I have always had a love-hate relationship with baking. It’s not as forgiving as cooking. You need exact measurements, a little less or more can make or break the recipe. I started cooking when I was around twelve years old and over the years fell in love with creating my own recipes and fusions of food. However, when it came to baking I mostly stuck to boxed mixes for my dessert needs.
Over the past two year, especially during the lockdown, I began exploring the world of baking. It took a lot of trial and error and a lot of failed recipes, but I finally perfected a vanilla cheesecake recipe. It is the perfect base for a cheesecake and can be elevated by adding different toppings for the season or occasion.
Today, I’ll be sharing the recipe for my Chocolate Pomegranate Cheesecake. It’s a delicious blend of flavors. The crust is made from Biscoff Lotus Cookies which adds a warm caramel and cinnamon flavor. The next layer is the creamy vanilla cheesecake which just melts in your mouth. The top is set with decadent chocolate ganache and my favorite part is the fresh pomegranate. With each bite, you get a burst of refreshing flavor from the pomegranate. This is the perfect cheesecake to share with your loved ones during the holiday season.
The cheesecake is pretty straightforward to make. Here are the ingredients needed:
I started off by preheating my oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit as we need to pre-bake the crust. I combined my crushed lotus cookies, butter, and cinnamon into a bowl. Once combined, I pressed into a 9 inch springform pan and baked it for about 12 minutes.
While the crust baked, I worked on my cheesecake filling. Now one of my hesitations that led me not to bake very much is that I do not own a fancy mixer. However, I do have an amazing Ninja Kitchen blender that I use for almost everything in my kitchen and it also helps me make a creamy filling for the cheesecake. In my blender, I combined the cream cheese, sugar and eggs. I blended this on low until well combined. Then I added in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.
After the filling is mixed well, I poured it over the pre-baked crust and smoothed the top. The cheesecake will bake at 350 degrees for about 50-60 minutes.
You will know the cheesecake is done when the center has set. The center of the cheesecake should wiggle a little if you shake the pan. Allow the cheesecake to cool down at room temperature and then refrigerate it overnight.
Once it is completely cooled and refrigerated, I melted my baking chocolate in the microwave. I did 30-second intervals until it was completely melted. I poured the chocolate over the cheesecake and topped it with the pomegranate seeds. The chocolate will set in just a few minutes and it is ready to enjoy!
Ingredients for Crust:
2 cups of Lotus Biscoff Cookies crumbs
½ stick of unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder
Ingredients for Cheesecake Filling:
3 - 8 oz blocks of cream cheese
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
⅔ cups heavy cream
Ingredients for Topping
Baking chocolate
⅔ cups of fresh pomegranate seeds
Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a bowl, combine crushed lotus cookies with melted butter and cinnamon. Mix well until combined.
Press crust mixture to the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and bake for 12 minutes.
In a mixing bowl or blender combine cream cheese, sugar, and eggs.
Once creamed together, add in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Pour mixture over the pre-baked crust.
Bake cheesecake for about 55-60 minutes or until the center is set.
Let the cheesecake cool down completely at room temperature. Once it’s cooled down, refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 30 seconds intervals. Pour over cheesecake and top with pomegranate seeds.
Cover and store cheesecake for up to five days in the fridge.