• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Honey, Whats Cooking

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Fall Recipes
  • Shop
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Fall Recipes
    • Shop
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Published: Dec 23, 2018 · Modified: Aug 16, 2023 by Nisha · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Cranberry Orange Cheesecake

    9 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Incredibly light & airy Cranberry Orange Cheesecake is the perfect dessert for Christmas. The best homemade cheesecake you'll ever make.

    After living in California for 6 months, I hosted my first get-together.
    Cranberry Orange Cheesecake

    Truth be told, I was a bit nervous because people always expect a little more from a food blogger. Hosting for a few women comes easy to me, but hosting for couples and I start stressing. My party was a success, but the one item that stole the show was this Cranberry Orange Cheesecake.

    Everything you see here is made from scratch... the crust, filling, and cranberry topping.

    This Cranberry Orange Cheesecake recipe is involved and will take a couple of hours to make, but I highly recommend taking some time out and making this delicious cheesecake for the holidays. The best part is you can make this cheesecake up to one day in advance.

    It's an indulgent, light & airy cheesecake that can easily feed about 16 people assuming you’re serving thin slices.

    I served all 9 people at my party and then gave each couple a big slice to go. I knew they would enjoy it even more at home in their pjs.

    This Christmas I suggest making this festive cheesecake... it’s amazing, and trust me, everyone will be raving about it. What are you waiting for? Christmas? I just had to. 🙂

    This Cranberry Orange Cheesecake is:

    Rich, yet light
    Melts in your mouth
    Not dense, it’s light
    Indulgent
    Heavenly
    Out of this world
    Scrumptious
    Ambrosial
    Perfect for Christmas

    how to make cranberry orange cheesecake recipe step by step?

    Make the crust

    1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
    2. In a food processor, add all the ingredients for the crust.
    3. Pulse until a powdery mixture is formed.
    4. This is what you should have.

    5. Transfer the mixture to a springfoam pan lined with parchment paper shaped in a circle. Make sure you spray the bottom of the pan with butter or coconut oil, and then line with parchment paper.
    6. Using a cup measurement, pat the crust mixture down.
    7. Into the oven for 10 minutes.
    8. Your crust is done. Let it cool.

    Make the cheesecake filling

    1. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Let it preheat while you make the filling.
    2. Combine all the following ingredients in a food processor - cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sugar, 4 egg yolks (save the egg whites for later), heavy cream, zest of 1 orange, vanilla extract, and salt . Note: I accidentally added them to a large bowl.
    3. Pulse/Blend all the ingredients in the food processor.
    4. This is your filling. It should smooth.

    5. Now transfer the filling to a large mixing bowl.
    6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form.
    7. Once the egg whites are done, transfer it to the filling bowl.
    8. FOLD, do not mix, FOLD the egg whites into the filling. This will help create a light cheesecake, and not dense.

    9. Pour the cheesecake filling into the springfoam pan with the crust.
    10. Tap down so everything is even. Smooth the mixture on top.
    11. Line a tray with foil paper. Place the cheesecake onto the tray and carefully place it into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.
    12. Once done, raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Leave the cheesecake in there and let it continue baking. Bake the cheesecake for another 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center is jiggly.

    13. Turn off the oven. Open the oven door and leave the cake in there for 3 hours. The center will fall slightly - that's okay.
    14. After 3 hours, cover the cheesecake with foil paper and place into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and upto 24 hours.

    Make the topping

    1. In a pot, combine all the ingredients for a topping and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally.
    2. Cover with a lid.
    3. This is what you'll have after 5-7 minutes. Don't make the topping too sweet since we want the flavors to balance one another.

    4. Unmold the refrigerated cheesecake using a sharp knife.
    5. Carefully place the cheesecake onto a cake stand and carefully remove the springfoam pan bottom and parchment paper. 
    6. Serve each cheesecake slice with the cranberry orange topping. Enjoy!


    Enjoy!

    More Christmas Desserts!

    • Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
    • Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Glaze
    • Ginger Molasses Cookies
    • Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake
    • Fudgy Cranberry Walnut Brownies

    Recipe Card

    Cranberry Orange Cheesecake

    Vegetarian.
    5 from 2 votes
    By: Nisha
    The best homemade cheesecake you'll ever make. Incredibly light & airy Cranberry Orange Cheesecake is the perfect dessert for Christmas. Please follow the instructions EXACTLY!
    Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
    Servings 16 thin slices
    Calories 360 kcal
    SaveSaved! Pin Print

    Ingredients
      

    for the crust

    • 6 ounces graham crackers I used Honey Maid brand
    • 1 ¼ cups walnuts
    • ¼ cup white sugar
    • 5 tablespoon unsalted butter melted

    for the cheesecake filling

    • ½ pound cream cheese room temperature
    • 8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 4 large eggs yolks and egg whites separated at room temperature
    • ⅔ cup heavy cream
    • zest of 1 orange finely grated
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt

    for the topping

    • 8 ounces organic fresh cranberries I used Trader Joe's
    • ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
    • zest of 1 orange finely grated
    • ½ cup white sugar
    • ¼ cup water

    Instructions
     

    Make the crust

    • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
    • In a food processor, add all the ingredients for the crust.
    • Pulse until a powdery mixture is formed.
    • This is what you should have.
    • Transfer the mixture to a springfoam pan lined with parchment paper shaped in a circle. Make sure you spray the bottom of the pan with butter or coconut oil, and then line with parchment paper.
    • Using a cup measurement, pat the crust mixture down.
    • Into the oven for 10 minutes.
    • Your crust is done. Let it cool.

