Cranberry White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
This gorgeous and delicious cranberry white chocolate mousse cheesecake is an absolute showstopper of a holiday dessert!
And just look at those sugared cranberries! 😍 (You won’t believe how easy they are to make!) All of the different layers and components can be made ahead of time for quick assembly and baking. I’m walking you through everything below!
Quick Cranberry Jam
Absolutely integral to the recipe, this quick and easy cranberry jam is just:
- fresh cranberries
- granulated sugar
- water + a touch of fresh lemon juice + a tiny bit of vanilla extract
Simmer all of those ingredients until the cranberries pop and break down and the jam is super thick. It will thicken even a bit more as it cools.
Let it cool to room temperature. The jam can be made several days in advance.
How to Make Sugared Cranberries
I’ve always thought sugared cranberries to be one of the most beautiful garnishes ever. But I thought they were complicated to make.
Boy was I ever wrong! These sugared cranberries are simple as can be.
- Simmer sugar and water until the sugar dissolves making a simple syrup.
- Pour the simple syrup over fresh cranberries and let them sit in this mixture for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries from the simple syrup and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet (without touching or they’ll stick together).
- Let the cranberries dry for a few hours until they are sticky to the touch.
- Roll in granulated sugar.
That’s it! The sugared cranberries can be made several days in advance and keep best uncovered at room temperature (in a cool, dry spot).
Cheesecake Batter
The cheesecake batter in this recipe is egg-free and bakes up to the lightest, creamiest baked cheesecake you’ll ever meet.
It is amazing. And it comes with an ancestry that is loaded with rave reviews (started with this white chocolate mousse cheesecake which has now been made into a peppermint bark version, a pumpkin version, and now this epic cranberry cheesecake).
A bit of cornstarch in the batter helps thicken, as well as soften, the cheesecake batter for a luscious, ethereal result.
Also, because there aren’t any eggs in the recipe, this cheesecake isn’t prone to cracking like so many other baked cheesecake recipes.
Assembling Cranberry Cheesecake
The crust for this cheesecake bakes for a few minutes on its own before assembling the rest of the layers.
- First: crust
- Second: half of the cheesecake batter
- Third: half of the cooled cranberry jam
- Fourth: remaining cheesecake batter
At this point, the cheesecake is baked until the edges are set and the center is still a bit jiggly wiggly.
Once the cheesecake is mostly cooled, continue with the layers.
- Fifth: remaining cranberry jam
- Sixth: white chocolate mousse layer
Choosing the Right Springform Pan Size
The photos in this post show the cheesecake assembled and baked in a 9-inch springform pan {aff. link}.
You can see that it is very full. And that’s without the sweetened whipped cream layer. If using a 9-inch springform pan, make sure the sides are at least 3 inches tall.
A 10-inch springform pan {aff. link} will also work great for this recipe.
Either way, I prefer to either pipe the sweetened whipped cream around the edges or dollop on individual servings vs spreading over the top of the white chocolate mousse (no matter the size of pan).
Optional Layers
While undoubtedly beautiful, the sugared cranberries are completely optional for this cheesecake. They are only used for garnish (and for eating if people want to – I think they’re yummy!), but they aren’t integral to the recipe like the crust, cranberry jam, cheesecake batter or white chocolate mousse.
The sweetened whipped cream also makes a pretty and yummy garnish and helps cut through the richness of the cheesecake, but it also isn’t 100% necessary, and the cheesecake is delicious with or without.
If this recipe seems a bit much (I get it! It’s kind of intense!), you can easily ditch those two components for a more approachable, but still show-stopping, dessert.
Best Holiday Cheesecake
However, if you choose to accept this mission, I can guarantee that within a few hours (and after washing a bowl or two), you’ll be staring at one of the most delicious holiday cheesecakes in the history of ever.
The rivers of sweet and tart cranberry jam run through the soft and creamy cheesecake batter for an incredibly tasty contrast of flavors.
And the white chocolate mousse layer? It brings all the comfort of a weighted blanket during a nap after a stressful day. It settles in on top of the cheesecake with the confidence of the singular component needed to bring everything together into one astonishingly wonderful cheesecake.
There is so much to love about this cranberry white chocolate mousse cheesecake.
It’s gorgeous.
The holiday flavors are top notch.
