Lemon cream cheese puff pastry braid

Thank heavens for pre-prepared, ready-rolled puff pastry. It makes complicated-looking delights like this puff pastry braid with lemon curd and cream cheese surprisingly simple to make. There are no fresher flavours than zesty lemon curd, and the cream cheese sets off the tartness of the lemon perfectly, adding the ideal level of creaminess.

Ingredients

• 375g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
• 1/2 cup lemon curd
• 140g cream cheese
• 3 tablespoon icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2. Place the puff pastry sheet onto the tray. Score the pastry sheet into thirds lengthways. The centre one is for your filling, so leave this.

3. On the outer two sides of your pastry, slice off the corner diagonally at the top of the sheet.

4. Slice diagonally down both outer sides of your pastry, following the initial angle you created, to make approximately 2.5cm thick braids.

5. Cut the excess triangle of pastry between the centre and side pieces at the bottom.

6. Spread the lemon curd along the middle section of your pastry.

7. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and cornflour together a small bowl until well combined and smooth. Spread this mixture on top of the lemon curd. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfect.

8. Take one strip from the left hand side and fold over the lemon curd filling, then repeat with the right hand side. Repeat all the way down until you have a braid.

9. Fold the small piece of pastry at the end up over the lemon curd mixture to stop it leaking out.

10. Brush with the lightly beaten egg and then bake for 17-22 minutes, until pastry is golden.

11. Leave to cool for 30 minutes before dusting with icing sugar, slicing and serving.