Cream Cheese Filling for Pastry

This Cream Cheese Filling for Pastry is easy to make and can be used in so many pastries. Such a creamy and delicious filling that will make your pastries taste amazing!

With only a handful of ingredients you can have this cheesecake filling recipe ready to fill your pastries and bake!

Let’s make this Cream Cheese Filling for pastry together!

How to make Cream Cheese Filling for Pastry

Let’s start with the ingredients. You will need:

• Cream cheese: make sure it’s softened
• Granulated sugar
• Large egg yolk
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla extract

That’s it, only 5 ingredients!

I have posted this recipe on instagram and Facebook before, and often get asked if the lemon juice can be left out. Some people think the filling will be lemony tasting. The truth is that it absolutely won’t. The filling will not taste like lemon.

The lemon helps with the tanginess of the filling, and also helps it become creamy by acting with the cream cheese to coagulate. I highly recommend you don’t skip the lemon juice.

If you do want this filling to taste like lemon, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon zest to it.

Instructions on how to make Cream Cheese Filling for Pastry

Start by whipping the cream cheese and the granulated sugar in a large bowl, with a mixer.

Whip for about 2 minutes over medium speed, until creamy.

Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix just until combined.

Once the filling is mixed and incorporated it will look super creamy and like a thick cheesecake batter.

And it’s ready to be used to fill your pastries before baking.

How to use Cream Cheese Filling in Pastries

My favorite way to use this Cream Cheese Filling is in puff pastries. You can also use it for danish pastries. This filling makes a wonderful cream cheese danish.

This filling will also go wonderful in hand pies made with regular pie dough, or can be used to fill crescent roll dough as well. And of course, you can always make the dough from scratch, or use store-bought to make things easier.

You can make pastry with braids, or Puff Pastry Pinwheels.

Check out these recipes, which all use this Cream Cheese Filling for pastry:

• Puff Pastry Pinwheels
• Blueberry Puff Pastry
• Strawberry Puff Pastry (coming soon)

Cream Cheese Filled Puff Pastry

Make sure the puff pastry sheet is thawed, slice it or shape as you would like to.

Here is one of the many ideas you can do. Cut two rectangles of thawed puff pastry the same size.

Cut a smaller rectangle in the center of one of the pieces. Brush a bit of egg wash around the edges of the whole rectangle, and place the rectangle that had the center cut out right on top.

Fill the inside with the cream cheese mixture. You can top it with raspberries, sliced strawberries, blueberries, or even cherry.

Brush the pastry with egg wash before baking.

Place the pastry on top of a parchment paper lined baking tray, and bake in the 390ºF oven.

What temperature to bake cream cheese pastries?

It all depends on the size of the pastry, the kind of dough you are using.

For puff pastry, I like to bake it at 375ºF to 400ºF depending on the shape.

For a smaller shape such as these rectangles, I baked at 390ºF for about 15 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown.

Once the pastries come out of the oven, wait for them to cool down slightly, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, and serve.

You can always drizzle a sugar glaze on top made from powdered sugar mixed with milk.

This makes a wonderful idea for a breakfast pastry, or to serve for afternoon tea time.

Variations:

• Add 1-2 tbsp lemon zest to the filling.
• You can also add 1/2 tsp espresso powder to the filling to make it coffee flavored.
• Add 2 tbsp of Nutella to the filling when mixing the ingredients. Same goes for dulce de leche and Biscoff.
• Top the cream cheese filling with chocolate chips or chopped chocolate in the pastry before baking.
• You can top the sweet cream cheese filling with berries, or any chopped fruit, like peaches as well.

More pastry recipes:

• Key Lime Pie Puff Pastry
• Cherry Turnovers
• Mascarpone Puff Pastry
• Pecan Pie Pastry
• Boston Cream Puff Pastry

If you make this recipe tag me on instagram or leave a comment below! I am always so happy to hear from you!

Cream Cheese Filling for Pastry

Camila Hurst

This Cream Cheese Filling for Pastries is easy to make and can be used in so many pastries.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

  

• 8 oz. cream cheese softened (226 grams)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large yolk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For pastries

• 2 sheets puff pastry thawed

Egg wash

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk read notes

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sugar for 2 minutes on medium speed. You can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
• Add the egg yolk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat again until combined.
• The filling is ready to be used in pastries.
• You can fill puff pastry dough with the filling, or pie crust, or even crescent roll dough, or bread dough.
• This filling will bake to a creamy consistency.
• It can be used for danish, baked pastries, and many more options.
• I use this filling for these Blueberry Pastries, Strawberry Puff Pastry, and Puff Pastry Pinwheels.

Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

• Pre-heat the oven to 390ºF.
• Whisk the egg with milk to use for the egg wash.
• Make sure the puff pastry sheet is thawed. Cut each pastry sheet into 6 rectangles.
• Cut a smaller rectangle in the center of one of the pieces. Brush a bit of egg wash around the edges of the bottom rectangle which should be whole, and place the rectangle that had the center cut out right on top.
• Fill the inside with the cream cheese filling, top with berries if desired.
• Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash and top with coarse sugar.
• Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed up.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle powdered sugar on top, and serve.

Notes

Lemon juice: Don’t skip the lemon juice. The filling won’t taste like lemon. The lemon simply helps with the tanginess of the filling, and also helps it become creamy by acting with the cream cheese to coagulate. I highly recommend you don’t skip the lemon juice.

Lemon zest: If you do want this filling to taste like lemon, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon zest to it.

Cream Cheese Puff Pastry: this is simply a serving idea, this Cream Cheese Filling will be perfect for Danish pastries, hand pies made out of pie dough, or even crescent roll desserts.

Egg wash: You can use just a whisked egg, or just milk as the wash for the pastries before baking. Or you can mix egg and milk together.

How to use this recipe:

• Blueberry Puff Pastry
• Strawberry Puff Pastry
• Puff Pastry Pinwheels

Keyword filling