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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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.
My family loved it!! Said it’s the best cheesecake I’ve ever made!
I made this for Christmas Day as I had a number of people coming for dinner. My daughter and son-in-law have informed me that this was “Cheesecake Factory” worthy!! I am taking that as a really really good compliment!
This was amazing and so pretty! It was my first time making a cheesecake and it came out perfectly. The only thing I changed was that I didn’t put it in a water bath (I was too nervous to do that). Instead, I put a 13×9 cake pan full of boiling water on the rack underneath it. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Trisha,
I am really happy you liked it! Thanks for stopping by to let me know. 🙂
This was the best cheesecake I’ve ever made…..changed the graham cracker crust to a vanilla wafer crust and it was amazing. Will definitely be making again, it was a hit! DELICIOUS……
Yay! I am so happy to hear that! Thank you!
Maybe I missed it, but all of your ingredients for the cheesecake filling, eggs, cream cheese, etc, MUST be at room temperature
Hello everyone! This recipe is the best cheesecake ever. For once, my cheesecake did not crack. I did change a couple of things. I had homemade cranberry sauce in the freezer, heated this gently with some raspberry jam. Let it cool. I tried to spread onto the crust, but that did not work well. Remade the crust and poured about half of batter into pan, then dropped the jam by spoonfuls over cake batter, swirled with a knife, and topped with remaining batter. My cake baked to perfection in 70 min. Honestly, I thought the cake was overdone because it did not jiggle in the center. No worries, it was perfectly baked. The mousse topping was a fantastic addition, and I was able to pipe it with little effort. Everyone raved about it. My son, who is super picky, said it was better than the cheesecake factory. The sugared cranberries were a beautiful addition. Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
Wow! What an amazing compliment! Your so very welcome and I am so glad you liked it!
The sharpness of the cranberries were a perfect pair with the creaminess and sweetness of the cheesecake and mouse! This was a hit around our Christmas table! The directions made it very simple to feel and look like a proficient baker.
I am so glad you liked it, Laura! Thanks for stopping by!
Loved this! Recieved rave reviews! Thank you!
So glad to hear that, Dawn!
This was divine! It was my first time making a cheesecake. I found the video helpful in confirming the consistency of my jam and and the white chocolate mousse. I made homemade whipped cream instead of using cool whip for the mousse. The whole family loved it. The cranberry jam really helps balance the dessert. I would definitely make this again with zero changes. I made sure to give myself enough time to let everything cool sufficiently before going to the next step. Going to try and find cranberries to freeze tomorrow as we only have them in November and December around here. Thank you for sharing your recipe. We love it!
Thank you, Danielle! I love that you all loved it! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know! 🙂
Any suggestions for instant pot ?
Thinking 40 minutes, natural release.
Made this yesterday for today’s Christmas celebration. Instructions were very easy to follow. It looks absolutely beautiful! My sister made it as well! We had both found it to be an awesome dessert.
Awesome! I am so glad you liked it!!
I am glad you liked it! 🙂
None! Just keep stirring… the cranberries will break down after a few minutes and create their own juice.
How much water for the cranberry jam?
Deliciously light & bright cheesecake. Mine turned out beautiful but I think it should be noted that extra wide foil should be used, not the regular width. Unfortunately the crust of mine was all soggy because water did seep in even though I used 3 layers of foil to try to protect the water from getting in.
I am so sorry that happend! I am glad you still liked it though.
Can I make the white chocolate mousse the day before?
While making this, I got to step #18 and added the jam, it didn’t specify to use only half the jam, so when I got to step #23 there was no more jam! Praying for the results to workout ok.
First time making cheesecake,
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
I didn’t have enough jam. Half of the jam didn’t even cover part of the crust. I ended up making a double batch. Also how long is the mousse supposed to set before being put on?
Was worth the time and effort, substituted vanilla extract for vanilla bean. Everyone loved it, making it again this year.
I am so glad you liked it, Sue!
Hi there.
I was wondering if this cheesecake can be frozen?
Can I substitute Ghiradelli white baking chips for the white chocolate bars?
Melissa, that’s what I used. 8 Oz of the 10 Oz bag. It was perfect.
Thank you, my cheesecake is in the fridge and I’m gonna make the moose tomorrow it’s dessert for tomorrow night.
Thank you, the chocolate chips worked perfect. The only issue I had was that even though I drizzled the white chocolate, when it connected with the cream cheese it made some little chunks of chocolate solids, and then it would not pipe through my piping tool. I’m not great at decorating so I went ahead and just kept it flat with the candied cranberries on top. This was the most delicious cheesecake, a definite keeper. It is beautiful as well. The tartness of the cranberries made it delicious, and the candied cranberries are delicious to snack on just as they are. Next time I will use a larger hole when piping on the decorations.
I am so glad it worked out for you, Melissa! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know!
Maybe a silly question but I cannot find fresh cranberries anywhere in stores right now. I know you had mentioned that the candied cranberries on top are optional but what about the cranberry jam? I managed to get 1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce…can I work with that somehow?
I found large bags at Costco! Not sure what State you’re in, but maybe they’ll have them for you? I’m trying this for this first time today so am not sure about the sauce.