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Slice of cranberry white chocolate mousse cheesecake on white plate with bite taken out.

Cranberry White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Yield: 12 servings (9- or 10-inch cheesecake)
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Chilling/Cooling: 2 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes

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

Optional: while beautiful, the sugared cranberries are completely optional for this cheesecake. They are only used for garnish (and for eating if people want to), but they aren't integral to the recipe. The sweetened whipped cream also makes a tasty garnish and compliment to the rich cheesecake, but it isn't necessary, and the cheesecake is delicious with or without.
Heavy Whipping Cream: the recipe states to whip the heavy cream separately when making the white chocolate mousse layer. I use 40% fat heavy cream (Darigold brand from Costco), and skip this step. Instead, I melt the white chocolate, add the softened cream cheese and whip until creamy. Then I add the heavy cream and vanilla and mix until super thick and creamy. The reason the recipe isn't written this way is because not everyone uses the same heavy cream as I do, and if you are using a heavy cream with less fat (different brands will vary in fat percentage), it may not thicken added as liquid to the white chocolate/cream cheese without whipping it to peaks first. 
White Chocolate: it is really important to use *real* white chocolate for the mousse layer and not almond bark or melting wafers. White chocolate chips generally don't melt well, either, so they are not recommended since the white chocolate needs to be melted alone before being mixed with the cream cheese. I use the Ghirardelli white chocolate bars (usually found in the baking aisle by the chocolate chips). 
Egg Yolk: since the cheesecake batter is egg-free, this is a popular recipe for those that need an egg-free dessert. For that reason (and others), the egg yolk can be eliminated from the crust, if needed.