Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cake made in the ONE pan! Creamy peanut butter cheesecake bakes on top of a fudgy chocolate cake for the ultimate dessert!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cake… What more to say than who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate together? Oh yeah, in a CHEESECAKE *slash* cake form!
This recipe has been so popular, we’ve made it into a video, showing with a chocolate ganache frosting!
Another slice of decadence deserving of a drumroll just in time for EASTER — or the weekend. I give you Peanut Butter Cheesecake / Chocolate Cake. Creamy, melt in your mouth peanut butter cheesecake bakes on top of a fudgy and rich chocolate cake — made in the ONE pan! Only 254 calories without the frosting OR 313 WITH! The frosting is NOT made with ANY cream. No heavy cream. No whipping cream. Not even BUTTER. AND it’s HEALTHY! Or….healthy-errrr than the usual frosting. And it’s optional because the cake is so good on its own it doesn’t need anything more. But it’s there for you…..just in case. I tried to make this as low calorie and fat as possible withOUT comprising on flavour — and I succeeded.
Let me back up for a sec. This cake has been a long time coming. I mean, loooooong. I’ve been working on this recipe since I posted the Carrot Cake Cheesecake. THEN the Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Cake got involved and disrupted my thought processes. A few (I’m talking around six) failed attempts at this one, and finally I broke the mould. So to speak. Because who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate together?
I mean, do you see the fluffiness, the fudginess, and the creaminess all in the same slice down there? ↓↓↓
And if that wasn’t enough, I topped it with an even creamier special frosting AND blended up some Reese’s chips along with some chocolate chips to sprinkle over the lusciousness.
Some tips:
- Line your spring form baking tin. Do NOT attempt to just lightly grease it, or the cake will stick. It’s super fudgy. Don’t risk it.
- The cake pan / tin required is 8-inch. Please don’t attempt to bake it in a larger tin.
- The cheesecake layer requires normal peanut butter. Please do not use natural peanut butter.
- There is no need to swirl the layers. Just follow the recipe and directions EXACTLY as they are written.
- No, you do not have to make the yogurt frosting. It is optional.
- If you want to attempt to substitute ingredients, do so at your own risk and discernment. This is the recipe I have tested and baked countless times, and unfortunately I cannot tell you if coconut flour, almond flour, gluten free flour, maple syrup, honey, no eggs or flax eggs, oil instead of butter, etc, will work. I have not tried it with any other ingredient.
- ENJOY!
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- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar (or a natural granulated baking sweetener that measure 1:1 with sugar)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup skim milk (or full fat or almond milk)
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or plain flour)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons level baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup boiled water brewed with 2 teaspoons instant coffee (or 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee)*, at room temperature
- 1 cup (8 oz | 250 g) light cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup natural powdered sweetener (or sugar)
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use natural)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or natural, plain, or Greek yogurt)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 1/2 oz | 100g 70% dark or milk chocolate
- 3 1/2 oz | 100g vanilla or naturally sweetened Greek yogurt**
- 1/2 cup vanilla or naturally sweetened Greek yogurt , room temperature
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons powdered | confectioners sugar (or powdered sweetener)
- Preheat oven to 175°C | 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch round springform pan with cooking oil spray; line with baking / parchment paper and set aside.***
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until light and creamy. Beat in the milk until well combined.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, mixing them through the wet ingredients. Pour in the coffee and beat the batter until fluffy, well combined and smooth (about 1 minute). Set aside.
- Beat the cheesecake ingredients together until smooth and lump free (about one minute on low speed).
- Evenly pour half of the cake batter into the prepared pan. Pour ⅓ of the cream cheese mixture over the cake layer (don't swirl it through). Pour the remaining cake batter over the cream cheese; then pour the remaining cream cheese mixture over the top to evenly cover the cake.
- Bake in preheated oven for 50 - 55 minutes, or until the centre is just set (it will have a very slight wobble to it). If you find it is browning after 30 minutes, tent with foil being careful the foil does not stick to the cheesecake). Slightly open oven door and keep it ajar with the cheesecake still in the oven for 20 minutes to allow the cheesecake to set further.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for two hours. By this stage, it will be soft but set enough to serve slightly warm. OR cover with foil and refrigerate for 6 hours or over night.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second increments; stirring after each until completely melted. Lightly mix the yogurt through the chocolate until just combined (don't beat it or the chocolate will seize and harden).
- Beat all ingredients well until smooth, lump free and combined.
- Once cake has chilled, remove from baking pan onto serving plate. Spread the chocolate glaze evenly around the sides of the cake with a thin, straight spatula. Spread the peanut butter frosting over the top of the cake. Decorate with crushed chocolate chips and peanut butter chips (I blended them in a small magic bullet cup or small food processor).
**Use a yogurt you like the taste of. One not too bitter, or the bitterness will come out in the frosting
***Please don't be tempted to NOT line your baking tin. The cake will stick to the sides without the parchment or baking paper
OPTIONAL CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING (AS SHOWN IN THE VIDEO):
Bring 1 cup heavy cream to a gentle simmer over low-medium heat. Take off heat immediately, and break 7-ounces or 200-grams chocolate of choice (we used 70% cocoa) into pieces. Add chocolate pieces to the cream; cover with a lid and allow to sit for 5 minutes undisturbed. After 5 minutes, the chocolate will have started to melt. Begin to whisk the chocolate through the cream slowly, and gradually whisk faster to combine. Cool slightly (about 15 minutes), before pouring over the cake.
