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.
Can I make the candied cranberries 2 nights before I make the rest of the cheesecake?
You can, but the moisture from the cranberries will make the sugar damp, which will affect their appearance and they won’t look as pretty. However, they will still taste great!
Do I turn the oven off at 35 minutes bake time? And then let it sit in the heat for the rest of the 70-odd minutes? This part confused me. Thanks so much!!!
Hi Destiny, I think there might be a misunderstanding. I’m not sure where you saw 35 minutes, but the cheesecake does NOT get turned off at that point. Please follow step 20: ‘Bake for 70-75 minutes. Then turn off the oven, open the oven door halfway, and let the cheesecake rest for about 10 minutes. Afterward, take it out of the oven, remove it from the roasting pan, and carefully take off the foil.’ Let me know if you still have questions!
Absolutely amazing and delicious! The pop of those cranberries in your mouth, balanced with the sweetness of the mousse, enhanced with the vanilla bean… perfection!
Thank you, Kristina!
Hi Lyubab.
How long will the mousse last with the cool whip folded in? It is going to a restaurant and it all won’t all be served right away.
Thank you
Hi Lyubab.
How long will the mousse last with the cool whip folded in? It is going to a restaurant and it all won’t be served right away.
Thank you
This was such a hit for Thanksgiving!! Some of the comments:
“Killer”
“Amazing”
“Really good”
“My favorite cheesecake I’ve had in a long time”
“My favorite dessert that you’ve ever made (over 11 years!)
Wow, thank you so much for sharing this! It’s incredible to hear how much your family and friends loved the cheesecake—what an honor to have it called a favorite after 11 years of desserts! 😊 Your comment made my day, and I’m so happy it was a hit for Thanksgiving. I hope it brings just as much joy if you make it again for Christmas! 🎄🍰
I’m going somewhere different for Christmas and will offer to bring this!
My family voted this as their favorite cheesecake!
Thank you for sharing that—what an incredible compliment! 😊 I’m so happy your family loved the Christmas cheesecake enough to crown it their favorite. It means so much to hear it was such a hit.
What temperature do you bake it at? Maybe I missed it.
Hi Pamela, the temperature is in step 8 and it is 325. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Looks amazing! Can you make the cheesecake a day or two in advance and add mousse and cranberries day of?
Delicious, even if you ‘re not a cranberry fan you must try. And the candied cranberries are perfect.
Thank you! I am so glad you like it!
Would this freeze well? I made this a couple years ago and it was a huge hit, absolutely decadent and beautiful. So I am making again this year but need to make several days ahead of time. I know the cheesecake itself should freeze fine but not about freezing it with the candied cranberries. Have you ever?
You can freeze this cheesecake, but I recommend waiting to add the candied cranberries until closer to serving time. Freezing and defrosting the cranberries can cause the sugar coating to become wet and lose its pretty appearance.
Made this cheese cake multiple time and it’s a hit every Christmas.
Thank you for sharing.
I am so glad you like it! 🙂
Have you made this with a ginger snap crust?
I haven’t tried it with a gingersnap crust. Just a heads-up, gingersnaps have a strong flavor that might overpower some of the other flavors in the cheesecake. If you’re a fan of gingersnaps, though, I think it will still turn out great! If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out!