Go Back
–+ servings
Print

Cranberry Cheesecake

Creamy and tart cranberry cheesecake made with cranberry curd in the filling and topped with more cranberry curd and white chocolate ganache.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Chill Time 8 hours
Servings 1 8 inch pie with 4 layers

Equipment

  • 8 inch cake pan for the cheesecake
  • 13 x 9 inch cake pan for the water bath

Ingredients

Crust

  • 300g or 2 ½ cups digestive cookies or graham crackers ground into crumbs
  • 113g or ½ cup butter salted or unsalted is fine
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • Pinch fine sea salt if using unsalted butter

Cranberry Cheesecake Filling

  • 452g or 2 brick packages cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 100g or ½ cup fine granulated sugar
  • 280g or 1 cup cranberry curd
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature

Cranberry Curd Layer

  • About 210g or ¾ cup cranberry curd or up to a full 280g or 1 cup of curd, if you like

White Chocolate Ganache

  • 200g good quality white chocolate chopped or broken into small pieces
  • 75g heavy cream or heavy whipping cream or up to 100g if you’d like a creamier, softer ganache

Instructions

  • Do ahead: make the cranberry curd. You’ll likely have leftovers, it’s great on scones, ice cream, or french toast. Keep it in the fridge, in an airtight container until the day of baking the cheesecake.
  • Prep the pan: grease an 8 inch round or square cake pan and press a sheet of parchment into the pan. Use metal clips to hold it in place (see photos and video for reference). Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  • Make the crust: grind the cookies/crackers in a food processor and melt the butter. Stir together with the powdered sugar and salt until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press the crumbs in the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Use a measuring cup to pack and press it into an even layer. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. If it is looking a bit warped or bubbled when it’s done baking, use the measuring cup to press it back into shape. Set aside to cool. Keep the oven on.
  • Make the filling: (The cream cheese and eggs must be at room temperature before starting the filling). Set the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and press it into the bowl using a spatula, add the vanilla, salt and granulated sugar. Affix the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl and beat to ensure even mixing. Add the cranberry curd and beat to combine, scraping the bowl as needed. Once the mixture is even, add the eggs and beat to just combine. Pour the filling into the crust (if you want to avoid any cream cheese lumps, pour and press it through a fine mesh sieve).
  • Bake the cheesecake: Set the cheesecake pan in a 13x9 inch cake pan and pour water into the larger pan so that it comes to be level with the cheesecake, so about halfway. Set the pan(s) in the oven and bake until there’s barely a wobble in the cheesecake’s middle; check it at 45 minutes but it will likely need longer. If there's still a wobble, leave it another 10-15 minutes then check again. Once it’s done, take it with its water bath out of the oven and set it on the counter. Carefully and gently spread the additional curd on top and smooth into an even layer. Set the pan(s) back in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the curd is set and matte all over. Take the pans out and let the cheesecake cool in its water bath until it’s room temperature. Then, transfer it to the fridge and chill for 6 hours or up to 2 days.
  • Make the white chocolate ganache: warm the white chocolate in a microwave, just for about 30 seconds so only some is starting to melt. Warm the heavy cream too, until it’s hot but not boiling, and pour over the white chocolate. Stir, then leave it for about 20 seconds, then stir again, until smooth. Add a dash of vanilla and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. If the cranberry curd has gathered some condensation, collect it with a paper towel gently pressed over it. Pour the ganache over the cranberry curd and smooth it into an even layer. Return to the fridge to set until you can gently touch the ganache and it isn't overly soft and doesn't leave a a deep indentation, this can take around an hour. If you need it to set faster, freeze it.
  • To remove the cheesecake from the pan, run an offset spatula between the parchment paper and the cake pan to loosen it. Then use the parchment to lift the cake out and place it on a plate. Remove the parchment carefully from underneath.
  • For the topping: make my stabilized whipped cream. You can simply spread it over the top of the ganache, or use a piping bag and tip to pipe it on in a cute design. If you’d like to add sugared cranberries, scroll up to see instructions for ‘topping the cranberry cheesecake’.
  • The cheesecake will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Video