Description
Flaky bakery-style danishes at home. Buttery puff pastry filled with a light vanilla swirl cream and finished with a thin chocolate ganache ribbon. Crisp edges, lofty layers, elegant swirls.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Puff Pastry Bases
- 2 sheets all-butter puff pastry, thawed but cold (about 500 g total; keep chilled)
- 1 egg (beaten with 1 Tbsp milk for egg wash)
- 1 Tbsp milk (for egg wash)
Vanilla Swirl Cream
- 200 g cream cheese (cold but pliable)
- 150 g mascarpone (or extra cream cheese)
- 90 g powdered sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 180 ml heavy cream, very cold (whipped to stiff peaks)
- fine salt (pinch, to balance sweetness)
Chocolate Ribbon (Ganache)
- 80 g dark chocolate (50-60% cacao), finely chopped
- 80 ml heavy cream (for a glossy ganache)
Finish
- chocolate sprinkles or finely grated chocolate (to taste)
- powdered sugar (optional dusting on edges)
Instructions
- Preheat & prep: Heat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Preheat for a full 15 minutes for best lift.
- Cut pastry bases: On a lightly floured surface, cut 8 rounds (8–9 cm) from the first sheet. Re-roll scraps once if needed. Keep pastry cold; chill cut rounds 5–10 minutes if soft.
- Make pastry rings: From the second sheet, cut 8 rounds (8–9 cm), then punch centers with a 6–7 cm cutter to form rings. Place solid discs on trays, brush outer 1 cm with egg wash, top each with a ring to create a rim; egg-wash tops. Dock centers with a fork.
- Bake to deeply golden: Bake 15–18 minutes until puffed and rich golden brown. If centers rise, gently press down with the back of a spoon while hot. Cool completely on the tray.
- Ganache ribbon: Heat 80 ml cream to steaming (don’t boil). Pour over 80 g chopped dark chocolate; rest 1 minute, then stir until silky. Cool 10–15 minutes until thick and pipeable.
- Vanilla swirl cream: Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until perfectly smooth. In a separate bowl whip 180 ml very cold cream to stiff peaks; fold into cheese mixture. Chill 10 minutes to firm.
- Pipe vanilla swirls: Transfer cream to a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe tall spirals into cooled pastry wells.
- Add chocolate ribbon & finish: Pipe a thin ganache ribbon along the groove of each spiral. Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles or grated chocolate; optionally dust pastry edges with powdered sugar. Serve.
Notes
Pro tips: Keep pastry cold for maximum lift. Dock centers to prevent ballooning. Color equals flavor—bake until rich golden brown for the crispest layers. For the neatest swirls, chill the cream 10 minutes before piping.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Pastry
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 720
- Sugar: 22
- Sodium: 300
- Fat: 52
- Saturated Fat: 32
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 8
