Easy Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish

I found out about kings hawaiian cheesecake danish from a Facebook post in one of my baking groups last year. Someone posted a picture of these pastries they'd gotten at a King's Hawaiian bakery outlet, and the comments went crazy. Half the people wanted to know where to buy them. The other half said they'd been making them at home using regular King's Hawaiian sweet rolls from the grocery store. That's what got me interested enough to try it.

Took me five tries to get these right. First batch I left them in too long and the rolls got hard. Second time I put in too much cream cheese and it leaked all over the pan. By round five, I'd worked out the timing and how much filling to use. liam helped taste-test every version, which he was thrilled about since it meant eating sweet bread with cream cheese filling for a week.

A simple, delicious pastry made from Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish sweet rolls filled with a creamy cheesecake filling and topped with a sweet glaze. This is a fun and quick way to create bakery-style pastries at home.

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Why You'll Love This Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish

I've made these about fifteen times now, and here's what I know. You don't need baking skills or weird ingredients. Just Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish sweet rolls from the grocery store, cream cheese, sugar, and stuff you probably have sitting around. The rolls do most of the work since they're already sweet and soft. You're just shoving filling in them and baking.

These cost way less than bakery pastries. A 12-pack of Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish is around four bucks. Cream cheese maybe three dollars. You can make a whole pan for under ten dollars, and they taste better than the seven-dollar pastries at fancy places. liam's teacher asked where I bought them when I sent some for his class party.

They're fast too. I can make these in the morning before work if I need to bring something somewhere. Twenty minutes putting them together, thirty minutes baking, done. No yeast, no rolling dough, no waiting for anything to rise. The rolls are already made so you're just assembling and baking. Works even on busy days when you don't have time for real baking.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish
• Ingredients For Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish
• Step by Step Method
• Storing Your Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish
• Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish Variations
• Equipment For Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish
• Substitutions
• Top Tip
• FAQ
• Time to Make These Easy Pastries!
• Related
• Pairing
• Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish

Ingredients For Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish

Main Stuff:

• 1 package King's Hawaiian sweet rolls
• 8 oz cream cheese
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Egg
• Butter

For the Glaze:

• Powdered sugar
• Milk or cream
• Vanilla extract

Optional:

• Cinnamon
• Fruit preserves
• Lemon zest

See recipe card for quantities.

Step by Step Method

Get Everything Ready

• Heat your oven to 350°F
• Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter or spray
• Take the cream cheese out if it's still cold - needs to be soft
• Don't separate the rolls yet, keep them attached

Make the Cream Cheese Filling

• Beat the soft cream cheese in a bowl until it's smooth with no lumps
• Add about ⅓ cup sugar and beat it in
• Crack in one egg and mix until combined
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla and mix
• Should look smooth and thick, kind of like thick frosting

Prep the Rolls

• Keep the 12 rolls connected in their rectangle shape
• Use a sharp knife to slice the whole thing in half horizontally - like you're making a sandwich
• You'll have a top half and bottom half, both still connected
• Put the bottom half in your greased baking dish

Assemble These

• Spread all the cream cheese filling on the bottom layer of rolls
• Get it to the edges so every bite has filling
• Put the top layer of rolls back on - it's okay if it doesn't line up perfect
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter and brush it over the top
• Sprinkle with a little sugar if you want

Bake Them

• Put in the oven for 25-30 minutes
• They should be golden brown on top and the filling should be set, not jiggly
• Let them cool for 10 minutes before cutting
• Cut into 12 squares along the roll lines

Make the Glaze

• Mix about 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons milk
• Add a splash of vanilla
• Stir until smooth - should drizzle off a spoon
• Pour over the warm pastries

Storing Your Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish

From making these a lot, here's what I know about keeping them fresh without the filling getting weird:

Counter Storage (2 days):

• Keep them in the pan covered with foil or plastic wrap
• They're fine at room temperature for a couple days
• Don't stack them or they stick together
• Keep away from heat or they get soggy

Fridge Storage (5 days):

• Cover the pan tight with plastic wrap or foil
• They firm up cold but taste fine
• Take them out 15 minutes before eating so they're not cold
• Cream cheese filling stays good in the fridge longer than on the counter

Freezer Storage (1 month):

• Wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap tight
• Put them all in a freezer bag
• Thaw on the counter for an hour before eating
• Or microwave for 20 seconds if you want them warm
• The glaze gets a little sticky after freezing but still tastes fine

