Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake
This Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake features a creamy pumpkin cheesecake over a layer of cranberry sauce. It’s a delicious dessert that’s perfect for fall!
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There’s just something about cranberries and pumpkins that really gets me into the fall spirit. Maybe it’s the reds and oranges that give it that classic autumn vibe. Maybe its the fact that they are often associated with my favorite baking spices. Either way, I love a good pumpkin cheesecake, and I decided to hop into the kitchen recently and add a cranberry spin. One word – delicious.
Growing up, one of our neighbors always baked loaves and loaves (and more loaves) of cranberry pumpkin bread. A piece of that bread lightly toasted with butter was absolutely fantastic!
I remembered that bread the other day, and I almost hit the kitchen to bake a loaf…but then I decided to go the dessert route instead. After all, cheesecake is delicious. Cheesecake flavored with pumpkin and cranberries? Sign me up!
Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake
This Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake features a creamy pumpkin filling with a layer of homemade cranberry sauce hiding at the bottom. The top gets garnished with more cranberry sauce and a bit of homemade whipped cream. I also tossed some sugared cranberries on top for a festive appearance – this dessert is definitely worthy of an appearance at Thanksgiving!
Baking this Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake is a multi-step process. None of the steps are difficult, though. And once that cheesecake is baked and ready to serve? You’ve got a delicious fall dessert that will have everyone asking for the recipe!
Aside from the delicious pumpkin cheesecake and cranberry sauce, one of the unique features of this dessert is the crust. Yes, the crust. I know crusts can sometimes get overlooked, but not in this case! I opted for vanilla wafer crumbs to bring that vanilla flavor, although graham cracker crumbs or gingersnap crumbs could work, too.
The secret ingredient in the crust? Ground up pecans. Those pecans get mixed in with the vanilla wafer crumbs, and they add a notable nutty flavor to this dessert. Pumpkin, cranberries, pecans – we’re talking about the stars of fall baking season here!
Can you freeze cheesecake?
Yes, and you should! I hardly ever serve a cheesecake the day I bake it. Once that cheesecake comes out of the oven, I let it cool for about 10-15 minutes and then send it off to the freezer for the night. This “trick” helps you get cleaner slices once you’re ready to serve it.
Bonus – you can wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and put ’em in a freezer bag. Then you can just pull out one slice of cheesecake at a time. We often do this so we can splurge a bit on the weekend without ending up with half of a cheesecake sitting around. Just let the slices thaw in the refrigerator overnight or for 1-2 hours at room temperature.
If you’re looking for a fantastic dessert for fall and winter, this Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake is a winner. There is stiff competition for our Thanksgiving dessert table, but I could see this cheesecake earning a spot in future years. Happy baking!
Did you bake this Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- ¾ cup pecans
- 2¼ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
For the Cranberry Layer
- 4½ cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp orange juice
For the Cheesecake
- 32 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 15 oz. canned pumpkin puree note: not pumpkin pie filling
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For Serving
- fresh whipped cream
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease and flour a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; set pan aside.
- Using a food processor or mini-chopper, pulse the pecans until finely ground.
- Using a large bowl, add ground pecans, vanilla wafer crumbs, brown sugar and butter; stir until well combined.
- Transfer mixture into prepared pan; press crumbs into bottom and up sides of pan. (Tip: A flat bottomed glass is helpful for this step.)
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and let cool.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
For the Cranberry Layer
- Using a large saucepan, add cranberries, sugar, cornstarch and orange juice.
- Place over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture begins to boil.
- Reduce heat to medium; cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture has thickened and most of the cranberries have burst.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Spread 1 cup of cranberry sauce evenly on top of the baked crust. (Note: Refrigerate remaining cranberry sauce. It will be used as a topping for the cheesecake.)
For the Cheesecake
- Using a countertop mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth (~3 minutes).
- Add sugar, brown sugar and flour; mix on medium speed until well combined.
