Christmas Cheesecake (Cranberry Jam White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake)
Amazing Christmas Cheesecake to make your holiday season as delicious and magical as you imagine! This heavenly dessert is a vanilla bean cheesecake layered with an easy cranberry jam and smooth white chocolate mousse.
CHRISTMAS DESSERT
It’s no wonder that this time of year is referred to as “the season of baking.” It seems like I bake every day in December. Making treats for holiday parties, making edible gifts, making cookies with kids, and of course, Christmas dinner dessert. That is a lot of baking for one month.
My favorite parts of holiday baking is making gingerbread man cookies with my little man and coming up with a Christmas dinner dessert. Making cookies is the best tradition for kids and one they remember the most as they grow up. While making cookies is the best memory for the kids, I make Christmas dessert cake for adults. I like to go big with dessert because it’s the grand finale of every dinner and party. If I could rig fireworks to go off when I bring out the dessert, I would. Until then, the dessert will have to speak for itself.
Oh boy, does this dessert speak for itself!
This cheesecake will make your holidays MAGICAL. Between the sweet and tart cranberry jam, silky vanilla bean cheesecake and smooth white chocolate mousse, this dessert is a heavenly combination of flavors and textures.
The candied cranberries on top of this cheesecake are totally OPTIONAL. It takes a while to make them so you can just decorate the cheesecake with white chocolate mousse if you don’t want to deal with the cranberries.
Not to say that it’s not worth it. I LOVE candied cranberries. When I was little, it was my favorite winter treat. So if you love candied cranberries, you can even make a double batch and use some for the cheesecake and the rest to snack on.
MORE HOLIDAY DESSERTS TO TRY
White Chocolate Cranberry Soft and Chewy Crinkle Cookies
Cranberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
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Christmas Cheesecake Recipe (Cranberry Jam White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake)
Ingredients
Cranberry Jam:
- 16 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
Crust:
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 5 Tbsp butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling:
- 24 oz cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
White Chocolate Mousse:
- 8 oz baking white chocolate bars (2-4 oz bars)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz whipped topping like COOL Whip
Candied Cranberries: (Optional)
- 8 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup fine white granulated sugar or caster sugar
Instructions
Candied Cranberries (overnight):
- Combine water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a sauce pot, over medium heat. Heat the mixture until sugar is all dissolved, while stirring slowly. Take off heat.
- Let the mixture cool a bit before adding cranberries. Add cranberries, stir, cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Drain cranberries in a colander.
- Add 1/2 cup of sugar to a shallow bowl and coat cranberries is sugar. Set aside until ready to decorate.
Quick Cranberry Jam:
- In a sauce pot, over medium heat, combine cranberries, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well cook cranberries stirring often. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Take off heat and let it cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ degrees and grease a 9 inch springform pan. You will need a large roasting pan that’s bigger and longer than the springform pan. (I use the aluminum foil disposable ones). If you are not sure about your springform holding up in water, you can wrap the outside of the springform pan in heavy duty aluminum foil from bottom up to the sides. (I recommend wrapping the outside of the springform in foil before adding the crust and cheesecake batter.)
Cheesecake:
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir very well, until all incorporated. Press graham cracker mixture into the pan, evenly, all over the bottom and about half way up the side.
- Spread half of the cranberry jam over the crust.
Cheesecake:
- Start beating cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla extract, and sour cream. Mix until combined.
- Add eggs, one at the time, beating after each addition. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and beat until all incorporated.
- Lower speed and add corn starch. While on medium-low speed, pour in heavy cream. Mix until all combined, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again until smooth.
- Cut vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds into the cheesecake batter. Mix well until incorporated throughout.
- Spoon all of the cheesecake batter into the springform, over the jam.
- Place roasting pan into the oven and place the cheesecake springform pan inside the roasting pan. Carefully add water to the roasting pan, about half way up the side of the springform.
- Bake for 70-75 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door half way. Let cheesecake rest for about 10 minutes and take it out of the oven (out of the roasting pan and carefully take off the foil).
- Let it rest for 20 minutes on the counter and then gently run a greased butter knife between sides of the cheesecakes and the springform to carefully separate it. (You don't actually have to take the cheesecake out of the pan until ready to add topping.)
- Cool cheesecake for an hour.
- Spread remaining cranberry jam over the top of the cheesecake. Cover the pan with saran wrap and place the cheesecake in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before adding the mousse.
White Chocolate Mousse:
- Break up white chocolate bars and melt them according the to package instructions.
- Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes.
- Drizzle in melted white chocolate while continuing to beat cream cheese. Mix well.
- Fold in whipped topping gently until all combined.
- Spread white chocolate mousse over the top of the cheesecake. You can separate the mousse in two batches and use one batch to decorate with a frosting tip.
- If using candied cranberries, spread them on top of the white chocolate mousse.
Video
Notes
- Without topping: This is the best way to freeze it is without frosting or sugared cranberries. Bake and cool the cheesecake, skip the mousse and cranberries, wrap air-tight in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then add the topping and decorations.
