Peanut Butter and Jelly is a staple in most children’s diets. In fact, I just read that Americans will consume billions, with a B, of sandwiches every year. I can believe it, since my kids picked it for lunch 9 out of 10 times, until very recently.
I’ve gone through what must be 100s of pounds of peanut butter and even more jelly. They’re certainly easy to make, which saved me lots of time in the mornings before school, but I felt a little guilty packing it for them EVERY day. I mostly dreaded other parents finding out that my kids ate the same thing over and over. In my head I wanted them to eat bento boxes, with carved vegetables and seaweed salad, but, it was their lunch, their choice and they loved PB&J. The truth is that I love it too; almost everyone does, if we’re honest. Here’s a peanut butter and jelly cheesecake that has all the fond memories of those childhood sandwiches, but it’s way more decadent and sophisticated.
Once in a while I find a new product that changes the way I cook and bake. I felt this way about the Silpat and the Microplane Grater
The pan is fantastic, but took some getting used to, because it is transparent and flexible. It has a pin (the black tab) that slides in and out to seal the pan to the base. You’ll see a better picture of the pin later in the post.
How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake
See me make it step by step and find the full recipe at the bottom of this post.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a food processor pulverize the Oreos, butter, sugar and salt.
Pour into the pan and pat flat with your finger tips, bringing the oreo crumbs up the sides slightly. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until set.
In a stand mixer, fitted with the Beater Blade, mix the cream cheese on low speed, scraping down the sides to make sure it is all smooth. Add the sugar and sour cream.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the salt and vanilla.
Split the batter into two bowls. Add the peanut butter to one bowl and add the jelly to the second.
Place the pan on a baking sheet. Spread the peanut butter batter over the oreo crust, smoothing out the top.
Very carefully add the jelly batter over the peanut butter batter.
Place the cheese cake in the center of the oven. Place a second baking sheet on a lower shelf and fill it with water. The water will create steam in the oven and prevent the cheese cake from developing a hard crust. Bake for about 60 minutes or until set in the center. The top will souffle slightly. Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours. After one hour in the refrigerate, loosely cover with plastic.
Carefully run a thin bladed knife around the edge of the pan. Pull out the pin.
Unmold the cake from the pan.
To make the ganache:
In a saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate and butter. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then stir gently, until totally smooth.
Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack that is sitting above a baking sheet, lined with parchment. This will catch the excess ganache.
This video shows you how to make the ganache, pour it over a cake and decorate the sides.
Let the cake sit on the rack until the ganache has set up, about 45 minutes.
To decorate the sides see the above video.
Use a thin Bread Knife
When you cut into it, the peanut butter and jelly layers will reveal themselves.
Ingredients
Crust
- 20 whole Oreos
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Pinch salt
Cheesecake
- 2 1/2 lbs cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 5 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla make homemade vanilla
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup jelly if you are using one that is pale, you may consider a drop of food coloring to perk up the color
Ganache
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lb semisweet or bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
Instructions
Make the Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a food processor pulverize the Oreos, butter, sugar and salt. Pour into the pan and pat flat with your finger tips, bringing the Oreo crumbs up the sides slightly. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until set.
- In a stand mixer, fitted with the Beater Blade, mix the cream cheese on low speed, scraping down the sides to make sure it is all smooth. Add the sugar and sour cream. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the salt and vanilla.
- Split the batter into two bowls. Add the peanut butter to one bowl and add the jelly to the second. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Spread the peanut butter batter over the oreo crust, smoothing out the top. Very carefully add the jelly batter over the peanut butter batter.
- Place the cheesecake in the center of the oven. Place a second baking sheet on a lower shelf and fill it with water. The water will create steam in the oven and prevent the cheese cake from developing a hard crust. Bake for about 60 minutes or until set in the center. The top will souffle slightly. Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours. After one hour in the refrigerate, loosely cover with plastic.
- Carefully run a thin bladed knife around the edge of the pan. Pull out the pin. Unmold the cake from the pan.
Make the Ganache
- In a saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate and butter. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then stir gently, until totally smooth.
