Yield: 9 yuzu cheesecake danishes // Total Time: 50 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //
Flaky, buttery puff pastry topped with a sweet vanilla cheesecake filling a sharp, tangy yuzu curd.
yuzu cheesecake danish
I’m here today with a super easy and super delicious pastry for you all! It starts with store-bought flaky puff pastry, which gets topped with a sweet and tangy homemade cheesecake filling and a tart, sharp homemade yuzu curd.
what is yuzu?
Yuzu is a citrus fruit that is believed to have originated in China. The taste is said to be like a cross of lemon, grapefruit, and orange. It can not be imported into a lot of states in the United States, so it’s quite hard to come by over here. However, a quick purchase of some 100% yuzu juice online will yield us with that delicious tart yuzu flavor.
recipe tips
weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient and can easily throw off a recipe. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
try to avoid metal utensils when making the curd
It’s possible for the curd to take on a metallic taste if you are using a metal bowl or whisk, so to be safe I would recommend staying away from those when making the curd.
constantly whisk the curd
When you’re cooking the curd, it is essential that you constantly whisk it. This will ensure that you don’t end up with any cooked egg in the curd! It’s not the *biggest* deal if you do have a little bit of cooked egg at the end because we’ll strain it regardless, but, it’s better to avoid it!
use room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. Take out the egg and cream cheese at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. To bring an egg to room temperature quickly, you can place it under hot water for 1 minute. To bring cream cheese to room temperature quickly, slice it, place it on a plate, and microwave it in 5 second intervals until it can easily be indented when pressed on. If the cream cheese isn’t fully to room temperature, then you’ll end up with a lumpy cheesecake filling which isn’t *ideal*.
thaw the puff pastry
If your puff pastry is frozen, it will need to be slightly thawed before unfolding it. Be sure to remove it from the freezer at least 10 minutes before assembling the pastries. It’s ready to be used when you can unfold it with little resistance.
ingredients and substitutions
For the yuzu curd:
Lemon: you’ll need 1 lemon for it’s zest. If you can get your hands on fresh yuzu, please feel free to use that in it’s place!
Yuzu juice: if you can use fresh yuzu juice, definitely use that! I found some 100% yuzu juice on Amazon and it worked perfectly, you can find the one I used here.
Granulated sugar: to sweeten up the curd.
Egg: necessary for thickening up the curd.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the flavor and sweetness of the curd.
Yuzu extract (optional): optional, but will bring in some more tart yuzu flavor. Here is the one I used, which I was gifted.
Unsalted butter: helps thicken the curd and make it creamy. You can substitute in salted butter here, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the curd! You can also use your favorite dairy-free butter stick as a substitute.
For the cheesecake filling:
Cream cheese: the base of the cheesecake. You can use full-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel.
Granulated sugar: we’ll use a little bit of sugar to sweeten the filling.
Egg: helps bind the filling together and gives a more rich texture.
Vanilla: for flavor.
For the egg wash:
Egg white & milk: save the egg from the cheesecake filling, and use your favorite dairy or nondairy milk!
For the danish:
Puff pastry sheet: you’ll just need one pre-made puff pastry sheet! I use pepperidge farm puff pastry sheets.
yuzu cheesecake danish q&a
can I double this recipe?
Of course! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
how should I store these danishes?
I’d recommend letting them cool to room temperature and then serving the danishes right away after baking them. Because they do have curd and cheesecake filling on them, the l
why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale
a note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
did you make these yuzu cheesecake danishes?
If you made these yuzu cheesecake danishes I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Yuzu Cheesecake Danish
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed for 10-20 min.
Yuzu Curd
- zest of 1 lemon*
- 40 g yuzu juice (~3 tbsp.)
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ c.)
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. yuzu extract optional
- 28 g unsalted butter (2 tbsp.)
Cheesecake Filling
- 100 g cream cheese (½ c.) room temperature
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp whisked egg
Egg Wash
- 1 whisked egg
- 1 tbsp. milk
Instructions
- 10-20 minutes before starting the recipe, take out a sheet of puff pastry and let it partially thaw on the counter.
Yuzu Curd
- Zest the lemon, then add the zest, yuzu juice, sugar, salt, egg and yuzu extract (if using) to a saucepan.
- Set the saucepan over medium heat and constantly whisk until the mixture thickens and reaches at least 170°F / 76°C. (This took ~3 minutes for me)
- Remove the curd from the heat and pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the zest and any unwanted egg bits.
- Immediately add in the butter and whisk until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Place the curd in the freezer to set while assembling the danishes.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese for ~1 minute to remove lumps.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Add 1 tbsp. of the whisked egg into the cream cheese, along with the vanilla and sugar.
- Beat the mixture together until it is smooth, and save the whisked egg for the egg wash.
- For the egg wash, whisk 1 tbsp. of milk into the whisked egg.
Yuzu Cheesecake Danish Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Unfold the slightly thawed puff pastry and slightly roll it out so that it is at least 10" x 10".
- Use a 3" biscuit cutter to cut out 9 danishes from the sheet. (Alternatively, you can cut the sheet into squares.)
- Use a slightly smaller (about 2") biscuit cutter to slightly indent the center of each danish. Evenly spread about 2 tsp. of cheesecake filling in the center of each danish, then top with yuzu curd.
- Brush the edges of each pastry with the egg wash, then bake for ~10-15 minutes or until the edges of the pastry are golden brown.
- Garnish with powdered sugar & lemon or yuzu slices if desired. Serve and enjoy!
emily says
i am having a hard time finding yuzu juice! is it okay if i can use another citrus like lemon juice???
Erin says
Hi! I found yuzu juice on Amazon but you can definitely sub in lemon juice and it will work perfectly!