Raspberry Breakfast Braidrn

Name: Raspberry Breakfast Braid
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces cream cheese, (softened); ¼ cup granulated sugar; 1 egg yolk; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 small lemon zest; ¾ cup raspberry pie filling; 8 ounces crescent roll sheet; 1½ cups powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons heavy cream; 1 tablespoon lemon juice, (from the zested lemon)

close up shot of raspberry breakfast braid on a plate with raspberries on the side

This deliciously flaky raspberry breakfast braid will awaken your senses as you bite into the light pastry to find the sweet raspberry and cream filling tucked inside.

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Table of Contents

Let’s Dish: About This Raspberry Pastry
Raspberry Breakfast Braid Ingredients
Easy Raspberry Danish Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Raspberry Breakfast Braid Recipe
How To Serve a Danish Braid
Easy Danish Storage
Raspberry Danish Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Raspberry danish is the perfect mix of creamy, fruity, and flaky in every bite. With a tangy cream cheese filling, sweet raspberry topping, and a light glaze, this pastry is as beautiful as it is delicious. Simple to make with crescent dough, this danish is a crowd-pleaser that’s ideal for breakfast or brunch gatherings.

overhead shot of Raspberry Breakfast Braid on a board with raspberries on the side

Let’s Dish: About This Raspberry Pastry

MAIN INGREDIENTS: cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, lemon zest, raspberry pie filling, crescent roll sheet, powdered sugar, heavy cream, lemon juice

QUICK STEPS: mix cream cheese filling, spread on crescent dough; add raspberry filling, braid dough over filling; bake until golden; mix glaze ingredients and drizzle over cooled danish

TOTAL TIME AND YIELD: 35 minutes, 7 servings

Why This Recipe

Bakery-Quality Taste with Minimal Effort: Using crescent dough as a base keeps this recipe quick and easy while still delivering that flaky, bakery-quality texture everyone loves.
Balanced Flavors of Sweet and Tangy: The lemon zest in the cream cheese filling adds a subtle brightness that complements the sweet raspberry filling perfectly, creating a balanced flavor profile that’s neither too sweet nor too tart.
Beautiful, Braided Presentation: Our team carefully tested the braiding technique to ensure that the dough stays neat and the filling stays in place, creating a stunning look without requiring advanced baking skills.

Raspberry Breakfast Braid Ingredients

Raspberry Breakfast Braid raw ingredients that are labeled

This breakfast braid combines the natural sweetness and tartness of raspberries, creating a balanced and indulgent flavor.

The buttery pastry adds richness, while the fruitiness of the raspberries contributes to a delightful taste experience, making it a perfect breakfast or brunch treat.

Plus, it’s ready in no time, making this method the easiest way to enjoy a warm, filling danish any time.

You’ll need:

For The Filling:

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
¼ cup of granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon of salt
Zest of 1 small lemon
¾ cup of raspberry pie filling

For The Braid:

8-ounce crescent roll sheet

For The Glaze:

1½ cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (from the zested lemon)

PRO TIP:

Garnish or serve with fresh raspberries for a pretty presentation.

Easy Raspberry Danish Substitutions And Additions

CRESCENT ROLL DOUGH: If you cannot find a canned crescent roll sheet, you can use a regular can of crescent rolls.

Simply press together the seams as you pat your dough into the 8×14-inch rectangle.

SWEET FILLING: You could also use blueberry, apple, cherry, or peach filling in this danish pastry recipe.

You could even double the amount of cream cheese filling and omit the fruit altogether. This is a very versatile recipe.

ALMOND EXTRACT: To make an almond glaze, you could add a dash of almond extract with the glaze ingredients.

How To Make This Raspberry Breakfast Braid Recipe

It’s not as hard as it looks to make this beautiful breakfast braid. We will walk you through the steps below.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.

STEP TWO: In a medium mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon zest until smooth.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature so that they blend together fully.

cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, salt and lemon zest blended together

STEP THREE: Unroll the crescent roll sheet onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and gently flatten it to a rough 8×14-inch rectangle.

STEP FOUR: Using a pizza cutter, pastry wheel, or sharp knife, cut ten 1½-inch wide strips, at a diagonal, on each side.

You want to leave the center solid (about three to four inches wide) because that is where you will place your filling.

strips cut at a diagonal on each side in a baking dish

STEP FIVE: Evenly spread your cream cheese mixture onto the center of your cut crescent roll sheet; be careful not to get it on the cut strips of dough.

cream cheese mixture spread onto the center on a baking pan

STEP SIX: Spoon your raspberry pie filling onto the top of the cream cheese filling.