Pour the Ganache
- Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack that is sitting above a baking sheet, lined with parchment. This will catch the excess ganache.
- This video shows you how to make the ganache, pour it over a cake and decorate the sides. Let the cake sit on the rack until the ganache has set up, about 45 minutes.
- Use a thin Bread Knife, dipped in a pitcher of hot water to cut the cake. When you cut into it, the peanut butter and jelly layers will reveal themselves.
Chocolate cheesecake with ganache topping. A showstopper that will satisfie even the most determined chocoholic!
I would love to win this springform pan to make all kinds of cheesecake! I usually borrow a friend’s pan when I just NEED to bake a cheesecake. But I would make them more often if I had one for my very own! My favorite so far was a lemon blueberry cheesecake I found when I had an abundance of blueberries. This past Christmas I made an eggnog cheesecake that was soooo good. But, I would try this pb&J cheesecake first!
Thank you for the opportunity!
I would make a black forest cheesecake! I’ve never seen a pan like that and your cheesecake is beautiful!
A classic New York cheesecake with a thick sour cream layer on top
classic new york style with berries on top
Ooooh — it could also be a mold for aspics, meatloaves, etc!
I will make my sister’s delicious Bavarian Apple Pie Torte! I might even make it more delicious than she does with the new springform pan!!
I have some friends with Celiac Disease who happen to love PBJ. I would love to make this cheesecake for them, but swapping out the Oreos for a gluten-free crust made with Chex. But I don’t have a good way to make cheesecakes, so I’d love a springform pan!
Definitely the PB and J cheesecake – it looks divine and just right for my husband’s birthday
Oh, that is beautiful. The obvious thing to make in that pan is a cheesecake; maybe like this Louisiana Cheesecake: http://louisiana.kitchenandculture.com/recipes/creole-cream-cheese-cheesecake
Lemon Cheese Cake, because it is my fave.
Yum! PB&j cheesecake! Definitely going to try this!
Bailey cheese with oreo crust. I want to try that for a long time.
I would absolutely make this PBJ cheesecake as well as other cheesecakes including my Meyer lemon cheesecake and your pumpkin cheesecake which I made last November in a traditional springform pan. I would also use this to make ice cream layer cakes. This is a brilliant new baking tool- silicone sides with a ceramic bottom. Thank you Zoe for your great blog.
This might be the first time that I have been seriously impressed by a cake pan. I would love to have one and would first use it make a dulce de leche cheesecake with shortbread crust and caramel whipped cream (and the cheesecake in this post soon after, yowza!).
I will make my “renowned” Oreo cheesecake or maybe a savory cheesecake with a rye bread crust, or maybe … aargh! decisions! I know! a lemon curd cheesecake! well..?
Zoe, what is the decorations you put on the cake at the end of the video? Look interesting.
Hi Ed,
They are candied hazelnuts. Here is the recipe: http://zoebakescom.bigscoots-staging.com/2011/02/08/chocolate-glazed-praline-cheesecake-with-candied-hazelnuts/
Thanks, Zoë
I’m thinking Tres Leches… yum!
I would make the lovely PB&J cheesecake as you have done. Who wouldn’t love PB&J covered in chocolate! My Oh My!
What a gorgeous looking cheesecake and what an awesome pan!
I would go the savory route and make something like a stuffed-rigatone ‘pie’ .
Not a big fan of peanut butter which totally makes me (per my family) un-American, but this does sound delicious. Also, this is completely amazing tool! I was this excited when I found some small silicon panna cotta molds, it changed everything could completely see how this could revolutionize cheesecakes.
What a great recipe. I actually had a similar idea for National PB&J Day some time ago. My friends challenged me to celebrate the day with cheesecake (because I’m synonymous with cheesecake). Right now though I’ve been thinking Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake. And I’d love to try one of those pans!
I would love to bake any version of a peanut butter cheesecake in it!
I love peanut butter, but not jelly, so I would bake a plain peanut butter cheesecake in mine.
Would love to make a white chocolate Oreo cheesecake with that gorgeous pan!