Apple Cinnamon Danish Recipe
Okay so this is actually more of an Apple Cinnamon Swirl than just any normal old Apple danishes. Let’s say, a cross between cinnamon rolls and a pain au raisin. Plus apples of course. Overall they taste like mini apple strudels – do we need to say any more?
These are great for breakfast, a yummy addiction to a picnic or if you’re having guests. How about just warming one up with a cup of tea, that’s instant heaven! You could even have it with ice cream as dessert – yes please!
Speaking of dessert, why not skip a step to turn these apple danishes into a quick “Apple Strudel”. Simply leave the rolled filled dough in a log, rather than cutting them into individual swirls, and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Then cut your slices and serve warm with some delicious vanilla ice cream.
There is a little secret for this recipe. It’s actually the equipment used to help make the delicious danish; a mandoline. You can of course make the recipe without having one of them, but it makes cooking a lot easier.
What if I don’t have a mandoline?
Alternatively, you are completely welcome to take out the apples from the dish to replicate a cinnamon swirl. This is especially useful for those that don’t have a mandoline who may feel comfortable slicing the apples thin enough. You could also choose to slice them thicker and cook the apples down slightly in a saucepan before using them. Be sure to leave them to cool before putting them on the pastry.
Although having a mandoline may seem a little extra for a homecook, it is a life saver. Trust us. It’s especially handy if you do a lot of baking too. The amount of time you save also makes cooking more enjoyable, we think, as you’re not wasting time on tedious tasks!
Vegan Apple Danishes /w Puff Pastry
Like with majority of our pastry dishes, it is super easy to substitute ingredients in this recipe to make it vegan friendly. Follow the following steps for a vegan apple cinnamon swirl;
- Opt out of the egg wash and replace with a non dairy milk for a pastry wash.
- Substitute the custard for a vegan alternative or leave out of the swirl completely.
- Replace 100g butter with 110g cold coconut oil. The coconut oil should be more solid than liquid to get a whip-able spread. If using melted coconut oil, this is fine but you may need to add more sugar and cinnamon to the mixture.
If you want some other danishes, why not check out our maple and pecan plaits, which can also be adapted to make vegan options.
Tips
Be patient when rolling the pastry into a log. You may start stressing because everything will start to get messy and although this niggles us too, all turns out well in the end. Be prepared for the custard and filling to seep out the sides. Also be prepared for uncooperative apples…they will try to escape.
One thing to ensure is that you want to get the pastry rolled as tight as you can. We know with the apples it may be a bit difficult, but if you’ve sliced them thin enough, they shouldn’t give you too much hassle and won’t affect the end result. Try to hold them down as much as you can whilst rolling and take your time
Another important thing to remember is to watch the temperature in the kitchen. Just know that if you do decide to make this recipe and it’s a hot day, you may encounter some trouble with the pastry. It will work against you and you may feel like crying. You may experience the roll not being as tight as you would because the pastry was sticking to the surface. Just know that this is normal and we’ve also given a solution below if you’re a bit of a perfectionist.
Once you’ve sliced your log, you may feel that the swirls aren’t as tight as you would’ve liked. Don’t fret, you can leave them to rest for a bit to help the pastry to rise, which should fill in some of the gaps. Alternatively, simply reshape the swirls with your hands, gently squeezing into a tighter swirl or squash the danishes down a little on the baking sheet.
When cutting the swirls you may want to chop the ends off first so you have perfect danishes and a clean starting place. We usually cut them, but still bake the little excess guys we’ve chopped off…because wasting this stuff is criminal.
| Servings |
swirls
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- 350 g puff pastry *shop bought or homemade
- 2 apples Preferably Granny Smith, Bramley or any other cooking apple
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 50 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 50 g sulatanas
- 70 g custard optional
- 1 egg small
- 200 g icing sugar
- 3-4 tbsp water
Ingredients
Apple Cinnamon Filling
Icing Glaze
|
|
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 fan).
- Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle and place landscape on the counter.
- Mix the sugar, butter and cinnamon in a mixing bowl until smooth and spread the mixture onto the pastry, getting it right to the edges.
- Add the custard, one tablespoon at a time, and spread it across the cinnamon sugar mixture. This should be a thin layer otherwise it will get messy when you roll it.
- Slice up the apples into very thin circles or semi circles. We use a mandoline for this but a knife is fine!
- Lay the apples down on top. If you have very thin slices you can overlap them but be aware if they are thicker, they may not cook through if overlapped. Leave a 1cm gap on the bottom edge.
- Sprinkle the sultanas/raisins evenly on top.
- Where you left a gap on the bottom edge, fold it in half and push down with your fingers to create a tight roll. Then continue to roll up the pastry into a log.
- Cut 1.5cm slices and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. You may need to reshape them slightly or press them down with your fingers.
- Whisk your egg and brush the top of the swirls lightly with the egg.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is a nice golden brown.
- While the swirls are cooking, mix the icing sugar and water in a bowl until smooth.
- Once cooled, drizzle the icing over the pastries. Enjoy!!
Handy Equipment:
- Mandoline
- Apple Corer
- Rolling Pin
For a vegan alternative, more information is provided in the blog post.
*Whether you make your pastry or where you buy it, depends on how much you’ll have. Approximately, for the danishes you should have between 320-375g pastry. How much pastry you use, results in more or less danishes made.
Comments (1)
I really liked your blog. Much thanks again. Keep writing. Athena Alleyn Shaver