Overnight Cherry Danish

When a cherry Danish craving strikes, all you need is a good recipe and a little time, and we’ve got you covered. Homemade pastries honestly don’t take much more effort than any other dessert (often less!). They just feel a little more special, and they’ll brighten your day when you sit down to that cup of tea or coffee.

Fun fact: The Danish name for this kind of flaky, layered pastry is Wienerbrød, which literally means “Vienna bread,” it’s a nod to the Austrian capital city. Legend has it that bakers from Austria brought those skills to France and Scandinavia centuries ago. Ironically, the Austrian name for a Danish is… Kopenhagener.

Cherry Danish Ingredients

• Yeast: The active dry yeast and a slow overnight rise give the dough its light and soft texture.
• Milk: The warm milk contains enough moisture and natural sugars to activate and nourish the yeast.
• Flour: All-purpose flour has enough gluten to form a nicely elastic dough, but not so much that it becomes tough.
• Sugar: Sugar is here in part to sweeten the dough, and also to help feed the yeast.
• Butter: Butter adds richness to the dough, but more importantly it gives the flakiness you want in a Danish. It also provides a base for the icing.
• Half-and-half: Half-and-half cream is the main liquid in the recipe. It helps make the dough rich and soft, and is also used to thin the icing and make it smooth.
• Egg yolks: Like the cream, egg yolks (and the natural emulsifiers they contain) help soften and enrich the dough.
• Cherry pie filling: Cherry pie filling is already sweetened and thickened, so it’s a convenient way to fill the center of the pastries.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Confectioners’ sugar provides a base for the icing, along with butter and cream.
• Vanilla: Vanilla brings its familiar, sweet and slightly complex flavor to the icing.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the dough

In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly, as if you were making biscuits. Add the yeast mixture, cream and egg yolks, and stir until the mixture comes together to form a soft, sticky dough. Cover the dough and refrigerate it overnight.

Step 2: Roll and cut the dough

Take the chilled dough from the fridge and punch it down. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, and divide it into four equal portions. Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle measuring roughly 18×4 inches. Cut the rectangles crosswise, to make strips 4 inches long and an inch wide.

Step 3: Shape the pastries

Take two strips and place them side by side, then twist them together. Shape the twisted dough into a ring, and pinch the ends together. Place the ring on a greased baking sheet and then repeat, spacing the pastries two inches apart. Cover the pans with clean kitchen towels and let the pastries rise in a warm place until they’re doubled in size. It should take about 45 minutes, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

Step 4: Bake

Heat your oven to 350°F. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make an indentation ½ inch deep in the center of each Danish. Fill each one with about a tablespoon of the pie filling. Bake the pastries for 14 to 16 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned. Remove them from their pans to wire racks, to cool.

Step 5: Ice the pastries

For the icing, beat the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add the half-and-half gradually, until the icing reaches a smooth texture that flows nicely from a spoon. Drizzle the icing over the Danishes before serving them.

Cherry Danish Recipe Variations

• Go homemade for your filling: If you’re not a fan of store-bought cherry pie filling, go ahead and make your own. It’s not difficult, and it’s a definite upgrade. Start with fresh cherries when they’re in season, but frozen work well too. If you haven’t done it before, follow the steps in this cherry pie recipe.
• Make a more authentic dough: The version of Danish dough in this recipe is really good, but the classic roll-and-fold method (“laminating” the dough) is flakier. It’s a little more work to make it this way, but not especially tricky. It just takes patience. For a visual guide, take a look at our recipe for a Wisconsin-style Danish kringle.
• Turn the recipe into a kringle: In fact, any time you’re expecting company, consider turning your batch of individual Danishes into a single ring-shaped kringle with cherry filling. Use this recipe’s dough or the classic version, either will work. The dough in this recipe will make roughly three kringles, so cut it into thirds instead of quarters and proceed as shown in the kringle recipe.

How to Store Cherry Danish

Once the icing has set, any uneaten Danishes can be transferred to a food safe storage container with an airtight lid. If you layer them, place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking.

How long will these Danishes keep?

Most Danishes are fine for at least 5 to 7 days at room temperature, because the rich dough maintains its texture pretty well. If you refrigerate them they’ll quickly lose that just-baked softness, but they’ll stay food safe for at least twice as long. Gently reheat to refresh them.

Can I freeze my cherry Danishes?

Yes, absolutely. This makes a big batch, and freezing them is an easy way to always have treats on hand. Just don’t frost them until they come out of the freezer. Freeze the Danishes on a parchment-lined sheet pan, first. Once they’re frozen, pack them into freezer bags or freezer-safe storage containers. They’ll keep best if they’re vacuum-sealed, or individually wrapped before they go into their bags or containers. They’ll maintain their flavor for 1 to 3 months, depending how well you wrap them.

Cherry Danish Recipe Tips

Can I use a store-bought convenience dough instead?

Absolutely. Store-bought puff pastry is one option, and in fact some of the other Danish recipes on our site call for it. Canned crescent roll dough is another good choice. Like puff pastry it’s not sweetened, but the filling and icing make it sweet enough. Look for the oversized crescents if you can find them, or better yet a sheet of uncut crescent-roll dough. Cut it into 4-inch strips, as shown in the recipe, and proceed from there.

Isn’t Danish dough supposed to have cardamom in it?

Well spotted! Yes, cardamom is a much-loved ingredient that’s used in a lot of Scandinavian desserts, including Danishes. It has a unique flavor, with hints of pine and citrus and mint. You don’t need much in the dough, about ½ teaspoon for a batch this size.

Can I use other fillings in my Danishes?

Of course you can. Any prepared pie filling is an easy substitution, so you can swap the cherries for blueberries or anything else that appeals to you. Good-quality jam makes an easy filling option, as well. If you want to go old-school with a prune filling or cheese filling, you can crib those from our other Danish recipes.