Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cheesecake

OK, I just have to say something about the culinary skills of one of my daughters. A few weeks ago she made her first ever baked cheesecake. This was the original inspiration...

This is the no-bake version, but we decided we wanted a brownie crust so she found this...

So here is the recipe she used.

Brownie Base 

12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter  

1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar

3/4 cup (3 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar

3/4 cup (3 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (or spray with baking spray) a 9 x 9 square or 10" round springform pan.

Melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder. Cover, and set aside to cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs for 3 minutes (longer if you're using a hand mixer), then gradually add the sugar, beating 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in the butter/chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the flour and salt, just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Cool completely.

 

Peanut Butter Cheesecake 

2 pounds (32 ounces) cream cheese

1 cup peanut butter (not the natural kind that you have to stir)

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup heavy cream 

Be sure to have all ingredients at room temperature, especially the eggs and cream cheese. This will help keep cracks from forming in the top of the cheesecake.

Preheat the oven to 325°F (if you're doing the cheesecake the next day; otherwise just reduce the oven temperature). Put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath. Wrap springform pan in 3-4 layers of aluminum foil to prevent (or lessen at least!) leakage.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium speed for about 4 minutes, until soft and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the sugar and beat for another 4 minutes. Beat in the salt and vanilla.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 1 minute) and scraping sides of bowl after each addition. Beating at low speed, add the sour cream and heavy cream.  The batter will be thin.

(Note: If you're using a hand mixer, you will want to increase the mixing times).

Pour the remaining batter on top of the cooled brownie base. You'll want to leave a little room (half-inch or so) at the very top of the pan, but it should be nearly full (depending on your pan size and your base, you may have a little extra batter which can be cooked in small cake pans or muffin tins). 

Place the cheesecake in the pan for the waterbath, and place in the oven.  Pour the boiling water in for the water bath, it should come about halfway up the side of the springform.  Bake the cheesecake for about 55-65 minutes: it should hold together and appear set at the edges, but there will still be a lot of jiggle in the center. Turn the oven off, and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. After one hour, remove the cake from the water bath, and let it finish cooling on the counter top. Remove the foil, and refrigerate overnight.

Rather than putting the pictured topping on she sprinkled chocolate chips and got this:

It was simply delightful! What a joy it is to have such a clever daughter.