Today I'm sharing with you this decadent and delicious no-bake cheesecake peanut butter chocolate cheesecake that's super creamy and with amazing combo flavors. It's one of my husband's, Marco, favorite. Now that I think about it, apart from going crazy over dulce de leche he also is nuts about peanut butter.
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Layers of Cheesecake Goodness
There are 4 layers in this cheesecake. Yep, 4 layers of goodness!
First is the base. I don't know about you but for me, the base is an important component in a no-bake cheesecake as it gives the texture and that salty touch to balance out the sweetness of the whole cheesecake.
So yes, I do count the base as 1 layer.
And then the chocolate layer. Ohh wow!
Do you know how difficult it is to restrain yourself from taking a spoon (or two and three) of that yummy chocolate cheesecake layer when filming this video? Well, it's very difficult, trust me.
Apart from restraining myself, I have to keep slapping somebody's hand (whose name shall not be mentioned, but he's the one behind the camera) from stealing some also.
And who says cooking is easy, eh?
So, I'm using semisweet chocolate like in my delicious no-bake chocolate cheesecake and baked mini chocolate cheesecake recipes, which I melt before I start making the cheesecake. This is so that the chocolate has a chance to cool a bit by the time I mix it with the cream cheese mixture.
Talking about cream cheese, let's remember to always use it at room temperature OK?
I chill the chocolate layer in the fridge for a while so that it gets a chance to set a bit before I start making the next layer.
Talking about the next layer. Peanut butter layer!
Try to use toasted peanut butter, it makes such a difference. I'm using smooth peanut butter to get that smooth texture. If you don't mind and prefer the crunchy peanut butter, then, by all means, use it.
I also heat the peanut butter a bit in the microwave so that it's a bit runny. This will make it easier when I mix it with the cream cheese mixture later. So a tip for you.
The last layer is the ganache.
For this recipe, I wanted a slightly runnier ganache than my no-bake Oreo cheesecake since I wanted a simple finish to the cheesecake. No cream whatsoever on top.
A slightly runnier ganache enables me to get that smooth finish.
Well, there you have it. Though there are several steps to this cheesecake, as you can see they are all super simple ones, like in our delicious no-bake caramel apple cheesecake.
I really hope you'll give this a try. Let me know what you think.
Other No-Bake Cheesecake Recipes
- Chocolate cheesecake
- Vanilla cheesecake
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Mini mango cheesecakes
- Caramel apple cheesecake
Video
📖 Recipe
No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
The Base
- 5.3 oz digestive biscuits (150 gr)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (60 gr), melted
Tha Chocolate Layer
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate (115 gr), melted
- 7 oz full fat cream cheese (200 gr), room temperature
- ¼ cup icing sugar (30 gr), sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup whipping cream (35% fat) (60 ml), chilled
The Peanut Butter Layer
- 7 oz full fat cream cheese (200 gr), room temperature
- ½ cup icing sugar (60 gr), sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 oz peanut butter (85 gr)
- ¼ cup whipping cream (35% fat) (60 ml), chilled
The Ganache
- 3 oz semisweet chocolate (85 gr)
- ⅓ cup whipping cream (35% fat) (80 ml)
- 2 tablespoon whipping cream (35% fat) (30 ml)
Instructions
The Base
- Blend the digestive biscuits in a food processor into fine crumbs. Pour into a bowl and add in melted butter. Mix well.
- Pour into a 7 inch (18 cm) springform pan. Press evenly and tightly to the base. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
The Chocolate Layer
- Chop chocolate into small pieces and melt in microwave with 15 seconds intervals. Stir in each interval. Set aside.
- Whisk cream cheese in a bowl until light and fluffy. Then add in icing sugar, vanilla extract, pinch of salt and mix to combine.
- Add in melted chocolate and immediately mix everything together until well combine. Set aside.
- Whisk whipping cream in a bowl until soft peaks. Pour it into the chocolate cream cheese mixture and fold to combine.
- Pour over the prepared base. Spread evenly and place in the fridge for 1 hour for it to set a bit.
The Peanut Butter Layer
- Whisk cream cheese in a bowl until light and fluffy. Then add in icing sugar, vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Warm peanut butter slightly in a microwave so that it's runnier. Add into the cream cheese mixture and mix well. Set aside.