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NUTRITION INFORMATION
LEFT: NO FROSTING | RIGHT: WITH FROSTING
Nora says
Just made this and tastes as good as it looks and everyone LOVED it!!! Thanks for the recipe and tips!
cat says
hi. when you say leave in it over with door open for 20 mins to set, is it with the oven turned off or on? and do you bake with fan force? how can you tell if cake bit is cooked? thanks!
Elaina says
When opening the oven door slightly for the last portion of baking, should the oven be turned off or leave it on?
L. R. says
Help! Its in the oven, and NOW I realize I forgot the sugar in the cheesecake! I just know this is going to be a total disaster after all this work 🙁
Carolyn Wilson says
I made this cheesecake this weekend and it was absolutely delicious! I made it with chocolate ganache. Love all your tips! I hate when people try to substitute and ask what if ….
Thank you!
Carolyn
Jessica says
When you say to leave the oven door open for 20 min, is that with the oven on or off?
Jeanette Schutz says
I can’t wait to try this!! And the fact that you’ve tried to use low fat ingredients makes it even better!! thank you so much for posting this. Chocolate, peanut butter, cheesecake — Triple win here!! Pinning now.
Pam says
Thank you for sharing! 🙂 This is sinfully tempting which I simply cannot resist to make for my hubby who has a sweet tooth 🙂 Before I make, please enlighten me on how to do the frosting using the chocolate-yogurt glaze, peanut butter yogurt glaze and the chocolate ganache. Do I first spread the chocolate around the sides and the peanut butter on top and then I pour over the ganache??? Thanks in advance!
Aisha says
A great recipe. Can we substitute butter for cisco vegetable shortening?
THANK YOU !
LUCAS TROCCOLI says
My sincere congratulations for your excellent page, recipes, how excellent they are.
Exquisite dessert, I will try to do.
Thank you
Kathleen Richardson says
I made this cake today. Wow!!!
Karina says
Hi Zara! So sorry for the confusion! Corn starch is also known as corn flour 🙂 I hope you both like it! And Happy Birthday to him!
Zara says
This looks amazing. My hubby loves peanut butter and cheesecake and I love chocolate. I want to make this for his birthday but cant seem to find corn starch in UK supermarkets. All we have is corn flour.
Karina says
Hi Pam. You can use sour cream instead of yoghurt. Otherwise, I like Chobani greek yoghurt 2% fat 🙂
Pam says
Ready to make this! I’m not a yogurt fan though. Can you suggest one that I could use? Thank you!
Karina says
Thank you Shanna!
Karina says
Hi Donna. Yes, of course! I hope you enjoy it!
Donna Perry says
Can I use full fat cream cheese? The cheesecake looks amazing.
Shanna Sorenson says
Oh my this looks so yummy!
Karina says
Mary I’m so happy to hear that!
Mary says
Absolutely delicious. Total crowd pleaser. So, so good.
Karina says
Yes! 250g for cream cheese. But for flour, 1 cup is 110 grams. I hope that helps Stefie!
Stefie says
Dear Karina, thank you for the amazing recipe! Before trying it out, I just wanted to quickly ask when you say a cup of something e.g., do you always mean 250 gr/ml of it (like you mentioned 250gr cream cheese)? Thank you in advance, can’t wait to try it out!
Karina says
Ah Jeanna, you so get me! I did try, but I guess it’s human nature lol!
Jeanna says
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your tips. But alas, 99% of the people won’t read them and will still ask “Can I substitute ______”
But you tried, and gave me a smile for the day 😉
Paulina says
I made this last week, sooo goood!!! Thanx for the recepie
Sudhakar says
Woww, it looks lusciou
Karina says
Hi Danielle, I suggest lining both the base and sides 🙂
Danielle says
Do you line just the bottom of the pan with parchment, or do you also line the sides of the pan with it as well? Thanks!
Jealith says
This looks amazing ! I have to buy a smaller size pan but this looks completely worth it. Definitely going into my recipe collection. Can’t wait to make it. Thank you so much for posting this!
Karina says
Hi Brenda. No need too if it’s good quality parchment 🙂
Brenda says
Do you grease parchment paper
Karina says
No water bath needed.
Hope says
Do u need to do a water bath for this because of the cheesecake component?
Karina says
Hi Jaye. Yes that’s fine 🙂
Jaye says
Would 2% milk work fine here?
Margaret Ann @ MAK and Her Cheese says
Cheesecake? yes, please.
Chocolate? Is that even a question?
Peanut butter? Bring it on.
All together? OMG triple win!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Karina says
Thank you for pinning Mary!
Chels says
Those are some pretty dreamy layers!
Peggy says
Somebody said cheesecake! Oh my god. This is a must try recipe..
Mary says
What an amazing dessert!!! Pinned. Thanks for all the effort you put in to create this masterpiece.