White Chocolate Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake Recipe

Name: White Chocolate Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 570 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces fresh cranberries; 1/2 cup water; 1/3 cup white sugar; 1 - 9- inch Biscoff crust; 1 cup good quality white chocolate (finely chopped); 3 tbsp heavy cream; 24 ounces cream cheese (room temperature); 3/4 cup white sugar; 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (room temperature); 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 3 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk (room temperature); 6 ounces fresh cranberries; 8 tablespoons sugar + 8 tablespoons sugar for coating

Made this for Thanksgiving instead of pie one year and now I'm not allowed to bring anything else. The Biscoff crust was an accident - ran out of graham crackers - but it works better than the original.

Harper Donahue

May 28, 2025

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For the Cranberry Puree

8 ounces fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup white sugar

For the Cheesecake

1 – 9-inch Biscoff crust
1 cup good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
3 tbsp heavy cream
24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature

For the Sugared Cranberries

6 ounces fresh cranberries
8 tablespoons sugar + 8 tablespoons sugar for coating

Make the Cranberry Puree First

Put cranberries, water, and sugar in a pot over medium heat. Cook ~8-10 minutes, stirring and crushing the berries as they pop.

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the solids to get all the liquid out. Toss the solids. Cover and refrigerate the puree.

Start the Cheesecake

Heat oven to 325F. Have your Biscoff crust ready.

Melt the white chocolate with cream in the microwave – 10-15 second bursts, stirring between. Don’t rush this or it’ll seize. Let it cool.

Beat the cream cheese on low for ~3 minutes until smooth. No lumps allowed. Add sugar and beat another ~2 minutes on low.

Mix in the yogurt, vanilla, and cooled chocolate. Scrape the bowl – everything needs to be uniform.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. The batter should be completely smooth.

Layer and Swirl

Pour half the batter into your crust. Dollop half the cranberry puree on top. Drag a knife through to swirl – don’t overmix or you’ll lose the pattern.

Add remaining batter, then remaining puree. Swirl again.

The Water Bath Trick

Set your springform inside a 10-inch cake pan. Put this whole thing in a roasting pan. Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it’s halfway up the cake pan. No foil wrapping needed.

Bake ~1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes. The center should jiggle slightly when you shake it. If you have a thermometer, look for 140-145F internal – poke through a cranberry swirl to hide the hole.

Turn off the oven, crack the door, let it sit 1 hour. Remove from water bath and cool on a rack another hour. Wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.

Make Sugared Cranberries

Heat water and 8 tablespoons sugar in a pot until dissolved, ~2-3 minutes. Add cranberries, stir to coat.

Fish them out with a slotted spoon onto a wire rack. Let dry ~1 hour.

Roll in the other 8 tablespoons sugar until coated.

Put It Together

Top your chilled cheesecake with whipped cream and those sugared cranberries.

Keeps 5 days refrigerated. The water bath prevents cracks – don’t skip it thinking you’ll save time. Room temperature ingredients matter too or you’ll get lumps that won’t beat out.