Chocolate and peanut butter lovers rejoice, the perfect cheesecake is finally here. Layer after layer of goodness, it’s so good it’s hard to stop eating it!
If you are a fan of buckeyes, or cheesecake, or life and happiness in general… you need to stop what you are doing and make this cheesecake! It is layer upon layer of sweet goodness.
Chocolate and peanut butter is classic combination that is elevated to something extraordinary in this over the top layered dessert.
You know I am not one to shy away from going a little overboard in the event of a special occasion. I like to live it up and celebrate with extra goodies whenever I can.
There is nothing like a spectacular layered dessert to do just that.
Imagine your guests surprise when you put this beauty on the table. They are going to be impressed enough just looking at it as a whole, but even more so when you cut a slice and reveal there is even more waiting inside!
There is just something so fun and special about serving a dessert like that.
If you come here often, you know that my family has dinner together every Saturday night. I am almost always the dessert committee, so I have plenty of excuses to make sweet treats. The hardest part for me is deciding what to make.
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Knowing my husband is a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan made this decision relatively easy. Still, I gave one of my brothers the final choice and luckily he concurred that the buckeye cheesecake was the way to go!
I did have to make a few changes to the recipe to account for the size pan I had, but adapting is part of the fun of cooking. The results were absolutely delicious. It was not overly sweet, just the right amount.
It was rich however, which is to be expected when you consider it is chocolate, cheesecake and peanut butter all coming together. Just remember that when cutting slices, a small slice will do. Plus that will help leave a leftover slice or two to enjoy later!
My sister who is a sucker for buckeyes took a bite and mmmmmmed in goodness. The second bite resulted in a thumbs up and the declaration that this dessert is “top notch.” Everyone else agreed.
Next time you need a super special dessert, this is the thing for you! Don’t let the number of steps deter you.
While there are quite a few things to do in total, each layer is really straight forward to make and assembly is easy.
You don’t need any extraordinary skills or equipment to make this showstopper. Please give it a try and let me know what you think!
Buckeye Cheesecake With a Brownie Crust
Ingredients
Brownie Crust
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 5 ounces mini peanut butter cups cut in half
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
Chocolate Ganache
- 12 ounces semi sweet chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream
- pinch salt
Peanut Butter Topping
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 pinch salt
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- optional: additional peanut butter cups for garnish
Instructions
Brownie Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepared an 9-inch springform pan. Spray the pan with grease or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large glass bowl, melt the 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, ½ cup unsalted butter and ¼ teaspoon salt together in 30 second bursts. Stir between each trip to the microwave until the chocolate is just melted and able to be mixed smooth. Be careful not to scorch the chocolate. Allow to cool slightly before you proceed.
- Stir the ⅔ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into the melted chocolate.
- Add the 2 large eggs, one at a time, whisking after each until completely combined.
- Stir in the ¾ cup all purpose flour and halved 5 ounces mini peanut butter cups until just combined and then spread in the bottom of the prepared springform pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool while preparing the cheesecake layer. Drop temperature to 300°F.
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Beat the 16 ounces cream cheese and ½ cup granulated sugar until creamy and smooth.
- Add the ¾ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ¾ cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 pinch salt. Beat until smooth
- Add the 3 large eggs one at a time, mixing slowly until just combined. Be careful to not incorporate too much air at this point.
- Pour the cheesecake layer over the slightly cooled brownie layer and tap it against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Wrap the springform pan tightly in a couple of layers of aluminum foil and then place in a large rimmed pan. Fill the larger pan with hot water, being sure no water seeps through the springform pan.
- Place the whole thing in the oven (now at 300°F) and bake for 60-70 minutes. The cheesecake should be set but still slightly jiggly when you shake it.
- Leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door slightly ajar for about a half hour to let it start to cool slowly, then remove from oven entirely.
- Remove pan from water bath and cool at room temperature for 3-4 hours or until completely cool. Then refrigerate.
- When ready to complete the assembly, release the edges of the cheesecake from the springform pan. I usually use a thin plastic knife and run it between the pan and the cheesecake to ensure it isn’t sticking anywhere. Then take the edges off the pan. Remove the parchment if you used it.
Ganache
- Put the 1 cup heavy cream, 12 ounces semi sweet chocolate and pinch salt in a small glass bowl.
- Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring well between each one until the chocolate is just melted and able to be stirred smooth.
- Let cool to a spreadable consistency.
Peanut Butter Topping
- In a small glass bowl, melt the ¾ cup creamy peanut butter and ¼ cup butter together in short bursts until the butter is just melted enough to stir smooth.
- Add the 1 pinch salt and ¾ cup powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Allow to cool to a spreadable consistency.
Assembly
- Remove cheesecake from springform pan and place on serving tray.
- Spread cooled peanut butter topping over cheesecake, stopping just shy of the edges.
- Spread cooled ganache over the outside edge of the cheesecake, feeling free to build it up a bit over the top of the cheesecake to form a ridge/crust.
- Garnish with additional peanut butter cups if desired.
- Refrigerate to set and until ready to serve.
- Set out at least 20 minutes before serving for an easier slicing/serving experience.
- Wrap leftover and store in the refrigerator.
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I am not much of a sweet eater anymore, but this pie! It looks totally worth eating!
It definitely is!