- Whisk whipping cream in a bowl until soft peaks. Pour it into the peanut butter cream cheese mixture and fold to combine.
- Pour over the chocolate layer. Spread evenly and place in the fridge for 1 hour for it to set a bit.
The Ganache
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place into a bowl. Heat cream just until it's about to simmer. Pour into the bowl containing chocolate and leave untouched for 3 minutes. Gently whisk to combine.
- Pour ganache on top of the cheesecake and swirl the pan around to help the ganache covering the surface. Place in the fridge overnight or until fully set.
- Once fully set remove it from the pan, slice and enjoy!
How Transfer To Serving Plate
- It's easy since this cake is small. First insert a knife under the cheesecake and carefully run it all around to detach the cheesecake from the base.
- Using the same knife, gently lift the cheesecake a bit and insert 1 flat spatula. Do the same in the opposite direction.
- Carefully yet confidently lift the cheesecake with both spatulas and place on a serving plate. Gently remove spatulas out.
- Or place a baking sheet on the base of the springform pan before assembling. You will have a slightly bigger baking sheet coming out from the springform pan after assembling it. Before serving, gently slide the cheesecake onto a serving plate.
How To Serve
- Keep the cheesecake in the fridge all the time until just a few minutes before serving. Cut the slices as needed and put back the cheesecake in the fridge to maintain chill.
Notes
- Please use full fat cream cheese. Meaning, do not use light cream cheese else it won't set as good.
- Please use minimum 35% fat content for the whipping cream. The fat is needed to help set the cheesecake.
- This recipe doesn't uses gelatin so it usually takes longer to set.
- Use unsalted butter.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kersten says
What would the conversion rate be for ingredients if I used a 9" springform pan instead of a 7"?
Bea & Marco says
Hi, Kersten! For a 9-inch springform pan, multiply all ingredients by 1.4 (1.5 works too). Hope it helps!
Mindy says
I made this for my sister's birthday last year and everyone loved it! I am planning on making a dessert for a family holiday party and wanted to know if this could be made as mini cheesecakes or maybe even bars. Would I need to adjust the recipe at all?
Bea & Marco says
Hi Mindy! I haven't tried making it into mini cheesecakes or bars but the only adjustment to the recipe would need to be in the amount you make. And it will depend on how many mini cheesecakes you want or what pan size and height for the bars you want. Depending on how tall you want the bars to be, without changing the amounts, I would use a 9" square pan so that they are not as tall. And for the mini cheesecakes, you would get about 10 mini cheesecakes with the recipe as is. Let me know how it went and happy holidays!
Daria says
Amazing!) Thank you ❤️
Lorrie says
Hi Bea,
I’m back after making these four layers of outstanding, scrumptious deliciousness! Since last night, after dinner, we have each had three pieces. Thank you for posting this keeper recipe! Is there anyway we can freeze this baby just in case we don’t finish it within the next few days?
By the way, the laundry did, finally, get finished. LOL
Happy New Year!
Lorrie
Bea says
Haha! Am I the only one whose laundry is still not done then. What I always do is slice the cheesecake in portions and freeze them (place on a tray with parchment paper, with some space between them). Once they're frozen (round 1 hour or so), then individually wrap them, place in a ziploc bag and back in the freezer. Hope it helps, thank you and happy new year to you Lorrie!
Lorrie Berntsen says
Hi, I just finished the last layer...The luscious ganache & is in the fridge waiting for tomorrow to come. With each layer, we got more anxious to try it! Your cake looks so decadent in the photos! It was quite time consuming so my laundry didn’t get multitasked with making this cake as I had planned...What a shame!
I will post again after we have tried a slice...Thank you for all the extra tips, they were really helpful.
Lorrie
Bea says
Hi Lorrie! Sorry about your laundry 🥲. But I think you will agree all the effort was worth it when you and your family try it tomorrow. Happy New Year!
Greg Hollingsworth says
An you use a 8 inch pan for this recipe?
Bea says
Yes, you can. You should multiply the ingredients by 1.2 if you want the same look (height).
Sigri says
Hello! I would like to ask what brand of peanut butter do you prefer? Thank you very much.
Mike says
Fantastic! just made it and it came out great. Easy to follow recipe. My wife said that it's so good, i could sell it!
Thank you!
Bea says
Haha! Well that's just awesome Mike, thank you!