White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake

If you're looking for a festive and delicious dessert, look no further than white chocolate cranberry cheesecake.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 30

Course: Cakes, Christmas, Dessert, Thanksgiving

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 498kcal

Author: Susan Ensley

Ingredients

For the Cranberry Sauce

12 oz whole cranberries
½ c white sugar
1 tbs cornstarch
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ c orange juice
½ tsp vanilla extract

For the Crust

8 oz Biscoff cookies
¼ c white sugar
5 tbs unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake

24 oz cream cheese room temperature
½ c white sugar
10 oz white chocolate chips
½ c half and half cream
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ c flour

For the Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting

3 oz cream cheese room temperature
⅓ c powdered sugar
1 c heavy whipping cream chilled
½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cranberry Sauce

Wash the cranberries, then transfer them to a medium saucepan. Then add the white sugar, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, and orange juice.
Heat on medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil and the berries begin to pop.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Using an immersion blender, purée the cranberries until all of the whole berries are gone.
Place a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, making sure there are a couple of inches between the bottom and bottom of the bowl, and transfer the mixture to the strainer.
Using a silicone spatula, begin stirring the sauce and pressing it through the strainer. Continue doing this until all of the liquid has gone and you are only left with the pulp of the berries in the strainer.
Discard the pulp that is left in the strainer and transfer the smooth gel like sauce into a smaller bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature while you are preparing the rest of the cheesecake.

To Make the Crust

Start by adding Biscoff cookies and white sugar to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the multi-purpose or “S” blade. With the top to the food processor secure, turn it on and let it run until all the ingredients are finely ground, about a minute or two.
With the food processor running, drizzle the butter through the feed shoot at the top. Let the food processor run until the crumbs stick together.
Using extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap a double layer around the outside of a 9-inch springform pan, making sure that the foil comes all the way up to the top of the pan.
Transfer the crust crumbs from the food processor into the prepared pan. Press the crumbs together, covering the bottom and the sides of the pan using your hands.
Bake for 10 minutes in a 350° oven, then transfer to a wire rack and cool while preparing the filling.
After you’ve removed the crust from the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Then, prepare your water bath by placing a large roasting pan or baking dish that your cheesecake pan will fit in, into the oven with one kettle full of boiling water.

To Make the White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake

Using an electric mixer, beat the room-temperature cream cheese in a large bowl for about two minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
Add the sugar and beat for about two minutes until smooth and creamy.
Combine the white chocolate chips and the half and half cream in a microwave proof bowl. Heat them in the microwave at 50% power for 30-second increments, stirring after each heating, until all the chips are melted. Then, using a whisk, blend the mixture until everything is smooth and well combined.
Pour the white chocolate mixture into the bowl with the cream cheese and blend with your electric mixer until everything is smooth and well combined.
Add the vanilla extract and blend until well combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just incorporated after each egg addition.
Give the bowl a good scrape and add then add flour. Beat until just combined.
Transfer about three or four scoops of the cheesecake mixture into the prepared crust using a large 2-½ inch ice cream scoop. Then, spread the filling to cover the entire pan's bottom.
Next, using a smaller 1-½ inch ice cream scoop, transfer about three or four scoopfuls of the cranberry sauce on top of the cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust.
Then, using a chopstick, gently swirl the cheesecake mixture and cranberry sauce together. It's important not to over mix when swirling.
Next, using the large 2-½ inch ice cream scoop, transfer about three or four more scoopfuls of the cheesecake mixture on top of the swirled layer. Make sure that you try to cover all of the cranberry sauce from the previous layer.
Then, using the smaller 1-½ inch ice cream scoop, transfer about three or four more scoopfuls of cranberry sauce on top of the cream cheese mixture. At this point, you should reserve about ½ cup of the cranberry sauce for topping the cheesecake before serving.
Then, using the chopstick, gently swirl everything together, making sure you don't over mix when swirling.
Then, using the large 2-½ inch ice cream scoop, transfer the remaining cheesecake mixture on top of the swirled layer. Make sure that you try to cover all of the cranberry sauce from the previous layer.
Then, using the chopstick, gently swirl everything together, making sure you don't over mix when swirling.
Place the cheesecake into the prepared water bath pan in the oven. Then add another kettle full of boiling water so that the water comes up to about the middle of the cheesecake pan.
Bake at 325°F for 1 hour. After an hour, turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for half an hour. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN until you are ready to remove your cheesecake.
Carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Do not try and remove the entire water bath pan from the oven. Place the cheesecake on a dish towel on top of a wire rack.
When the pan is cool enough to touch, remove the aluminum foil, and continue to cool on the wire rack until the cheesecake is at room temperature. Place uncovered overnight in the refrigerator.

To Make the Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting

Combine the room-temperature cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl and, using a hand mixer, beat for about two minutes or until well combined.
Next, add the vanilla extract and chilled heavy whipping cream. Beat with the hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
Transfer to a piping bag with a 1M large star tip, making sure you don’t overfill your piping bag, and set aside.

To Finish the White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake

Remove the cheesecake from the pan.
Spread the reserved ½ cup of cranberry sauce in a thin layer over the top.
Then, using the prepared piping bag filled with the stabilized whipped cream, pipe a circle of small swirls around the edge of the white chocolate cranberry cheesecake.
Yield 16 servings.

Nutrition