This White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake is inspired by one of my favorite holiday recipes at the Cheesecake Factory. Peppermint bark ingredients get mixed in the cheesecake batter and topped with a simple, white chocolate mousse. A garnishment of whipped cream, peppermint candies and chopped chocolate complete this festive dessert.
This cheesecake is so dreamy and creamy with just the right amount of moisture added from a bit of sour cream. Melted white chocolate gets mixed in the batter before baking over a sweet, Oreo crust. I can’t tell you the amount of self control it is taking me to stay the heck out of my refrigerator right now. My husband was literally chasing me with a plate of mini cheesecakes that I attempted to ban him from.
Cheesecake is such a fickle creature…I don’t even want to tell you some of the failures I’ve had in the past. The secret to good cheesecake is not overcooking, adding the right bit of moisture for texture and cooling SLOWLY. No problem, right!? Cracks really can kill (and not just the plumber kind). The good news with this recipe, is that a few cracks will not ruin the appearance of this cheesecake due to the white chocolate mousse layer.
This is my 2nd go at creating a Christmas cheesecake. The first version had layers of chocolate and vanilla cheesecake with a layer of chocolate glaze. I found this to be a bit rich and prefer the combination with white chocolate.
Wrapping the spring-form pan in foil and cooking it in a bath of water, really does help prevent disastrous results. Just be sure, to securely seal it to avoid leaky situations. The game of oven on and oven off also seems to help. I would also advise, to run a knife around the sides of the pan once removing the cheesecake from the oven to avoid sticky situations.
HOLIDAY TEMPTATIONS
This White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake is inspired by one of my favorite holiday recipes at the Cheesecake Factory. Peppermint bark ingredients get mixed in the cheesecake batter and topped with a simple, white chocolate mousse. A garnishment of whipped cream, peppermint candies and chopped chocolate complete this festive dessert.
- 3 8 oz. Cream Cheeses; room temperature
- 1/2 C. Sour Cream
- 1 C. Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 1 1/2 tbsp. Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
- 1/2 C. White chocolate chips; melted
- 1/3 C. Peppermint Candies; crushed
- 4 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate bar; roughly chopped
- 2 C. Oreos; finely crushed
- 5 tbsp. Butter
- 1/4 C. Sugar
- 1 1/4 C. Heavy Cream
- 1 C. White Chocolate Chips
- 2 tbsp. Powdered sugar
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Combine crushed Oreos, 5 tbsp. melted butter and 1/4 C. sugar. Firmly press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan; using the back side of a measuring cup.
Wrap sides of pan with foil.
Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips in microwave on low power until melted; avoid over-cooking.
In a mixing bowl; add cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat for a couple of minutes until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time and continue beating. Add flour, melted chocolate chips and sour cream; continue beating on low until combined. Stir in peppermint candies and chopped chocolate. Add cheesecake to a roasting pan and fill until around 1/3 of the way full with warm water. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and water; run a knife along the edges of cheesecake. Leave in the pan until cool. Once cooled, remove cheesecake from the pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before adding mousse to the top.
Prepare Mousse:
Microwave chocolate chips on low heat with a 1/4 C. Heavy Cream. Stir until smooth. Allow melted chocolate chips to cool completely. Once cooled, add 1 C. of heavy cream to a mixing bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form. Add powdered sugar and continue to beat until thickened. Fold in white chocolate mixture until combined. Add to the top of the cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with crushed peppermints, chopped chocolate and whipped cream before serving.