Name: Pomegranate cheesecake and a willow house giveaway
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: En
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs; 4 - 5 tablespoons melted butter; 4 tablespoons sugar; 3 - 8 oz packs of cream cheese at room temperature; 4 eggs; 1 cup of sugar; 2 tablespoons vanilla; 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice; 16 oz sour cream; 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla; 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons pomegranate juice; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 1/2 cups pomegranate arils; 2 tablespoons orange liqueur; 1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Ingredients

Crust:

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 - 5 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons sugar

Filling:

3 - 8 oz packs of cream cheese at room temperature
4 eggs
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Sour Cream Topping :

16 oz sour cream
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Pomegranate topping:

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups pomegranate arils
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Preparation

Preparation20 min

Cook time1 h 5 m

Crust:
Preheat your oven to 325'. Place a baking dish on the rack below where you plan on baking your cake. Combine ingredients.
Place in the refrigerator while mixing the filling together.
Filling:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into your graham cracker crust.
Place in the middle rack in your oven. Pour 1 cup of hot water into a dish on a rack below your cheesecake. Bake for 1 hour, turning the cake 90' halfway through.
If needed, add another cup of hot water to the baking dish. This helps prevent big cracks by providing a humid atmosphere within your oven.
Sour Cream Topping :
Combing and pour on top of the cheesecake. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate.
Pomegranate topping:
Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of pomegranate juice. In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring the remaining 1/2 cup pomegranate juice and sugar to a boil Stir in the cornstarch mixture and heat, stirring constantly until everything thickens. Stir in the pomegranate arils. Pour everything into a bowl and set the bowl inside a larger bowl that contains ice water. Stir to cool. Spread over the top of your chilled cheesecake. Chill an additional 2 hours or more.