Nutrition
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I am a bit confused with the baking instructions for the cheesecake, do I really turn the oven off after 35-40 minutes? My fear is that the cheesecake will be semi-raw. Also, you did not address the mention that there might be an unnecessarily large amount of butter in the crust which then oozes out and makes the crust too soft and messy.
Theses recipes are too die-for do not miss out 👍
Aw, thank you so much, Doreen! 🙂
Can I use fresh strawberries instead of cranberries? Would I make the jam the same way? I want to make this for my parent’s 60th anniversary. Thanks!!
Hi Denise,
I think you can make it as I did with strawberries instead of cranberries. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Love love this. I made it for thanksgiving and now I make it for friends birthday. And family. Beat recipe ever.
Thank you, Teresa!
I need to make this cheesecake tonight (Bad planning) Cranberries are not in season or in stock. I was going to go with raspberries, do you think I can candy them? Do you ever pre-bake your crust?
Hi Heather, I think raspberries would be really good and I do think you can candy them. I don’t usually prebake the crust for the cheesecake.
This is the GREATEST dessert in the whole world!!!!! Do you have a simmilar recipe for another fruit like currants, sour cherries, eldi berries, logan berries. — i headed this way to not go so sweet with the base fruit. Look forwrd to your reply
Wow! Thank you, Tom! That’s such a nice compliment! I haven’t tried those fruits but I think you could go through the same steps with them as you do the cranberries.
Beautiful and tasted excellent
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Linda!
I’ve made this the last two years for Christmas and I LOVE it!! I’m making mini cheesecakes for a party and was wondering (since this is the best cheesecake ever) if you think your recipe will work
Thank You!
Yes, you could make mini cheesecakes you will need to bake them without a water bath 18-20 minutes. I would recommend using parchment paper liners because they don’t stick like the other liners.
No fresh cranberries to be found. Can fresh cherries be substituted?
Yes, you could use cherries or even raspberry or blueberries.
Excellent cheese cake! Sugared cranberries add just the right amount of tartness. This is a very rich desert. I did not use the cranberry jelly on the bottom.
Thanks, Mary. Glad you liked it.
Hello, can I use frozen blackberries ? If so , should I thaw them first . I made this for Christmas and it is delicious!
Yes, you can and you would need to thaw them first.
Can the pan go into a larger springform pan and then have the water bath around that? Or does the water bath really need to touch the pan the cheesecake is in? I really want to solve for the water seepage issue. Can we use less butter in the crust? I think mine melted out a bit.
This recipe is divine! I absolutely love the flavors! It was a big hit with family and friends!
So glad you loved it!
I have never made a cheesecake and made this for Christmas Eve this year. It was absolutely delicious and so beautiful. Mine wasn’t quite as beautiful as the one in the recipe but it was still really pretty. I think that the candied cranberries really make the appearance of the dessert. It does take a long time to make because of the steps but it was well worth it!!! Delicious and beautiful.
Love it, have made it two years in a row now. I still struggle with the crust being wet. It did not seem like water this time, maybe butter or jam? Not horrible, just moist. I used both the aluminum wrap and the slow cooker bag and there was definitely butter melted in that bag, but I didn’t sense water in the bag. I would love to solve for this better in future bakes as this is so popular and beautiful!
I put the jam in the middle of the cheesecake instead of on the crust.. just pour 1/2 of the cheesecake mixture onto of the crust. Spread the jam (more like dropped dollops of jam) then swirled it with a knife. Covered the whole thing up with the remaining cheesecake mixture.
Absolutely INCREDIBLE! I made this for Christmas and it was a hit!
A few tips:
I added a little powdered sugar to the buttercream frosting and a little less sugar to the cranberry jam to make it a little more tart! It was perfect!
I would post a picture of it, but can’t seem to figure out how to do that. 😆
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
Glad you liked it, Tenetra!
This year when I made this I wrapped my pan using the extra wide aluminum foil, which helped as there are no holes anywhere and then I put the cheesecake inside a crock pot liner. I then put the water on the outside of that. Not one drop of water got anywhere near my cheesecake!!!
Yay! I am so glad it turned out well, Linda!
Somehow my water bath seeped water through the foil into my cheesecake when I baked it on Christmas Eve, but even still, this was THE MOST DELICIOUS CHEESECAKE I’VE EVER HAD!!! Thankfully you couldn’t see the water damage too much from the outside, so it still looked beautiful! This is our new Christmas dessert!!!
I’m glad it still turned out good sometimes if you have an older spring form pan it won’t seal as well maybe that is what happened.
This is probably one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever tasted. Definitely the best I’ve ever made!!
Such a great combination of flavors and a gorgeous presentation.
The star of the dessert table for sure!!!
Wow! Thank you for such a kind complement!
Wonderful and gorgeous. Made for Christmas dinner and it was hugely appreciated! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe ❤️
You’re so welcome! I am so pleased you liked it!