Baked [Pomegranate] Cheesecake

There is something about cheesecakes. Despite all the waiting, they are so versatile (and so worth it) - from your fluffy Cool Whip-esque type to your deliciously decadent oh-my-god type. Both have their merits. Both are good. But everyone has a favorite.

Let me preface this by saying two things:

• I'm visiting home right now and don't have my favorite recipes on me.
• It was late and I only had 1 package of cream cheese.

Given both of these limitations, I googled around for a simple, new recipe until I found one that let me work with what I had. I found this one for a baked cheesecake and thought I would give it a try. I'd also never done a cheesecake that you actually bake the topping onto. Seemed easy enough though.

Lastly, I was short on graham cracker crumbs and mixed some almond meal in to cover it. This ended up making the crust a little softer than your typical graham cracker crust - a nice change up.

I made one big mistake though: I tried to go pomegranate. Realizing a few minutes in that this recipe could be just light and simple (read: nothing special), I thought I would try my hand at flavoring it. After adding some pomegranate juice, I wasn't seeing the flavor or color I wanted. So I added more. And more. And because it was just slightly tinted where I envisioned gorgeous, gracious swirls throughout my cake, I added a few drops of red and blue food coloring.

Note to self: don't do this. This recipe is meant to be short and sweet - so leave it that way.

I ended up with a grayish looking batter that only darkened when it baked. Ugh.

What I will say for this recipe is that it was incredibly easy and went much quicker than normal cheesecakes. If you're in a bind for time or ingredients, this is a good route to take. Also, the cool sour cream topping covered up my grayish mass of blah. Although the color was, well, off, the cake itself is fluffy with a nice, slightly pomegranate-y flavor. Not cheesecakey enough for cheesecake-lovers, but definitely recognizable for what it is.

Ingredients

Crust
2 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs


1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened


1 Tbsp. lemon juice


1/2 cup sugar


1/4 cup milk


Dash of salt


1/2 tsp. vanilla


2 eggs



Topping
2 Tbsp. sugar


1 cup sour cream


1/2 tsp. vanilla


Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter, press into buttered springform pan to form crust on bottom and sides. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, milk, salt and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour filling into crust. Bake at 325F for 25 to 30 minutes or until set.

Combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar, sour cream, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake then bake for 10 minutes longer. Chill for 5 hours or more before serving.

From momswhothink.com