This White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake feels elegant and festive, made with melted white chocolate whipped into a silky cream cheese filling and swirled with a vibrant cranberry sauce. Baked in a water bath for a smooth, crack-free finish, it slices cleanly and looks stunning when chilled and served, making it ideal for holiday gatherings or special occasions.
Growing up one of the first-ever flavored cheesecakes I had was the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake that so many restaurants sold that was from the Dream Factory- the Cheesecake Factory bakery that sold cheesecakes to other restaurants.
With over 25 cheesecake recipes on my site, I wonder how it took me this long to make something so similar. Dare I say it, even better? The tangy cranberries pair perfectly with the sweet, creamy white chocolate.
I started with a Biscoff Cookie crust then piled in a luscious white chocolate cheesecake batter that is swirled with a simple homemade cranberry puree and finally topped the cheesecake with fresh whipped cream and sugared cranberries. You're gonna love it!! Would be a delicious Thanksgiving or Christmas show-stopper dessert! Don't miss my Christmas Pudding recipe too.
Cranberry Swirl vs White Chocolate Filling Balance
So this cheesecake may sound a bit daunting with four components but you can make some of the parts ahead of time to make it an easier project.
You can make the cranberry puree and sugared cranberries up to three days ahead of time. Also, you can also make the crust the day before and store it in the freezer before using it.
You can make whatever crust you want, I used a Biscoff Crust but you could also use a Graham Cracker Crust. You'll just need the cookies, melted butter, and potentially some sugar! I have recipes for both you can use.
A few ingredient notes:
- Quality White Chocolate. You're going to melt it so make sure it's finely chopped. I like to use Callebaut White Chocolate Callets.
- Cream Cheese. The key to a good cheesecake is making sure your cream cheese is completely softened to room temperature. This is imperative, don't use too cold cream cheese!
- Sour Cream. You could also use full-fat Greek Yogurt, I love the creamyness and tang that it provides. Again, this needs to be at room temperature!
Now you don't have to top the cheesecake but I like to add some of my Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake
Don't miss my orange cranberry loaf cake or orange cranberry scones recipe.
Don't miss my apple cranberry crisp recipe next!
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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PrintRecipe Card
White Chocolate Cheesecake with Tangy Cranberry Swirl
This White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake feels elegant and festive, made with melted white chocolate whipped into a silky cream cheese filling and swirled with a vibrant cranberry sauce. Baked in a water bath for a smooth, crack-free finish, it slices cleanly and looks stunning when chilled and served, making it ideal for holiday gatherings or special occasions.
- Total Time: 10 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Cranberry Puree
- 8oz Fresh Cranberries
- ⅓ cup Water
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
Crust
Cheesecake Batter
- 1 cup Good Quality White Chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
- 24oz Cream Cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs + 1 Large Egg Yolks, at room temperature
- Optional: Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe
Sugared Cranberries
- 6oz Fresh Cranberries
- ⅓ cup Water
- ⅓ cup Sugar + ½ Cup Sugar
Instructions
Cranberry Puree
- In a medium, pot add the cranberries, water, and sugar, and cook over medium heat. Stir frequently for 8-10 minutes, use the spoon to sort of smash them down as they cook.
- Once cooked for ten minutes place the mixture thru a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Discard fruit solids and cover and refrigerate cranberry puree.
Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 325F/ 163C and prepare the Biscoff crust.
- In a bain-marie or microwave-safe bowl add the white chocolate and cream to melt. If microwaving put it on for 10-15 second increments. Once almost all melted just mix for a minute or two the residual heat will melt all of the chocolate, and set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes at low speed. It should be smooth with no lumps. Add the granulated sugar and beat for another 2 minutes on low speed. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and white chocolate mixture- mixing until fully combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. You should have a creamy batter with no lumps. Pour half of the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan then spoon half of the cranberry puree and swirl then top with the remaining cheesecake batter and the remaining cranberry puree and swirl again. Place a 9-inch springform pan in a 10-inch cake pan- place the cake pan in roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with hot water halfway up the sides of the cake pan. This prevents ANY water from getting in the cheesecake and you don't have to wrap everything with foil.
- Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes, the middle 2 inches of the cheesecake should jiggle just a little bit. I like to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature is 140-145F- I poke in a cranberry pocket area so I don't leave a noticeable hole on top.
- Turn the oven off and open the door so it is cracked open, let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour then take it out of the roasting pan and cool on a wire rack for another hour. Then wrap cheesecake with plastic wrap. Let chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
Sugared Cranberries
- In a medium pot add the water and sugar and mix together over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, you are creating a sugar syrup. All of the sugar should be melted. Add the cranberries and mix to combine. Remove from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the berries to a wire rack to cool for an hour.
- Take the additional half cup of sugar and add to a bowl then add the dried berries and toss to coat.
Assembly
- Once the cheesecake has cooled transfer to a serving plate and add whipped cream and sugared cranberries. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- To get clean cuts I like to use a large knife dipped into hot water and wiped dry after each cut. This helps make beautiful cheesecake slices!
- To freeze a whole cheesecake I suggest freezing without the toppings. After the cheesecake has chilled in the fridge wrap it tightly in plastic wrap twice, then wrap it in aluminum foil. To make sure the cheesecake stays in its best shape I will often place the cheesecake on a cake board before wrapping it in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to a month. To thaw take the cheesecake out of the freezer and place it in the fridge overnight.
- To freeze slices of cheesecake take a slice of cheesecake and place it on a plate or tray and flash freeze for an hour or two. Then place frozen slices of cheesecake in a freezer-safe container. Or you can wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap, twice.
- To thaw a slice of cheesecake let it sit on the counter at room temperature for a couple of hours.
- Prep Time: 45 Minutes
- Chill Time: 8 Hours
- Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Jen says
Curious about what temp you baked the cheesecake. Sorry if I missed it.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Jen, thank you for pointing this is out, it should bake at 325F I updated the recipe card too 🙂 Please let me know if you try the recipe! XX Liz
Rachel says
Do you need to pre bake the biscoff crust for this recipe? In your biscoff crust recipe you say you may need to prebake it, but in the cheesecake recipe it isn’t clear if the crust should be baked before or not. Please help!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Rachel, thanks for reaching out I do par-bake it for 5-7 minutes just to get it nice and set. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe I would love to know what you think! XX Liz
Melissa Ray says
I made this for our friendsgiving dinner. It turned out beautifully . The recipe was easy to follow and the results were worth the effort and time! Will definitely make again! oh...I didn't have any cookies or graham crackers so i used a crispy sugared cereal (Cap't crunch with crunch berries ) for the crust and it worked better than i thought it would.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks so much for the lovely review Melissa! So glad you liked the recipe! The crust sounds divine, I gotta try it! XX Liz
JC says
The crust calls for too much butter. I pre baked the crust, too. It left mine soggy and the butter was leaking out of the spring form pan.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi JC, I am sorry you had that issue. How did you like the taste of the cheesecake? XX Liz
julie says
A huge hit with co-workers and family, looks like I'll be making it often
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Julie, thank you for the lovely review! So glad you enjoyed this cheesecake recipe!! Take care. XX Liz
MARY JANE says
I made this cake 2x last year and plan to make it tomorrow. Making with Graham crackers crust. The first time I made it, I didn't feel like the white chocolate flavor stood out enough. The second time, I used 2 cups of white chocolate chips and it was so good! I used canned, whole berry Cranberries as well because I didn't feel like taking the time to make it from fresh berries.
Bruno Holmes says
Good effort overall! Great mix of information and simplicity.