    Make the cheesecake filling

    • Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Let it preheat while you make the filling.
    • Combine all the following ingredients in a food processor - cream cheese, ricotta cheese, sugar, 4 egg yolks (save the egg whites for later), heavy cream, zest of 1 orange, vanilla extract, and salt . Note: I accidentally added them to a large bowl.
    • Pulse/Blend all the ingredients in the food processor.
    • This is your filling. It should smooth.
    • Now transfer the filling to a large mixing bowl.
    • In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until firm peaks form.
    • Once the egg whites are done, transfer it to the filling bowl.
    • FOLD, do not mix, FOLD the egg whites into the filling. This will help create a light cheesecake, and not dense.
    • Pour the cheesecake filling into the springfoam pan with the crust.
    • Tap down so everything is even. Smooth the mixture on top.
    • Line a tray with foil paper. Place the cheesecake onto the tray and carefully place it into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.
    • Once done, raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Leave the cheesecake in there and let it continue baking. Bake the cheesecake for another 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the center is jiggly.
    • Turn off the oven. Open the oven door and leave the cake in there for 3 hours. The center will fall slightly - that's okay.
    • After 3 hours, cover the cheesecake with foil paper and place into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and upto 24 hours.

    Make the topping

    • In a pot, combine all the ingredients for a topping and cook over medium heat. Stir occassionally.
    • Cover with a lid.
    • This is what you'll have after 5-7 minutes. Don't make the topping too sweet since we want the flavors to balance one another.
    • Unmold the refrigerated cheesecake using a sharp knife.
    • Carefully place the cheesecake onto a cake stand and carefully remove the springfoam pan bottom and parchment paper.
    • Serve each cheesecake slice with the cranberry orange topping. Enjoy!

    Notes

    * The center of this cheesecake will be slightly soft and mushy, this is normal. This cheesecake is light & airy.
    ** This cheesecake is not New York Cheesecake because it's not dense, it's light and airy.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 6gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 87mgSodium: 166mgPotassium: 136mgFiber: 2gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 586IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 1mg
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Tried this recipe?Mention @honeywhatscooking or tag #honeywhatscooking!

     

    « Ginger Molasses Cookies (whole wheat, dairy-free, healthy-ish)
    15 Best Things I Ate in 2018 »
    9 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      LEAVE A COMMENT & RATE THIS RECIPE Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Vidhi says

      December 31, 2022 at 11:21 am

      5 stars
      I made this cheesecake for thanksgiving and loved how it turned out! I did cheat though and used premade crust but it was still delicious! I made the cranberry sauce as well but we all liked the cheesecake without it so we just ate it on it’s own. One thing to note is that I love how light this cheesecake turns out but it’s lighter texture does make it harder to cut pieces with nice sharp edges (if you care about the aesthetics of it when serving).

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Nisha Side Image

    Hi, I'm Nisha! I'm a foodie who is passionate about healthy-ish living and mindful eating. You'll find a little bit of everything here. I use mostly organic real ingredients and incorporate seasonal produce in my cooking. I believe food is medicine. Come join me on this soul-searching journey as I share my love for good food, and I hope somewhere along the way, I inspire you to eat better.

    More about me →


    Fall Favorites

    • Paneer Makhani (no butter, no cream)
    • Dal Makhani (no cream, gluten-free)
    • Andhra Style Tomato Dal Tomato Pappu
      Tomato Dal | Andhra Style Tomato Pappu Recipe
    • Dhaniya Chicken Curry | Coriander Chicken Curry
    • Baked Ziti with Spinach (vegetarian, vegan option, gluten-free option)
    • Almond Cardamom Tea
      Almond Cardamom Cake

    Popular Recipes


    • World's Best Spaghetti with Rao's Homemade - featured image
      World's BEST Spaghetti RAO’s Homemade Marinara
    • BOMBAY GRILLED SANDWICH
      Bombay Grilled Sandwich (vegetarian)
    • 5 layer Mexican Dip (easy, creamy, spicy)
    • Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe (Carrot Halwa, Indian Carrot Pudding)
    • Indian Afternoon Tea
    • Green Moong Dal Khichdi (Instant Pot)

    Footer

    As Seen On

    Let's Connect!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube

    Footer

    • Indian
    • Indian Fusion
    • Indo-Chinese
    • Italian
    • Mexican
    • Thai

    ↑ back to top

    Menu

    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Lifestyle
    • Shop

    About

    • About
    • Contact
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy

    Recipes

    • Healthy-ish
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
    • Quick & Easy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Instant Pot

    Subscribe

    SIGN UP TO RECEIVE FREE RECIPES!


    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Honey, What's Cooking