If you know me, you know this: key lime pie has my whole heart. At this point I genuinely feel like I'm the president of key lime pie. In fact, key lime pie is awarded to everyone under my administration. Vote for me at the polls? A slice for you. Stay up past your bedtime to listen to my SOTU address? Here's a slice for you to enjoy tomorrow. So with today being National Key Lime Pie Day, there was zero chance I was letting it pass with just a slice of the classic. This called for a full reinvention.
Enter the key lime pie cheesecake danish. It's a flaky puff pastry filled with creamy key lime cheesecake, tart key lime curd, and buttery graham cracker crumble, finished with a bright key lime glaze and whipped cream. Basically, key lime pie disguised as a danish.
It's bakery-case gorgeous but genuinely doable in your own kitchen. Absolutely no patisserie school experience required, just a little patience.
Key Lime Pie Cheesecake Danishes Recipe
Yield: 8 danishes
Prep: 35 minutes
Chill: 20 minutes
Bake: 18–22 minutes
Total: About 1½ hours
Ingredients
Danishes
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed but cold
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water, for the egg wash
Key Lime Cheesecake Filling
8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons fresh key lime juice
1 teaspoon key lime zest
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Key Lime Curd
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup fresh key lime juice
1 teaspoon key lime zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Pinch of salt
Graham Cracker Crumble
½ cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt
Key Lime Glaze
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh key lime juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Optional Finish
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Graham cracker crumbs
Fresh key lime zest
Instructions
1. Make the Key Lime Curd
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, key lime juice, zest, and salt in a small saucepan. Cook over low to medium heat, whisking constantly, for 4-6 minutes, or until thickened. Do not let the mixture boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth. Transfer the curd to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto its surface, and refrigerate until chilled.
2. Make the Filling and Crumble
While the curd chills, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the condensed milk, egg yolk, key lime juice, zest, vanilla, and salt. Mix just until creamy.
In a separate bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and salt until the mixture resembles wet sand.
3. Assemble the Danishes
Heat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cut each puff pastry sheet into 6 rectangles. Place the rectangles on the prepared baking sheets and lightly score a ½-inch border around each one, taking care not to cut through the pastry.
Add about 2 tablespoons cheesecake filling. Spoon ½–1 teaspoon key lime curd over each center. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumble to each well.
Refrigerate the assembled danishes for 15–20 minutes.
4. Bake
Brush the pastry borders with the egg wash, avoiding the filling and scored edges. Sprinkle with additional graham cracker crumble.
Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and puffed. Let the danishes cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
5. Finish
While the danishes cool, whisk the powdered sugar, key lime juice, vanilla, and salt until smooth and thick enough to drizzle.
Drizzle the glaze over the cooled danishes. Finish with whipped cream, graham cracker crumbs, and fresh key lime zest.
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes from Neutral Kitchen 🤎
Keep the puff pastry cold. If it softens during assembly, refrigerate it longer before baking.
Don’t overfill. Keep the cheesecake filling within the pastry borders to prevent it from spilling during baking.
Use fresh key limes when possible. Bottled key lime juice works, but fresh zest provides the most distinctive flavor.
The curd can be made 1–2 days ahead. The filling and crumble can be prepared the day before. For the flakiest pastry, assemble and bake the danishes on the day you plan to serve them.
The curd may take longer than the recipe suggests. Depending on your stove and pan, it can take closer to 10–12 minutes to thicken rather than 4–6 — just keep whisking over low-medium heat and watch for it to coat the back of a spoon rather than rushing the heat up, which risks scrambling the eggs.