This adorable Pesto Cheesecake Christmas Wreath is the make-ahead appetizer recipe you need to impress at any holiday party!
Watch this quick video to see how I make homemade pesto:
Oh my goodness! The world is in full-blown Christmas mode. I'm late to the party! Well, not really. Just late to the blog Christmas party world. After our Thanksgiving trip to VA, I stayed an extra week to help my parents cater an event for 70 + people. It was so much fun! Between my mom and I, we made about 10 different appetizers and 4 desserts for a cake-themed dessert bar. It was quite the undertaking, but we had a blast!
One of the most popular items on our appetizer table was this Pesto Cheesecake Christmas Wreath. I've been making this for holiday parties for the past 7 years or so, and it's always a hit! It's originally from Southern Living, you know, where ALL good holiday recipes come from! Ha! Seriously though, they have THE BEST party recipes.
I've adapted this to be a little more streamlined (fewer ingredients), and I've written out proportions of ingredients to accommodate different sizes of cheesecake pans. I think this would be stunning made as a tiered cheesecake with a 5'' and a 9'' pan. And the good news? It is a wonderful option to make ahead (multiple batches) and freeze one for each holiday event where you know you'll need to bring something. Simply thaw the night before in the fridge and garnish right before your party!
I hope you try this and love it - let me know if you do by uploading a picture on Instagram or Twitter with the tag @sweetcayenne5!
Pesto Cheesecake Christmas Wreath
Ingredients
For a 4-5’’ Cheesecake Pan:
- One 8-ounce portion cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup butter softened to room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- One 2-ounce portion cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup basil pesto homemade or store-bought
- Optional: dark green food coloring
- One 2-ounce portion cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes drained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Reserved sundried tomatoes OR reserved sundried tomato spread for piping
For a 6’’ Cheesecake Pan:
- Two 8-ounce portions cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup butter softened to room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- One 3-ounce portion cream cheese softened
- ½ cup basil pesto homemade or store-bought
- Optional: dark green food coloring
- One 3-ounce portion cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup sundried tomatoes drained
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Reserved sundried tomatoes OR reserved sundried tomato spread for piping
For a 9-10’’ Cheesecake Pan:
- Three 8-ounce portions cream cheese softened
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- One 5-ounce portion cream cheese softened
- ⅔ cup basil pesto homemade or store-bought
- 1 5-ounce portion cream cheese softened
- 1 ¼ cup sundried tomatoes drained
- ⅔ cup tomato paste
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Reserved sundried tomatoes OR reserved sundried tomato spread for piping
Instructions
- Prepare your cheesecake pan by spraying the bottom and sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the first portion of cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same food processor or blender, combine the second portion of cream cheese and the pesto. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. If desired, add 2-3 drops of dark green food coloring gel to make the green color more vibrant.
- Clean the bowl of the food processor or blender. Add the remaining portion of cream cheese, drained sundried tomatoes, and tomato paste. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Using an offset spatula or spoon, spread ⅓ of the cream cheese and butter mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Remove pan from freezer. Spread the sundried tomato mixture on top of the white cream cheese mixture. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Spread another ⅓ of the white cream cheese mixture on top of the sundried tomato mixture. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Spread the pesto cream cheese mixture on top of the white cream cheese mixture. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Finish by spreading the remaining white cream cheese mixture on the very top. Refrigerate until ready to garnish and serve (up to 2 days) OR freeze up to one month. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to garnish and serve.
To garnish and assemble:
- Place the cheesecake on the platter or tray you wish to serve it on. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese onto the top of the cheesecake. Carefully remove the outer ring. Place sprigs of fresh rosemary around the top to make a wreath. Carefully press them into the top to anchor them. Place reserved sundried tomatoes between the rosemary sprigs to create the look of holly. You can alternatively pipe holly berries between the rosemary with reserved sundried tomato cream cheese spread. Serve with crackers, baguette toasts, or crudite.
Notes
- To serve 5-10 people, make the 4-5'' pan recipe.
- To serve 10-25 people, make the 6'' pan recipe.
- To serve 25-50 people, make the 9-10'' pan recipe.
- To serve 50-100 people, make one 4-5'' pan recipe and one 9-10'' pan recipe and create a multi-layer cake.
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