STEP SEVEN: Fold the ends of the crescent dough up and over the top of the filling. This helps the filling stay nice and neat inside the ends of the raspberry breakfast braid when baked.

crescent dough folded up and over the top of the cream cheese and cherries

STEP EIGHT: Starting at one end, fold one strip across to the other side of the filling. Then take one strip from the opposite side and cross it over the top of the strip you just placed.

Repeat until you have made a criss-cross (braid) pattern on the top of your crescent and fillings.

You want to make sure that you go all the way across to the other side when placing your strips. This ensures that your raspberry filling does not seep out the sides when baked.

STEP NINE: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

PRO TIP:

Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your pastry at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

STEP TEN: In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth.

If your glaze is too thick, you can add a small amount of additional lemon juice to thin it. Be careful not to add too much liquid.

powdered sugar, cream and lemon juice whisked in a bowl

STEP ELEVEN: Allow your baked raspberry breakfast braid to cool on the counter for 30 minutes before adding the glaze and serving.

PRO TIP:

Be sure to allow the breakfast braid to cool down completely before drizzling the top of the braid with the glaze, or the glaze will melt right off the braid.

Do not mix up the glaze until the braid is cooled down, or cover it tightly with plastic wrap so that no air gets to the glaze.

You do not want it to get crusty on the top before drizzling, or there will be chunks in it.

raspberry breakfast braid being glazed with a spoon

How To Serve a Danish Braid

This amazing iced raspberry pastry braid would be the perfect centerpiece on your Sunday brunch table.

Adding a savory sheet pan breakfast and homemade pumpkin spice latte would give everyone plenty of choices to fill their bellies.

Our cherry breakfast braid and blueberry coffee cake are two more sweet breakfast offerings that we love to whip up on a special occasion.

This easy danish is also perfect to serve as an after school snack.

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Easy Danish Storage

We’ve got a few suggestions to help you store leftover breakfast braid for later.

IN THE FRIDGE: Store leftover raspberry pastry braid in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap, for up to four days.

IN THE FREEZER: If you want to freeze this easy recipe, we recommend assembling it and freezing it before baking.

Cover the braid in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil to freeze. Once you are ready to serve it, thaw and bake.

The flaky dough will melt in your mouth, and the raspberries and cream filling are sweet and tart, making it hard to resist this breakfast pastry. Plus, it’s so pretty that this raspberry breakfast braid would make a great breakfast or brunch option for special occasions.

Raspberry Danish Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use homemade raspberry pie filling?

We use canned raspberry pie filling, but you could use homemade pie filling instead for this Danish braid.

Can I freeze the raspberry braid?

We recommend freezing this raspberry cream cheese breakfast braid before you bake it. Cover in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and then freeze once assembled. Thaw and bake when you are ready to eat it.

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Raspberry Breakfast Braid

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This deliciously flaky raspberry breakfast braid will awaken your senses as you bite into the light pastry to find the sweet raspberry and cream filling tucked inside.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings

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Ingredients

Filling

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 small lemon zest
¾ cup raspberry pie filling

Braid

8 ounces crescent roll sheet

Glaze

1½ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice, from the zested lemon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, salt, and lemon zest until smooth.
Unroll the crescent roll sheet onto the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten it to a rough 8×14-inch rectangle.
Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut 10 (1½-inch) strips, at a diagonal, on each side. You want to leave the center solid (about 3 to 4 inches wide) because that is where you will place your filling.
Evenly spread your cream cheese mixture onto the center of your cut crescent roll sheet, careful not to get it on the cut strips.
Spoon your raspberry pie filling onto the top of the cream cheese filling.
Fold the ends of the crescent dough up and over the top of the cream cheese and cherries. This helps the filling to stay nice and neat inside the ends of the raspberry breakfast braid when baked.
Starting at one end, fold one strip across to the other side of the filling. Then take one strip from the opposite side and cross it over the top of the strip you just placed. Repeat until you have made a criss-cross (braid) pattern on the top of your crescent and fillings. You want to make sure that you go all the way across to the other side when placing your strips. This ensures that your filling does not seep out the sides when baked.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.
In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. If your glaze is too thick, you can add a small amount of additional lemon juice to thin it. Be careful not to add too much liquid.
Allow your baked raspberry breakfast braid to cool on the counter for 30 minutes before adding the glaze and serving.

Notes

Garnish or serve with fresh raspberries for a pretty presentation.
Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature so that they blend together fully.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your braid at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
Be sure to allow the breakfast braid to cool down completely before drizzling the top of the braid with the glaze, or the glaze will melt right off the braid. Do not mix up the glaze until the braid is cooled down, or cover it tightly with plastic wrap so that no air gets to the glaze. You do not want it to get crusty on the top before drizzling, or there will be chunks in it.

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Stefanie Knaus Photographer
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant
Ina Chong
Amy Tandiko Graphic Designer
Lenore Ortyl Editorial Director

Raspberry Danish