- Add canned pumpkin; mix until well combined.
- Using a separate bowl, whisk eggs and additional egg yolks together. Add this egg mixture to the mixing bowl in 2 additions, mixing fully after each addition.
- Add the sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon; mix on medium speed until well combined. (Tip: Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the filling is fully mixed.)
- Pour batter into the pan on top of the cranberry layer.
- Wrap the bottom of the pan with a piece of aluminum foil and place in a large baking pan. Fill pan with ~½” of water. Bake at 325°F until center of cake is just barely set (~70-80 minutes). (Tip: Pull the cheesecake out of the oven when there is about 1″ ring of “looser” filling left in the center of the cake.)
- Remove cake from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen. Let cheesecake continue to cool for 1 hour.
- Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze overnight.
For Serving
- The next day, remove the cake from the freezer and release the springform pan. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and defrost in a refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
- Before serving, top cheesecake with reserved cranberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle a tiny bit of ground cinnamon or nutmeg on top of whipped cream.
- {Optional} Sprinkle sugared cranberries on top of whipped cream.
Looking for more fantastic cheesecake recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use vegan cream cheese i never had cranberry pumpkin cheesecake before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Hey Ramya! I haven’t tried this recipe with vegan cream cheese, but I imagine it would work well. Give it a try! This recipe is absolutely delicious – one of my favorite cheesecakes for sure!
Love that you went the “dessert” route with this pumpkin bread idea. What a fantastic Fall recipe. And now you have my mouth watering for it and it’s only early morning here. Can you eat cheesecake in the morning?
I think cheesecake is totally acceptable in the morning, Kristy! 🙂
Absolutely gorgeous!!!
Thanks so much, Mimi!!
Such a festive pumpkin cheesecake, with the additional tang from the cranberries!
The tangy cranberries combined with the sweet pumpkin cheesecake is absolutely delicious. Definitely a new favorite here in our house! Thanks, Michelle!
This does look very attractive David. Tho Pumpkin tends to be a savoury thing here so roasted or mashed or in savoury scones I made a vego lasagne once with pumpkin 🎃. Delicious
Lasagna with pumpkin? Now that sounds interesting! I have used pumpkin in a pasta sauce before, and it was quite tasty. More often than not, pumpkin here in the States means sweeter/dessert recipes. This cheesecake is quite delicious!!
I don’t know anyone whose eyes wouldn’t light up at this beauty being served for dessert! Absolutely gorgeous and such an amazing flavor and texture combo.
Thanks so much, Marissa! We loved this cheesecake so much that it might earn a spot on our regular holiday dessert list!
David, you are the cheesecake master. When we lived in the Seattle area there was a grocery store that made cranberry pumpkin bread for the holidays and we awaited its release every year. So, I know I would love a slice of this…
Oooo…cranberry pumpkin bread! Now there’s a fun idea of something to make. I put a cranberry spin on my banana bread recipe a year or two ago, and that bread is now one of my all-time favorites. We make it every year when the cranberries come out in the store! (I’m guessing cranberries are a bit of an oddity over there, though…)
Actually, our wild lingon berries are very similar to low bush cranberries that you find in the northern part of the USA and Canada.
We use them as a substitute to cranberries. I love them in gingerbread.
Awesome! I’ve heard of lingon berries, but I’ve never come across them. Also, now I’m intrigued about cranberries (lingon berries) in gingerbread. That’s a fun idea!!
This cheesecake looks insanely good, David! I think it’s a smart idea to combine sweet pumpkin, tart cranberries, and nutty…well, nuts 🙂 So many flavours and textures going on, and it looks elegant and festive, too!
The combination of the tart berries with the sweeter pumpkin cheesecake is SO good, Ben. I’m not kidding when I say this is one of my all-time favorite cheesecakes!
I’ve made it twice! It’s perfect!
So glad you enjoy this cheesecake, Brian – it’s one of my all-time favorites! Cheers!