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No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache
A rich and creamy peanut butter cheesecake in a salty-sweet cocoa pretzel crust, topped with glossy chocolate ganache and piped peanut buttercream on top. Easy to make, addictive to say the least, and so fluffy and smooth!
Servings: 10 slices
slices
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
- parchment paper
- Stand Mixer or hand mixer
- spatula
- offset spatula (for smoothing)
- piping bag and small open or star tip (for garnish)
Ingredients
Pretzel Cocoa Crust
- 1 ½ cups crushed pretzels, (very fine, not powdery)
- 3 tablespoon cocoa powder, (Dutch-processed recommended)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling
- 2 cups full-fat cream cheese, 2 8 oz packages at room temperature
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter, (unsweetened)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold (whipped to medium peaks)
Chocolate Ganache Topping
- 115 grams dark chocolate, chopped (or chips)
- 120 grams heavy cream
- small pinch of salt
Peanut Buttercream (for garnish)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- splash of milk or cream, if needed to loosen
Instructions
Prepare spring form pan
- Prepare the springform pan by lining the bottom of the pan with a parchment circle.
- If desired, you may want to consider lining the edges of the pan with a 2-3 inch strip of parchment.
Make pretzel crust
- Mix crushed pretzels, cocoa powder, and brown sugar in a bowl. Stir in melted butter until evenly moistened.
- Press firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
- Chill while preparing filling.
Make peanut butter-cream cheese filling
- Beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Add peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla; beat until fully combined and fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to medium peaks, then gently fold into peanut butter mixture.
- Add and mix in three additions to ensure even distribution keeping the mixture smooth and airy.
Assembly
- Pour filling into the prepared crust and smooth top. Chill at least 4–6 hours or overnight until fully set.
Make chocolate ganache
- Have the chocolate in a bowl large enough to also accommodate the cream.
- Warm cream until small bubbles start forming around the edges and it is nearly simmering.
- Pour over chopped chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes (do not let it cool too much), then stir until glossy and smooth.
- Let cool for 5–10 minutes before pouring gently over the cheesecake.
- Tilt to spread or smooth with offset spatula. Chill to set ganache.
Make peanut butter buttercream
- To make an optional peanut butter buttercream frosting for decorations, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Beat until fluffy, (this can take a little bit as this is a stiffer buttercream) add a splash of cream if needed.
How to remove cheesecake
- Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and move it to a cake board or serving plate.
Decorate the top
- Pipe rosettes, swoops, or dollops along the edge or around slices after the ganache is set.
Slice chilled cheesecake
- Keep chilled until time to serve.
- Cut with a warm knife wiping between each cut, or alternatively use a piece of unflavored dental floss to make the cuts. The pretzel crust is delicate and may crumble if the pieces were not crushed enough.
Nutrition Facts
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache
Amount per Serving
Calories
788
% Daily Value*
Fat
60
g
92
%
Saturated Fat
31
g
194
%
Trans Fat
0.5
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
19
g
Cholesterol
118
mg
39
%
Sodium
497
mg
22
%
Potassium
413
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
56
g
19
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
34
g
38
%
Protein
13
g
26
%
Vitamin A
1500
IU
30
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
106
mg
11
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
