The best homemade cheesecake you’ll ever make. Incredibly light & airy Cranberry Orange Cheesecake that is the perfect dessert for Christmas.
After living in California for 6 months, I hosted my first get together.
Truth be told, I was a bit nervousbecause 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!
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!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time1hr15mins
Cook Time1hr10mins
Total Time2hrs25mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Italian
Diet Vegetarian.
Servings: 16thin slices
Calories: 360kcal
Author: Nisha (slightly adapted by Williams Sonoma)
Ingredients
for the crust
6ouncesgraham crackersI used Honey Maid brand
1 1/4cupswalnuts
1/4cupwhite sugar
5tbspunsalted buttermelted
for the cheesecake filling
1/2poundcream cheeseroom temperature
8ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1cupsugar
4large eggsyolks and egg whites separated at room temperature
2/3cupheavy cream
zest of 1 orangefinely grated
1tspvanilla extract
1/8tspsalt
for the topping
8ouncesorganic fresh cranberriesI used Trader Joe's
1/4cupfreshly squeezed orange juice
zest of 1 orangefinely grated
1/2cupwhite sugar
1/4cupwater
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.
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
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