Reheating Tips:

• Microwave for 15-20 seconds makes them soft again
• Oven at 300°F for 5 minutes if you want them all warm
• Don't overheat or the cream cheese gets runny
• Add fresh glaze after reheating if the old glaze looks crusty

Make-Ahead:

• You can assemble these the night before and bake in the morning
• Cover tight with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge
• Add 5 minutes to bake time since they're cold
• Don't add the glaze until after baking

Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish Variations

I've messed with this Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish a lot when I got bored or had stuff to use up. Here's what worked:

Berry Cream Cheese:

• Spread strawberry or blueberry jam on bottom layer before cream cheese
• Or mix a few tablespoons of preserves into the cream cheese filling
• Makes it pink or purple and adds fruit flavor
• Kids like this version better

Cinnamon Roll Style:

• Mix 2 tablespoons cinnamon with ¼ cup sugar
• Sprinkle half on bottom layer, half on cream cheese
• Drizzle with cream cheese glaze instead of regular glaze
• Tastes like cinnamon rolls but easier

Lemon Cheesecake:

• Add zest from one lemon to the cream cheese filling
• Use lemon juice instead of milk in the glaze
• Top with fresh blueberries after baking
• Less sweet, more tangy

Chocolate Chip:

• Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the cream cheese before adding top layer
• Or mix them into the filling
• Drizzle with chocolate instead of white glaze
• liam's favorite version

Apple Pie Style:

• Spread apple pie filling on bottom instead of plain cream cheese
• Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
• Skip the glaze or use caramel instead
• Good for fall

Equipment For Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish

• 9x13 inch baking dish
• Mixing bowl
• Sharp serrated knife
• Spoon or hand mixer
• Pastry brush

Substitutions

I've had to substitute stuff plenty of times when I didn't have everything or ran out mid-recipe. Here's what works and what doesn't:

Roll Options:

• Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish → Regular Hawaiian sweet bread loaf (slice it yourself into layers)
• Sweet rolls → Texas toast (won't be as good but works in a pinch)
• 12-pack → 24-pack mini rolls (bake for less time, about 20 minutes)
• Fresh rolls → Day-old discounted ones work fine

Cream Cheese Swaps:

• Full-fat cream cheese → Light cream cheese (runnier filling, still tastes okay)
• Brick cream cheese → Cream cheese spread in a tub (too soft, doesn't work well)
• Regular → Neufchâtel cheese (basically the same thing)
• Dairy → Dairy-free cream cheese (Kite Hill brand, but texture is different)

Sugar Changes:

• White sugar → Brown sugar in the filling (adds caramel taste)
• Granulated → Honey (makes filling runnier, use less)
• Powdered sugar glaze → Skip it entirely and just dust with powdered sugar
• Regular → Artificial sweetener doesn't work right in the filling

Add-Ins That Work:

• Plain filling → Strawberry preserves on bottom before cream cheese
• Regular → Blueberry preserves mixed into filling
• Standard → Cinnamon and sugar sprinkled in the filling
• Basic → Lemon zest in the cream cheese

What Doesn't Work:

• Don't use regular dinner rolls - they're not sweet enough
• Don't use whipped cream cheese - too airy and doesn't set
• Don't skip the egg in the filling - it won't firm up right
• Don't use store-bought frosting instead of glaze - way too sweet

FAQ

Time to Make These Easy Pastries!

You've got everything now to make kings hawaiian cheesecake danish at home without needing a bakery. All the steps I walked you through - keeping the rolls stuck together while slicing, mixing sour cream with cream cheese for lighter filling, brushing with honey butter for that shiny golden top - these turned a Facebook post I stumbled on into something I've made at least twenty times over the past year. Way easier than making real Danish from scratch and tastes just as good for way less money than bakeries charge.

Want more desserts that look harder than they are? Our Best Mango Key Lime Pie Recipe uses mangos to make key lime less sour - good for people who think regular key lime makes your face pucker too much. Our Healthy Honey Peach Cream Cheese Cupcakes use real peaches and honey so they stay moist almost a week without drying out like normal cupcakes. And our Easy Coconut Cloud Cake looks like you spent all day on multiple layers when really it comes together way faster - super light and fluffy instead of dense and heavy.

Share your Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish when you make them! I look at what people post because sometimes someone changes something and it works better than mine.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rate this Kings Hawaiian Cheesecake Danish and comment if you tried a variation or found a shortcut.

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Pairing

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