Cranberry Cheesecake
No bake cranberry cheesecake recipe. This cheesecake is a silky smooth and creamy vanilla filling on top of a gingersnap cookie crust and topped with a quick homemade cranberry sauce. Added sugar coated cranberries for decoration.
Equipment
- 8" springform baking pan
Ingredients
Ingredients for Gingersnap Cookie Crust
- 1¾ cup crushed gingersnap cookies
- ¼ cup granulated sugar or caster sugar
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce
- 7 oz fresh cranberries
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon orange juice fresh squeezed or store bought (not from concentrate)
Ingredients for Vanilla Cheesecake Filling
- 12 oz spreadable cream cheese (see note)
- 6 oz sour cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar or caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream or double cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar or icing sugar
Ingredients for Sugar Coated Cranberries and Rosemary (optional)
- 3 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 rosemary sprig or a couple
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided in half
Instructions
Instructions for Cranberry Topping
- Start by making the cranberry orange topping for this cheesecake as it will need to cool down.
- In a saucepan, heat the maple syrup and orange juice until simmering (about 5 minutes). Then add the cranberries and continue cooking over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. The berries should break down, forming a thickened sauce.
- After about 15 minutes, remove from the heat, pour the cranberry sauce into a heatproof bowl and set aside to cool. (see note)
Instructions for Gingersnap Crust
- Next line an 8" springform cake pan with parchment paper and set aside while you prepare your crust.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the crushed gingersnap cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter until you have a moistened crumb (like a graham cracker cookie crust).
- Spoon this crust mixture into the lined springform pan and press firmly into the base and sides (about 1" up the sides) to form the cheesecake crust.
- Set this in the freezer while you prepare your filling. (see note)
Instructions for Vanilla Cheesecake Filling
- Begin by whipping the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste to stiff peaks. (see note)
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar.
- Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold together to incorporate.
- Spoon this into the springform pan on top of the gingersnap base and smooth into an even layer.
- Top this with the cranberry sauce and again spread evenly.
- Place in the refrigerator to set and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Instructions for Sugared Cranberries and Rosemary
- If making the sugared decorations, mix ½ cup sugar and water together in a small saucepan. Over a medium heat, stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a boil. Let this boil for about 2 minutes. Then remove and pour into a heatproof bowl, allowing to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add the cranberries and rosemary to the syrup, stir to coat and allow to soak for 5 minutes.
- Drain the syrup and remove the cranberries and rosemary, placing on a piece of parchment paper to dry for a couple of hours. The goal is for these to become tacky to the touch but not wet. (see note)
- Once dry, dredge the cranberries and rosemary in the remaining ½ cup of sugar. This sugar should be a coarser grind of crystal for better effect.
Instructions for Assembly
- Once the cheesecake is set, carefully remove from the springform pan and place on a cake plate or serving tray.
- Top with sugar coated cranberries and rosemary.
Notes
This recipe calls for soft spreadable cream cheese, no block cream cheese. This makes it easier to whip up. You can use block cream cheese, but this will need to be softened at room temperature first and you may find it a bit stiffer to whisk into the filling.
To help speed up the cooling process for this cranberry topping, you can place it in the refrigerator. The goal is for the sauce to be no warmer than room temperature by the time you are adding this to the top of your cheesecake.
Setting the cheesecake base in the freezer helps to firm this up in advance of adding your filling. If you are concerned about your springform pan, you can also just place this in the refrigerator or leave it on the counter while you are making your filling.
The whipped cream is key to the setting of a no bake cheesecake. You want the cream whipped to stiff peaks in order to provide the stability for the cake - if it is not stiff, your cheesecake won't set firm. If the cream is overwhipped, your cheesecake will not be as smooth and creamy (though it will set firm and still taste delicious!).
If making the sugar coated decoration - the rosemary often takes a bit longer to dry out. Conveniently, a coarse grind of sugar will coat the berries and sprigs of rosemary even if these are not 100% dried. You may just need to dredge in the sugar a few times.
Nutrition
Calories: 351kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 3gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 145mgPotassium: 141mgFiber: 1gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 706IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 1mg
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