Key Lime Cheesecake

We fell in love with key lime desserts when we visited the Florida Keys way back in 2010. Chocolate will always be my first love, but there's something so delicious and refreshing about key lime treats. That pucker cuts through the sweetness. This beautiful cheesecake from SprinkleBakes won my heart for our Christmas dessert. (I opted out of the yule log this year since we had a smaller crew, and this was tempting me.) 

I had such high hopes for this dessert. It looked amazing. It smelled wonderful. I cut it and served it to my family first, like a good hostess. When my husband took his first bites, I asked how it was. He said that it wasn't as sweet as he expected. I paused, thought back through my preparation of the recipe and realized I forgot to add the sugar to the cheesecake! I told him to tell the rest of the family (in the other room) that the cheesecake wasn't good and that they didn't have to eat it.

Well, I'm not sure if they were just good sports or just that hungry because most of them already had the cheesecake mostly gone by the time I told them that I forgot the sugar (because my husband made me confess my own error). My mom left most of hers (because she gave me my sweet tooth), my aunt said she didn't need anything that sweet anyways and my grandpa gets a pass because he's possibly too old (he's 98) to realize it was gross. I was so disappointed because I had such high hopes for it. 

So, I tossed the rest of the cheesecake and recreated it for New Year's Eve (because I really wanted it). It was worth remaking and quite delicious. Just be sure you add the sugar. If you don't want to go through the effort of the pomegranate touches, it will still be delicious, but they are the perfect accompaniment. 

Key Lime Cheesecake
Crust
1/2 cup butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
Cheesecake
24 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar (don't forget this!)
3 large eggs
8 oz. sour cream
2 tsp. lime zest
1/2 cup key lime juice
Pomegranate Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups pomegranate juice
Toppings
3/4 cup whipping cream, plus dash of powdered sugar, whipped to stiff peaks
1/2 cup pomegranate arils

Preheat oven to 350°F. To make the crust, combine all ingredients together. Press into a 9-inch springform pan, going 2 inches up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, and cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. 

To make the cheesecake, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Stir in the sour cream, lime zest and juice. Poor into the crust. Bake for 70 minutes. Turn off the oven, and prop the door open for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool completely. Then store in refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.

To make the syrup, combine the pomegranate juice and sugar over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, and reduce until syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup, about 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature before topping cheesecake. 

To serve cheesecake, top with syrup, arils and whipped cream. Serves approximately 10-12.