Peanut Butter Fudge Cheesecake
DEATH BY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE BROWNIE CHEESECAKE
The original Tower of Death Cake has been for years one of my most popular desserts for those willing to take on such a feat of excellence!
Also known as the Death to Diets cake you can quickly see why!
I will issue an early warning though
DEATH BY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE BROWNIE CHEESECAKE IS NOT FOR THE WEAK!
Nor is the eating of these cakes as a matter of fact, since they are aptly dubbed The Death to Diets Cake(s)
AS THE NAME SO BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIBES THIS TOWERING CAKE
Made from layers and layers of brownies, cheesecake, peanut butter fudge and both dark ganache chocolate and light buttercream filling.
Clouds of peanut butter buttercream and ganache drips makes this cake perhaps the most diet disastrous than any of them!
Prep time: 24 hours
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 24 hours 35 mins
Serves: serves 10
I only use Tofutti Brand Cream Cheese for baking *not sponsored~ it’s the only one that works for me in BAKED recipes
All of the recipes below *except for the peanut butter fudge can be made as far in advance as 4-5 days.
Just keep everything wrapped well and refrigerated until you are ready to build the cake
Ingredients
1 Recipe Fudge Brownie baked into 2-7″ pans
1 Recipe Ganache
1 Recipe Buttercream
Cocoa Powder ¾ cup
For the Cheesecake:
Vegan Cream Cheese *see notes above 16ounce (454g)
Vegan Butter melted 2 tablespoons (28g)
Granulated Sugar 1 cup (200g)
Cornstarch 4 Tablespoons (32g)
All Purpose Flour 3 Tablespoons (24g)
Plant Milk *I use soy milk 6fl oz (177ml)
Vegan Lactic Acid or apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon
Salt ¼ teaspoon
Vanilla Extract 3 teaspoons (15ml)
For the Peanut Butter Fudge:
Creamy Peanut Butter 1 cup
Agave Syrup ½ cup
Coconut Oil ½ cup
For the Peanuts Layer and garnish: toasted & chopped Peanuts~ 1½ cups
Instructions
Prepare 4- 7″ cake pans with professional bakery pan grease & parchment paper lining.
Prepare the cheesecake batter by placing all of the cheesecake ingredients into the work bowl of your food processor and pulse to blend
Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure an even mix then blend again to a smooth mixture
Divide the batter equally into 2 portions and pour into the greased & parchment lined cake pans and bake in a water bath in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 minutes.
Prepare the brownie as per the instructions on that recipe and divide this batter into 2 equal portions into the other 2 cake pans.
Bake with the cheesecake layers at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes, I like to keep my brownies slightly under baked **optional
Cool both the cheesecake layers and the brownie layers in the pan completely and then turn out just the brownie layers onto a cooling rack.
Keep the cheesecake in their pans until ready to build the cake.
Prepare the buttercream recipe as per the recipe instructions on that post and add ¾ cup cocoa powder at the last stage of mixing for a chocolate buttercream.
Prepare the ganache recipe and reserve keeping warm to a pour able consistency
When you are ready to assemble the cake, prepare the peanut butter fudge by combining the peanut butter, coconut oil and agave in a medium heavy bottom sauce pot and heat over medium heat whisking often until melted & smooth.
If you have a silicone mold for butter sticks like I did, pour some of the peanut butter fudge into 1 cavity of the mold for the peanut butter fudge garnish, the rest will go as layers in the cake.
The peanut butter fudge will only set in the refrigerator so keep that in mind, you will have to set it to unmold it, and cut it for the garnish. Keep this in mind as the peanut butter fudge is a “refrigerator fudge recipe” so if your finished cake is sitting out at room temperature too long, the fudge will start to melt
Start building the cake by setting up a cake ring mold lined with an acetate cake strip or a springform pan with no bottom attached.
Start by spreading a small amount of chocolate buttercream over the brownie layer and then about ½ cup of the roasted peanuts
Unmold one of the cheesecake layers directly onto the first brownie layer and then pour half of the peanut butter fudge over top.
Allow it to set and then repeat the exact layering process with the remaining brownie, peanuts, cheesecake and peanut butter fudge.
Refrigerate to set for at least 1 hour then remove the cake ring and acetate strip and ice the cake with the remaining chocolate buttercream.
Ganache drips and large rosettes of chocolate buttercream for the garnish
Additional roasted peanuts for the bottom border garnish and then place the ganache dipped fudge triangles on each piece.
Notes
Death by Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Cheesecake must be kept refrigerated at all times and will stay fresh loosely wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 10 days