Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake - An Explosion in Your Mouth!

If you like Peanut Butter Fudge, or flourless chocolate cake, or any kind of peanut butter anything, you will love this cake! I made it as an experiment for one of my restaurant customers and it certainly sold fast. We never really did come up with a proper name for it, but I've started calling it the Peanut Butter-Milk Chocolate explosion cake, because it is layers of milk chocolate and peanut butter that come together in an 'explosion' in your mouth.

It looks complicated, but it really doesn't take that much time to make.  Add a comment below if you have any questions, and I will try to get back to you in a timely fashion.  Enjoy!


Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Explosion Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

Cake Ingredients:

For the Flourless Milk Chocolate Cake
8 ounces of good quality milk chocolate, cut into 1/2" squares
1/2 lb of butter, cut into 1/2" squares
4 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1 cup sugar
1.5 cups PB
1 tsp salt

For the Peanut Butter Cheesecake layer
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt

Toppings Ingredients:

Milk Chocolate Ganache:
5 ounces milk chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream (whipping cream or coffee cream)

Peanut Butter Buttercream:
1 cup of store-bought or homemade vanilla buttercream icing (if you need a recipe, click here)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/8 tsp salt

Instructions:

For the flourless chocolate cake base...
1. Beat the egg whites until fairly stiff peaks form and until they look glossy. Set aside.
2. Melt the chopped butter and chocolate together in a plastic or glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds, or in a stainless steel bowl over a double boiler (place bowl on top of a small or medium pot of barely simmering water on the stovetop). Stir with a spatula until smooth.
3. Once melted, remove from the heat and add the sugar and stir until combined.
4. Add all four egg yolks and beat in (with a fork, hand mixer or immersion blender. Add the peanut butter and salt and stir until smooth.
5. Gently fold in the egg whites.
6. Pour into a greased 9" or 10" spring-form pan.
7. Set aside while you make the peanut butter cheesecake layer.

For the cheesecake layer...
1. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl with a stand mixer or hand mixer. Stir a few times to soften the cheese.
2. Add the sugar and beat for 30 seconds or so, being sure to stir several times to remove any cheese lumps.
3. Add the egg and beat in until smooth, lump free and combined (about 30 seconds).
4. Add the peanut butter and salt and stir until smooth.

5. Pour the batter on top of the chocolate cake layer and spread around until smooth and it entirely covers the chocolate layer.

Bake in a preheated 350º F oven for 40 minutes. The top edges should look cooked about 1" from sides and middle can be a little jiggly (although not entire wet).  Remove from oven carefully and let cool for 1 hour, then refrigerate until cold (about 2 hours in the fridge).

Prepare the ganache topping...
1. Place your chopped milk chocolate in a bowl with the cream and microwave for 1 minute. Stir until smooth (add back to microwave for 10 second intervals if lumps of chocolate still remain).
2. Pour over the cake and push to the edges. You can gently drip it over the edges, or push enough over to seal the edges entirely by smoothing with an offset spatula.
3. Let set in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes while you prepare chocolate shavings or peanut butter icing for the top.

Prepare and apply your peanut butter icing...
1. Beat the peanut butter into the buttercream icing. Place in a decorator bag or in a Ziplock bag and cut a small hole off of the corner. Making criss-cross patterns, decorate the top of the cake with the peanut butter icing.
2. Top with milk chocolate shavings.
3. Serve cold or at room temperature, using a hot knife to slice. Serves 12 to 16.