe I read your FAQ notes about only using the yolk and saving the egg white to brush on the pastry. I think that’s an important part of the recipe and you should include that in the instructions and not in the notes. I totally believe it’s the egg white that’s causing the mixture to be so runny. My cream cheese mixture spread all over the dough and the parchment paper and made a huge mess. I really don’t think the egg is needed. Next time I may try it without the egg. Also, I checked my danish after 27 minutes and it was dark brown, almost burned. The instructions on the crescent roll package says to cook for 9-12 minutes at 375°, not 400°. Next time I will cook it at 375° for a shorter amount of time. I hope you fix your recipe so that so many other people don’t have the same problem I and so many other people are having with the runnyness.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Veronica, thank you for your input. I tested this recipe again not so long ago myself due to comments saying the cheesecake filling was too runny. I will definitely update with your observations as well. I added flour to my batter. I never had it be runny before, but this year, when testing it again, It was looser than I remembered, which is why I added flour. I did indicate also that you could skip the egg entirely. I'll be sure to make updates asap and I really appreciate your input!
Cindy says
I can not find the ingredient amounts. Tired of trying to find.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
As it is with most blogs, the recipe card is found at the very bottom of the post. All you need to do is scroll to the bottom and click print recipe.
Myrald Cantley says
The ingredients for the cream cheese mixture must be off as I used exactly what was in the recipe and it came out watery was all over the place. I was a waste of my time and money in purchasing the ingredients – totally disappointed.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Did you add only 1 egg to the cream cheese mixture? It should not have been watery. The 2nd egg is for the egg wash, not the filling. You can use exactly what is in the recipe and have it turn out right, but if you added two eggs to the cream cheese filling then yes, you are going to have a runny filling.
myrald cantley says
i used 4 oz cr cheese; 1 egg n 1/2 c sugar n salt - it was runny
Wayne says
I'm making it right now and it's the same. A big watery mess. I even mix it for over 5 minutes. I would have saved time just throwing the money directly into the trash.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Wayne, In the instructions there is a solution for those who are having issues with a loose cheese filling. Please check it out. Add two tablespoons of flour. This should thicken it up. I tested this recipe again today myself and had no trouble.
Tiana says
I know that I have to use a new recipe for my breakfast, I love cheese, this would be what I am looking for. So delicious.
Kara says
Delicious! Elegant! Different! I’ve made this recipe numerous times. I freeze my rhubarb so that I have it throughout the year. This recipe never disappoints and always impresses. Agree with previous posts that sometimes you need to add more cream cheese so it’s not to runny. Thank you!!
Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness says
I love danish and rhubarb, this looks delicious. Perfect for a Sunday brunch.
Lauren says
First time making something like this. The rhubarb sauce recipe on this website was perfect, so I thought I’d give this recipe a try. The cream cheese mixture was extremely runny. I ended up doubling the amount of cream cheese to the whole 8 oz. block and adding a smidge of vanilla extract. Had way too much filling left because adding more made things very leaky. Also, roll the pastry dough very, very thin or your danish will come out doughy and undercooked. I had to throw out the first effort and bake it again with the modifications mentioned. I cooked mine a little over 30 minutes.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Lauren, I'm not sure why your cheese mixture would have been too runny. The only thing I can think of would have been if you used both eggs in the mixture instead of the one that it calls for. I have had no issues making this and have not experienced a runny filling or unbaked dough. I am happy you were able to make it work on your second try. Thanks for stopping by! Shelby
Raegan says
I’m sorry, but this was a complete mess. Way too much filling. Also, you’re not clear on which direction to cut the dough strips. I did it wrong.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Raegan, I'm sorry you had a bad experience. You did not indicate if you read the entire post, but there are images within the post as well showing the clearly direction of cutting the strips. As for the filling, it only consists of 4 ounces of cream cheese (1/2 brick) and 1 egg with sugar that gives it volume and the 1/2 cup of rhubarb, if you had too much filling I am suspecting maybe you put both eggs in the filling instead of brushing the dough with the 2nd egg, or the rhubarb sauce was too thin.