White Chocolate Christmas Cheesecake
Wow your holiday crowd with a White Chocolate Christmas Cheesecake. Crafted with a thick graham cracker crust and luscious white chocolate in both the filling and whipped cream, this elegant cheesecake is a show stopper.
From the bottom of my heart to the depths of my soul, from the beginning of time to the ends of the earth: I love to bake. Which is why someone like me cannot be asked which recipe is their favorite. Cookies, pies and brownies are practically my kids so that question is like Sophie’s Choice. Like Meryl Streep said, “Don’t make me choose, I can’t.”
Not that a decision would send any of my beloved desserts to their death, but it still feels that way. When faced with a life-altering baking conundrum like this, I bypass fight or flight and go straight to freeze. It’s like the choice mechanisms in my mind ice up like a slushie. But even with my brain cells at zero degrees Celsius, I’m still preheating my oven to 325 Fahrenheit and making myself cheesecake. For my birthday. This is when the lightbulb went off in my frosty cerebrum. The decision is already a done deal: this baker’s favorite recipe is the one she makes herself to celebrate being born many moons ago.
Topped with snowy whipped cream and sugared rosemary trees, this white chocolate cheesecake pulls double duty for winter birthdays and holiday parties. Nestled on a buttery graham cracker crust, the creamy smooth filling is chockfull of both melted and chopped white chocolate. And topping off all that cheesecake deliciousness is a two ingredient white chocolate whipped cream. Sure, Sophie struggled with her choice but my choice is easy peasy: White Chocolate Cheesecake.
Before sharing the Christmas Cheesecake recipe here are a few baking tips to help you out:
Ingredient Tips
Full fat cream cheese is a must for this recipe for taste, consistency and structure. Do not substitute reduced fat or fat free cream cheese.
Cream cheese and eggs must be at room temperature before beginning. To speed up the warming process, place sealed foil blocks of cream cheese and uncracked eggs into a bowl of warm water for 10 to 20 minutes.
Sour cream must also be at room temperature before beginning.
Quality ingredients make a difference so buy the best white chocolate you can afford. Valrhona is amazing, but Ghirardelli and Lindt will work great in this recipe. Whichever brand you use, buy it in bar form and avoid using white chocolate chips because they have a higher wax content.
Preparation Tips
In order to keep cheesecake from sinking in the middle, beat eggs on low speed until they are just combined. Overbeating adds too much air, which leads to craters and cracks while baking.
Wet a butter knife with hot water then gently glide it around the outside edge of the baked cheesecake to loosen it from the pan before unlatching and removing the springform rim.
Christmas Cheesecake Storage Tips
Cover cheesecake leftovers with plastic wrap then store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Cheesecake freezes well when double wrapped. First, cover in plastic wrap. Next, cover in aluminum foil then place in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator then add whipped cream before serving.
I hope you enjoy this holiday recipe for White Chocolate Cheesecake! Please leave a rating and review below when you try it out. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.
Finally, if you’re looking for more Christmas Cheesecake ideas, check out this Peppermint Cheesecake. Infused with crushed candy canes and a kiss of peppermint extract, the creamy cheesecake filling is complimented by an Oreo cookie crust and a pretty-in-pink ganache.
White Chocolate Christmas Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
White Chocolate Cheesecake
- 24 ounces full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract pure
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour unbleached
- 3/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 4 ounces good quality white chocolate bar melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 4 ounces good quality white chocolate bar finely chopped
White Chocolate Whipped Cream
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream divided
- 6 ounces good quality white chocolate bar chopped
Sugared Rosemary Trees
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 package fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Add graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter to a mixing bowl. Stir with a spoon until until combined.
- Add graham cracker mixture to an 9-inch springform pan then, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup, pack crust evenly on the bottom and an inch up the sides.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven then place on a wire rack to cool while you prepare filling.
White Chocolate Cheesecake
- Beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and lump free. (Approximately 3 minutes.) Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add flour, sour cream, melted white chocolate and vanilla. Beat until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low for a few seconds after each addition until just combined. (Overbeaten eggs will cause cheesecake to crack while baking so only beat the bare minimum.)
- Use a spoon to stir chopped white chocolate into the batter.
- Pour cheesecake filling into graham cracker crust.
- Bake for 75 minutes or until the cheesecake is set around the edges and no longer jiggles in the center. Keeping cheesecake in the oven and the door ajar with a wooden spoon, turn oven off and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.
- Keeping cheesecake in the oven and the door ajar with a wooden spoon, turn heat off and allow cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.
- Remove cheesecake from the oven. Place springform pan on a wire rack to cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate overnight.
White Chocolate Ganache Whipped Cream
- Place chopped chocolate in a large heat safe bowl. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, bring heavy whipping cream to a simmer over medium heat. Note: do not allow cream to come to a boil.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate and allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 5 minutes then stir until melted chocolate is smooth and evenly combined with cream.
- Allow ganache to cool to room temperature then refrigerate overnight.
- After ganache has chilled, use the whisk attachment on an electric mixer to whip until fluffy and soft peaks form.
- Using a spoon, drop dollops of whipped cream onto the top of cheesecake then smooth with a rubber spatula.
Sugared Rosemary Trees
- Place 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Note: do not allow water to boil.
- Remove saucepan from heat. Add a few rosemary sprigs to the sugary water and stir until coated on all sides.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove rosemary sprigs from water and place on a baking rack to dry for 45 minutes.
- Place 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl. Roll rosemary springs in sugar until coated on all sides. Place springs on baking rack until completely dry, approximately 45 minutes. Garnish with
- Garnish cheesecake with sugared rosemary Christmas trees.
- Cheesecake will keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
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