It’s unique but not weird.
And it is truly one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had.
If you are looking for the perfect holiday dessert, this is the one. Read through the recipe entirely, because I think you’ll find that while it is lengthy and there are a lot of components, it really does come together quicker and more easily than you might think.
Grab that apron and get going! I promise it’ll be worth it.
One Year Ago: No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye Cookies
Two Years Ago: Samoas Chocolate Pudding Dessert {Coconut + Caramel}
Three Years Ago: Soft Gingerbread Swig Sugar Cookies {No Rolling or Cutting Out}
Four Years Ago: Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup {Quick and Easy}
Five Years Ago: Gingerbread Cookie Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Six Years Ago: Decadent Chocolate Caramel Tart
Seven Years Ago: One Pot Creamy White Lasagna Chicken Soup
Eight Years Ago: Chocolate Fudge Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Nine Years Ago: Cinnamon Caramels {Chocolate Dipped If You Dare}
Ten Years Ago: Chocolate Shortbread Fingers
Cranberry White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
Ingredients
Sugared Cranberries:
- 1 cup fresh cranberries (4 oz/113 g)
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
Quick Cranberry Jam:
- 4 cups fresh cranberries (16 oz/454 g)
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups (150 g) finely crushed graham crackers, about 9 to 10 rectangle graham crackers
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk (see note)
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, melted
Cheesecake Batter:
- 24 ounces (680 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup (227 g) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
White Chocolate Mousse:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (see note)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 ounces white chocolate (NOT almond bark, candy wafers or white chocolate chips), melted (see note)
Sweetened Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the sugared cranberries, place the cranberries in a medium bowl. Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan until simmering and the sugar is fully dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the mixture over the cranberries and stir them to coat. Let the cranberries sit in the simple syrup for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the cranberries with a slotted spoon, draining excess syrup, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet without touching (or they’ll stick together). Let them dry for one to two hours (it’s ok if they’re still a bit wet on the bottom but the top and sides should be sticky to the touch). Roll the cranberries in granulated sugar to coat and place in a bowl or on a tray. Set aside. The sugared cranberries can be made several days in advance. Cover and keep at room temperature.
- For the cranberry jam, combine all the ingredients except the vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 10-12 minutes until thick. Moderate heat so the jam doesn't burn. Stir in the vanilla. Scrape into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. The jam can be made several days in advance.
- For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the egg yolk and melted butter and mix until evenly combined.
- Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and just barely up the sides of a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan (will be very full if using 9-inch pan, make sure sides are at least 3 inches tall). If your pan is prone to leaking, place foil around the bottom and up the side on the outside of the pan before baking.
- Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Keep the oven on at 350 degrees F for the cheesecake.
- For the cheesecake layer, in a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese until super soft and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and cornstarch and mix until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Spread HALF of the cheesecake batter over the crust. Dollop HALF of the cooled cranberry jam over the cheesecake batter and gently spread around. If it has been chilled, it will be a bit harder to spread over the soft cheesecake batter, but it doesn't have to be perfect. Spread the remaining cheesecake batter over the top.
- Bake for 45 to 60 minutes (more time for a full 9-inch pan, likely a bit less time for a 10-inch pan), until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- When cool, dollop the rest of the cranberry jam over the top and spread evenly. It may not fully cover the cheesecake – it's ok if it is a bit patchy here and there.
- For the white chocolate mousse, in a medium bowl, beat the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the melted white chocolate and mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream mixing gently with a rubber spatula until evenly combined (see note). Spread the white chocolate mousse over the cranberry jam. Chill for 1 to 2 hours so the mousse layer can set up a bit.
- For the sweetened whipped cream, beat the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla together until peaks form. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the white chocolate mousse OR pipe around the edges.
- Garnish cheesecake or individual servings with sugared and/or fresh cranberries.
- The cheesecake can be made 1 to 2 days in advance. Add the sweetened whipped cream within 2 to 3 hours of serving and add sugared cranberries right before serving as both of those components can get liquidy (and the cranberries will lose their crackly sugar coating) if added to the cheesecake too far in advance.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Could I sub raspberries in for the cranberries without causing soggy cheesecake?
I haven’t tried this with raspberries…so I can’t say for sure but I *think* it might work just fine.
