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 (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 sugar or super fine 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.)
- Crust:
- 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
Nutrition
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I loved this recipe.I did add some orange juice and rind to my cranberry jam.I also used a gingerbread cookie crust.I hate fake whipped cream I used stabilized real whipped cream it was a very good cheese cake I will make it again for Christmas.
I am so glad you liked it, Frances!
Should I grease the pan ?
Hi Elizabeth,
No, I do not grease the pan.
Absolutely the best cheesecake! Tastes fantastic and looks beautiful. It’s become a holiday must have dessert in our house. Directions are easy to follow and results look just like the photo. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Absolutely the best cheesecake! Tastes fantastic and looks beautiful. It’s become a holiday must have dessert in our house. Directions are easy to follow and results look just like the photo. Thanks for such a great recipe!
I am so glad you liked it!
I love cheesecake and definitely adding this to the list. I’ve made a root beer float one in the summer once and it was a hit too. But I now eat KETO so I’m looking here for more Keto style meals recipes. Some cheesecake recipes work for that too without the crust or a modified one.
A root beer cheesecake sounds very interesting! I hope you give my Christmas Cheesecake a try, my family loves it! 🙂
Have you ever tried putting your springform pan in a cake pan that is only 1” bigger, then putting in a larger pan of
water bath? This saves wrapping with aluminum foil and risking water getting in. I use this technique and love it.
I haven’t but that is a good idea, I will have to give it a try.
Would it work if the plan is 2 inches in diameter larger than the actual cheesecake pan? That means there would be about one inch around the entire cheesecake.
The cheesecake needs to be wrapped in foil and put in the hot water so it cooks evenly.
I made this today and going to cut into it tomorrow. What is your best way to slice it?
I like to use a sharp knife and cleaning the knife in between every slice will make the slices prettier. I hope you love it! 🙂
I have made a lot of cheesecakes in my day, but this was the best one by far!!! Made it for my sister’s birthday last year and will make it again this year for Christmas! Would post a pic but couldn’t find where to do that.
Thank you, Jan! What a compliment I am so glad you like it so much!
I’ve made this many times it’s so delicious and a big hit and my husbands request every time I say what dessert do you want , And I say again !!! Lol!
It is a lot of work but we’ll worth it
It is definitely a labor of love but I agree it’s worth it! 😉
Will placing a pan of water in the bottom of oven while cheesecake is cooking work as well as placing the aluminum foil covered springform pan in a roaster with water?
No, that is not the water bath technique. You will need to cook it in the water to get the same results. The water bath is not just creating moisture it is creating a heat barrier as well.
I cheat. I take a large slow cooker liner and place the foil wrapped pan inside before placing in the water. Never leaks.
This is a great idea!
Anything that isn’t sweet will work. The cranberries are a little tart and with all of the white chocolate, etc, being sweet, it makes it just right. My whole family loved this when I made last year and I’ve already told them to be expecting it again. It is now a Christmas tradition.
I would like to use blackberry or red raspberry jam. Would either of those work well with this recipe?
Hi Val,
Yes you could make it with either of those.