I just love having homemade cranberry sauce at the holidays. Forget the gravy, I’m covering my turkey in cranberries. I even like it mixed with my mashed potatoes too. I know, weird!
I always ended up having sauce leftover and I will often add it to a batch of cranberry bread. Cream Cheese Cranberry Bread is my favorite recipe to use from Julies Eats & Treats. But this year I wanted to try the sauce in a cheesecake and it does not disappoint! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out for you.
If you want to try the cranberry sauce recipe I use, its Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe from She Wears Many Hats. We love her addition of cinnamon. I like to add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to my sauce to give it a little something more.
Crust
- 1 sleeve of graham cracker crumbs (9 sheets – about 1 1/4 cup)
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- orange zest – about an 1/8 teaspoon from a large orange
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 24 oz cream cheese, softened (3 – 8 oz blocks)
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup sour cream (room temperature)
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- Remaining zest of large orange
- Juice of large orange (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 cups of cranberry sauce
- 2 Tablespoons corn starch
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
Topping
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream, cold
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Crust: Preheat oven to 350oF (rack in the center of the oven). Cover the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with parchment, attach the sides over the paper (this makes it easy to remove the cake if you want to put on a serving plate). Then cover the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil so that the butter doesn’t leak onto your oven. Spray inside of pan with non-stick spray. In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar, zest, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are coated. Pour crumbs evenly into the prepared springform pan and gently smooth out. I only like a crust on the bottom, but if you like it on the sides; work the crumbs up the sides so that they go about halfway up your pan. Place pan into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool while preparing the filling.
Filling: Turn the oven down to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sugars on medium speed for 2-4 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla, sour cream, cinnamon, zest, juice, sauce (optional to hold back 1/4 cup to swirl on top), and corn starch then beat on medium until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low-medium just until incorporated. Don’t over mix the eggs. Pour the cream cheese filling over the crust. If you held back some of the sauce, spoon small dollops on top of filling and swirl with a knife. Bake for 70-85 minutes. Cake is done when the center is set (I test by lightly touching the top with a clean finger and nothing sticks to it) and center has a little jiggle. Turn off the oven and prop open the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Let cheesecake cool in the oven for at least 1 hour. Remove from oven, run knife around the outside edge, and then set on a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
Topping: Add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a medium bowl. Use the whisk attachment for your mixer and mix on medium-high to stiff peaks (this will take a few minutes – don’t over mix). Run knife around the outside edge of the cake, release sides, and top the cake with the whipped cream. Since this is a stabilized whipped cream you can pipe the cream on top of the cake and your decoration will stay and last about 5-7 days in the refrigerator.