This cheesecake! I’ve never attempted cheesecake but this one was calling to me the second I saw your pictures. Made it for Christmas dinner and it turned out so beautiful and was even more delicious than I imagined. Will be making again every year! Thank you for helping me create such a masterpiece!
Gah! This cheesecake was DIVINE! I was planning on making it for Christmas but was devastated to discover that I couldn’t find fresh cranberries anywhere and I hadn’t stocked up enough. Miraculously, the cranberry chutney I made for Thanksgiving was still good (Mel’s recipe but without the savory ingredients) so I used that instead for the cranberry layer. It was met with rave reviews and we all inhaled it!
That’s amazing, Bonnie! So happy the cranberry chutney worked out so well in this cheesecake!
My daughter made this for New Year’s day—it was fabulous! It is light and delicious, as well as beautiful.
Happy new year, Susan! I’m glad this cheesecake worked out so well!
Delicious! I didn’t read the instructions properly, so I used almost all of the cranberry sauce in the first layer. I made a little bit more so I could do a second layer. Next time I’ll make sure I split the cranberry sauce so it’s not too cranberry 🙂
I baked the cheesecake at 325 for 1 hr in a 10″ pan and it was perfectly done.
A fair bit of work for a dessert, but it was worth it.
This belongs in my top 3 Christmas desserts, along with Sticky Toffee Pudding and Gingerbread Yule Log.
Thanks for another fantastic recipe! Wishing you a blessed New Year!
Hi Lorraine – thanks for the comment and review. I’m thrilled this cheesecake makes it into the top 3!
Absolute best cheesecake we’ve ever had! Time consuming, yes. Extra special and worth it, yes. My MIL said it was the perfect holiday dessert and we all agreed. It’s beautiful and SO delicious!
Yay, Rikki! So excited to read this comment – glad it was a hit!
My daughter made this for Christmas dessert. I can’t even describe how delicious it was!!!!
I’m so happy you liked it Christine, and even better – I’m glad someone made it for you!
So beautiful and so yummy! I love to make pretty food and then eat it. This one is a winner, Mel. No surprise there. Thanks!
Thanks, Angela! I agree about the pretty food.
Amazing! I made this for Christmas dinner and everyon who tried it loved it! Thanks, Mel!
Happy to hear that, Julie! yay!
Thanks for taking the time to leave reviews on the recipes you tried over the holidays, Julie!!
This cheesecake was really good but next time I’ll try it with raspberries!
Someone commented down below that they made it with raspberries and it was phenomenal!
Great idea!
Forgot to rate this when I left a comment yesterday….
This was delicious!! And a perfect Christmas dessert. My first time making a cheesecake and it turned out so well. I think next time I will chop the cranberries before making the jam, just to have smaller skin pieces in the finished product. But that’s just a personal texture issue.
Thanks for another yummy recipe!
I love reading the reviews on this cheesecake – yours, too, Kat! It’s always so helpful to know what people liked and what they might change. Thank you!
Mel, this cheesecake is The Best! The combination of the cheesecake, cranberry jam and white chocolate mouse layers is phenomenal. The jam has that tartness, the cheesecake is creamy and the white chocolate mouse is so light but full of flavor. I highly recommend the whipped cream on top, too. And the slices are so pretty! This recipe is a keeper. Well worth the effort. Thank you, Mel, for this wonderful recipe.
Thank you, Carol! You described this cheesecake perfectly! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Such a delicious cheesecake! My brother is a little picky about his cheesecake and said this was just the right texture.
I decided to use only about 3/4 of the recipe in my 9-inch tin and used strawberry jam for the layers and sliced strawberries on the top. I sill made the sugared cranberries (gorgeous!) and cranberry jam (tasty!) and made the cranberry cheesecake as written with the other 1/4 of the recipe in two mini tins.
It was time intensive but worth it for a very impressive dessert! We even ended up using the leftover cranberry jam in place of cranberry sauce with our turkey dinner tonight.
Yay, Lisa! Thanks for the detailed review! I love the strawberry/cranberry combo. Sounds amazing!
Could I half this and make it in a 3 inch high 6-inch Sprinform pan? I have a small family and don’t want too many leftovers. Thanks!
Hi Adelaide, I’m not entirely sure how a half batch would fit into a 6-inch pan, but it’s worth a try!
