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.
I’d bake a coffee cake with loads of streusel topping!
Your cheesecake in that very cool looking pan. That PB&J cheesecake is right up my sons alley.
I would prepare my favorite kahlua cheesecake. Yum!
I’d make my favorite… bourbon pumpkin cheesecake! (although, i’d probably try this recipe, too! it looks delicious!)
I love making cheesecakes and this springform looks like it would help them come out looking fantastic. Can’t wait to try it.
I will bake a savory cheesecake made with goat cheese.
I’ve had my eye on a classic NY cheesecake recipe for some time, just waiting around for me to actually get the requisite pan!
I will bake a chocolate mousse cheesecake that I am wanting to try for Valentine’s Day!
I am loving citrus right now and would like to make a Key Lime Cheesecake or maybe a Meyer Lemon tart or cheesecake.
I would absolutely love to make this cheesecake in such a wonderful pan! I, in fact, have not yet been able to buy a similar pan to make cheesecake even though I have always wanted to. I am a relatively new baker having recently moved out on my own, but I enjoy baking for the people around me so much!! : )
I am currently obsessed with this flourless chocolate cake/soufflé thing I am working on. A spring-form pan that it doesn’t stick to would be a game changer!
Your stripy mint cheesecake!
What a nice pan to giveaway. I would bake my family’s favorite, a Japanese Cheesecake in this pan. 🙂
amy
I would totally make this. You have such creative cheesecakes.
I would make a new york style cheesecake, my favorite!
Key Lime cheesecake or strawberry or banana or one topped with lemon curd or any other cheesecake that I can come up with!
Oh my . . . I would probably try my classic NY-style cheesecake recipe first – it is almost too good. But your pb&j version would definitely be on the list – sounds like such fun! Thanks for the contest.
I would use it for ice cream cake for my son’s 6th birthday in August, and for ginger grapefruit cheesecake for mothers day.
ny cheesecake with cherries!!
I would use it to make a tres leches cheesecake!
Peanut butter torte from Dorie Greenspan for my boyfriend’s birthday!
I would use the pan to try your beautiful PB&J cheesecake. I will definitely try it with the pan or with my own springform pan :))
i will bake a NY cheesecake in it… and then top it off with a can of cherries, my fave. 🙂
I would bake my great Aunt Sarah’s cheesecake recipe in one of these fine Leuke Silicone Springform Pans.
This pan would be wonderful for baking my favorite cheesecake recipe lovingly shared by an old friend. Thanks for such a great give-away!