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Chocolate-Cherry Danish Recipe

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★★★★★

4.5 from 59 reviews

This rich and elegant Chocolate-Cherry Danish recipe features a tender cocoa-infused laminated dough filled with creamy pastry cream and bursts of sweet cherry pie filling. Perfect for a special breakfast or dessert, it uses European-style butter for flakiness and a multi-step folding method to create layers that bake into crispy, buttery pastries with a fruity chocolate center.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

  • 1 1/2 cups (340g) milk or water, or a combination; lukewarm, about 100°F
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 4 1/2 cups (540g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
  • 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (50g) unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural

Butter Block

  • 24 tablespoons (340g) unsalted butter, cold (preferably European-style butter with at least 80% butterfat)

Filling

  • 1/2 batch Pastry Cream, prepared and chilled
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup (138g to 183g) cherry pie filling

Instructions

  1. Make the Dough: In a large bowl, mix water, sugar, 2 cups flour, yeast, salt, and softened butter until fairly blended. Add remaining flour and cocoa powder; stir until dough pulls away from bowl sides. Turn onto work surface and knead until dough starts to smooth. Avoid over-kneading since it continues developing during the rise.
  2. First Rise: Place dough in lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise about 1 hour until puffy. Then refrigerate covered for 8 to 16 hours (overnight recommended).
  3. Prepare Butter Block: Just before dough comes out of fridge, cut cold butter sticks lengthwise into six pieces. Arrange on floured wax paper/plastic wrap, sprinkle flour on top, cover, and gently pound with rolling pin until malleable. Roll into an approximate 8″ x 8″ square.
  4. Incorporate Butter: Remove dough, roll into 12″ square on floured surface. Place butter block diagonally in center of dough. Fold four dough flaps over butter, sealing edges.
  5. First Fold: Roll dough with butter into 10″ x 20″ rectangle. Fold one third into center, then fold opposite third over it (letter fold).
  6. Second Fold: Turn dough 90°, roll again into 10″ x 20″ rectangle. Fold each short edge toward center to meet without overlapping. Fold dough in half like a book (book fold).
  7. Chill Dough: Wrap dough in floured plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours until ready to use.
  8. Shape Danish: Remove dough, cut in half crosswise through folds, save one half refrigerated or frozen. Roll remaining dough into an 8″ x 24″ rectangle, trim edges for straightness. Cut into 12 squares (4″ x 4″).
  9. Form Pastries: Rotate each square to a diamond shape. Fold right (east) corner over left (west) corner to make a triangle. Make two parallel cuts starting 1/2″ below and above left corner, cutting through both dough layers without intersecting at corner. Unfold triangle; reposition dough pieces to create diamond with border.
  10. Create Basket Shape: Lift top (north) corner, fold border down to bottom (south) corner. Then fold bottom corner up to meet top corner, forming a two-layer border twisted at left and right corners.
  11. Fill Pastries: Place shaped pastries on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 3″ apart. Use a piping bag to add 1 to 2 tablespoons chilled pastry cream in center of each. Top with scant tablespoon of cherry pie filling.
  12. Second Rise: Cover and let rise in warm spot (below 80°F) for 1 to 2 hours until puffy.
  13. Bake: Preheat oven to 425°F toward end of rising. Bake Danish for 18 to 20 minutes until edges are set and cocoa aroma is fragrant. Cool slightly before serving to allow structure to set.
  14. Storage: Store leftover pastries wrapped in refrigerator up to one day. Freeze unfilled pastries for longer storage.

Notes

  • Use European-style butter with at least 80% butterfat for best lamination results and flakiness.
  • Pastry cream can be infused with orange zest for added flavor as suggested in the original recipe notes.
  • Keep dough and butter cool but pliable during folding steps to prevent butter from melting or breaking through.
  • Temperature is important during rising and proofing; avoid heat over 80°F to prevent overproofing.
  • Freezing unfilled Danish dough halves allows making fresh pastries later without starting from scratch.

Keywords: Chocolate Danish, Cherry Danish, Pastry Cream Danish, Laminated Dough, Breakfast Pastries, Chocolate Cherry Pastry

Find it online: https://ellaeatsdaily.com/chocolate-cherry-danish-recipe/