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was a huge hit! I made most of it the night before and did the white chocolate mousse layer the day of. I dolloped the whipped cream on each slice when serving and it really added a lot. It was a bit intense in flavour and very rich so not something I probably make outside of the holidays, but very nice and the directions were easy to follow!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know what you thought of this recipe, Ash! Really glad you liked it! I agree, it is definitely a special occasion type recipe!
Delicious! Even my non-cranberry lovers enjoyed this dessert. It was a lot of work to make it but for a special occasion like Christmas it was perfect!
Thanks, Michelle! I’m so happy this cheesecake was well-received (definitely makes it worth the work when people rave over it!)
I couldn’t find cranberries, so I used frozen raspberries instead (plus 1 T cornstarch to thicken the jam), keeping everything else the same, and this is the best cheesecake I’ve ever made. What a hit! Thank you so much for another killer recipe.
Sounds amazing, Sam! Thanks for including your variation with the raspberries!
This is just as good as it sounds! So good and definitely worth all the steps!
Thank you so much, Sharon!
Hi there – half way through the baking process, can’t find the temperature to bake the cheesecake at. You give 350 F as the temperature to bake the crust, do you use the same temperature for the actual cheesecake? I’ve made many cheesecakes in my day, temps vary from 325 to 400. Please help!
Hi Heather, the oven stays at 350 degrees for the cheesecake as well. I’ll clarify the recipe so it makes more sense.
Is the cheesecake filling baked at the same temp as the crust? 350? I didn’t see a specific temperature listed.
We are just making this today and wish we had lowered the temperature to 325 like Mel’s regular cheesecake recipe. The top browned a lot but the inside wasn’t finished. We lowered the temp and kept baking:)
Hi Sarah, yes the oven stays at 350 degrees.
My 9 inch pan isn’t 3 inches tall! I want to make this so bad! Is there no way?
Hi Marianne, I think if you cut everything by 1/4 to 1/3, it should work. It’ll require a bit of math to convert the recipe that way, but I think it stands a good chance of working!
I had a bit of time, so I converted the recipe to be 1/3 less and that should work in a 9-inch pan with shorter sides.
Cranberry Jam:
10 ounces cranberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crust (I’d use the same amounts as in the recipe)
Cheesecake Batter:
16 ounces cream cheese
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
White Chocolate Mousse:
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2.5 to 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2.5 to 3 ounces white chocolate
Whipped Cream:
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
You’re such a gem. Thank you!!
This recipe is irresistible, it sounds delicious and looks so pretty! Definitely serving this for Christmas dinner. Reading over the recipe I don’t see instructions for how/when to melt the white chocolate, though. Thanks in advance!
Hi Carol, sorry for the confusion – the recipe ingredient lists the white chocolate as melted already. I usually melt it in the microwave at 50% power, stirring at 1-minute increments, until melted.
I’m traveling and want to make this, but don’t have a spring form pan. Could I use a square pan?
Hi Kim, this makes a very full pan, so as long as the square pan has at least 3-inch sides and the area of the pan can fit the amount of batter, it should work fine, I think?
Making this but want to do it in individual cheesecakes using a muffin pan- how long would I bake the cheesecake?
Hi Natalie, I haven’t made it like that, but I’d probably check around 20 minutes or so?
They actually turned out sublime and froze fantastically. I just ate the last one today!
Haven’t made it yet but looking forward to serving it at Christmas dinner. My question is about the cranberry jam. Does the cranberry skin give it a tough texture? Would it be ok to strain thru sieve or puree with a stick blender? I’ve always found the skins a bit annoying especially with a creamy mousse dessert.
Hi Ann – good question! The cranberry skins are noticeable in the jam. It didn’t bother us (kind of had the texture of a soft craisin), but if it has been an issue for you in the past, then it sound like a good idea to strain the jam or puree.
I missed note on the egg yolk in the crust. Does it need more butter if eliminating the egg?
Hi Michele, you can eliminate the egg yolk and keep the other ingredient amounts the same.
My grocery store shelves are empty of cranberries. Why didn’t I stock up a month ago? Oh yeah I did. But I used them all for cranberry orange pork roast.
I found the same thing! So sad, but I’m still gonna try it subbing canned cranberry sauce for the jam. Fingers crossed!