📋Cranberry Bread Pudding Cheesecake Recipe

cranberry bread pudding cheesecake on a white plate with a fork and remainder of cheesecake in background

5 from 1 vote

📋Cranberry Bread Pudding Cheesecake Recipe

Have your bread pudding and cheesecake too! This Cranberry Bread Pudding Cheesecake is a union of tasty bread pudding, cranberry cheesecake, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, citrus caramel sauce, with an unexpected and welcome toffee crunch. It's a bread pudding lover's cheesecake dream!

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Keyword bread pudding, cheesecake, cranberry, holiday

Special Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Refrigeration time 8

Total Time 1 20

Servings slices

Calories 537kcal

Author Terri Gilson

Equipment

Ingredients

Base:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup fine bread crumbs
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoon powdered sugar aka icing sugar or confectioners' sugar
⅓ cup butter melted
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

6 dried bread slices, cut into bread cubes I uses ½ white bread and ½ whole wheat cut into cubes (leave on counter overnight or dry in oven - see RECIPE NOTES for details)
½ cup condensed milk
¾ cup 1% milk
⅓ cup mini toffee bits * I use Skor
¾ cup sweetened dried cranberries
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup digestive cookies/digestive biscuits crushed into bits - about ½ a 350 g box
1 cup ricotta cheese
3- 8- oz. -packages light cream cheese at room temperature
2 tbp all-purpose flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
4 large eggs at room temperature

Orange Caramel Topping:

½ cup sugar
¾ cup orange juice
1 cup whipping cream warmed
¾ tsp. orange zest
3 ½ tsp. cornstarch

Garnish:

¼ cup toffee bits
orange zest
cranberries

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

Heads up: There is an 8 hr setting (refrigeration) time!
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C. Spray 9” springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Base:

In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker, bread crumbs, granulated sugar, cinnamon, flour and icing sugar. Mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moist and clump together slightly.
1 cup graham cracker crumbs, ¾ cup fine bread crumbs, ¼ cup flour, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon powdered sugar, ⅓ cup butter, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom of the pan. Bake until the crust is fragrant - approx. 10 minutes. Let the pan cool on a rack. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees F/190 degrees C
In a separate large bowl, mix together the milk, condensed milk, ½ tsp. cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Pour the mixture over the bread and stir until the bread is coated. Let soak 5 minutes. Stir in toffee bits and dried cranberries. Set aside.
6 dried bread slices, cut into bread cubes, ½ cup condensed milk, ¾ cup 1% milk, ⅓ cup mini toffee bits, ¾ cup sweetened dried cranberries

Filling:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, ricotta, flour, and a pinch of table salt on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle frequently. Beat until very smooth and fluffy- about 5 minutes.
1 cup ricotta cheese, 3- 8- oz. -packages light cream cheese, 2 tbp all-purpose flour, pinch of salt
Make sure the cheese has no lumps. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until well blended and smooth.
¾ cup granulated sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon cinnamon , beating just until blended.
1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 4 large eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla
Fold in the bread mixture and crushed cookies into the cream cheese mixture. Pour cheesecake filling into a prepared springform plan.
1 cup digestive cookies/digestive biscuits
Bake at 300 degrees F/148 degrees C for about 1 hr to 75 minutes or until the cheesecake's internal temperature reads 150 degrees F/.66 degrees C. or until the center jiggles like Jell-O when nudged.
*Bake in water bath or put pan of water underneath the baking cake (this creates moisture in the oven) and will help prevent your cheesecake from cracking.

Topping:

To make the Caramel-Orange Sauce: in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and orange juice, and orange zest. Cook over medium-high heat about 8 minutes until the sugar turns amber in color.
½ cup sugar, ¾ cup orange juice, ¾ tsp. orange zest
Remove from heat and quickly stir in the warm cream. Return sauce to stove, whisk in cornstarch and cook for approximately 5-7 additional minutes on medium low, until it thickens to the consistency of gravy. Whisk constantly turn to low at end up to 10 minutes.
*If it thickens too much, simply whisk in more orange juice. If it's not thick enough, keep whisking it
1 cup whipping cream, 3 ½ tsp. cornstarch

Assembly:

When cake has completely cooled (20-30 minutes) pour topping over the top of the bread pudding cheesecake and refrigerate for 8 hrs. or overnight.(*Note: Do not skip this step! It must be refrigerated for 8 hours or cake will have a runny center).

Garnish:

Top with toffee bits, orange zest and cranberries (as shown in photos) and serve.
¼ cup toffee bits, orange zest, cranberries

Notes

Expert Recipe Tips:

Don’t skip room-temperature dairy. Cream cheese, ricotta, and eggs must be at room temperature to blend smoothly and prevent lumps.
Dry the bread properly for the best texture. Bread that’s too soft won’t absorb the milk mixture well. For quick-drying, bake cubed bread at 300°F for 3 minutes per side until slightly crisp but not browned.
Mix the filling gently after adding eggs. Overmixing incorporates too much air and can make the cheesecake rise and crack, so beat only until the eggs are incorporated.
Use the “jiggle test.” The cheesecake should jiggle like soft Jell-O in the center, and for accuracy, remove it from the oven at 150°F (66°C) in the middle.
Create moisture in the oven to prevent cracking. If you don't want to use a water bath, placing a pan of hot water underneath the cheesecake adds humidity without the fuss of a full water bath.
Soak the bread long enough to fully hydrate. Letting it sit in the milk mixture for at least 5 minutes softens it so it blends seamlessly into the filling.
Crush the cookies into small, uneven bits. A mix of fine crumbs and slightly larger pieces adds texture and prevents the filling from becoming too uniform.
Warm the cream before adding it to the caramel. Warm cream prevents the sauce from seizing and ensures a smooth caramel-orange topping.
If the caramel thickens too quickly, adjust. Add a splash of orange juice if it’s too thick or continue cooking on low heat if it’s too thin.
Cool the cheesecake before adding the topping. Letting it cool for 20–30 minutes keeps the topping from sinking or cracking the surface.
Refrigerate for the full 8 hours. The bread pudding layer needs this time to fully set, ensuring clean slices and a firm center.
Use a springform pan with tight seals. This prevents leakage since the filling is heavier and looser than traditional cheesecake batter.
Water bath for Cheesecake: If you want to learn how to make a water bath, then watch this video on how to make a water bath for cheesecake! I like her trick of using a bigger pan to protect the cheesecake, but you can also use tinfoil.
How to tell if your cheesecake is done: It will still be barely jiggly when you shake/move it from side to side, and the sides will have separated from the edges of the pan. But you will see it is puffed up a little around the center

Storage:

You can make this bread pudding cheesecake in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition