Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye Cake

By gtbalm

What you’re drooling over is a layer of chocolate cake, a layer of chocolate peanut butter glaze, a layer of peanut butter cheesecake, another layer of the chocolate peanut butter glaze, another layer of chocolate cake, a layer of peanut butter frosting (that tastes EXACTLY like a peanut butter ball) and more of the chocolate peanut butter glaze.

Ingredients

• For the Peanut Butter Cheesecake:
• 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%, but 2% or whole milk would be great too)
• For the chocolate cake:
• 1 box chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package directions (homemade works too, if you're feeling adventurous) and baked in 2 9 inch round cake pans
• For the Peanut Butter Frosting
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• For the chocolate peanut butter glaze
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Preparation

Step 1

For the Peanut Butter Cheesecake:

Bake the cheesecake one day in advance so that it has plenty of time to chill in the fridge before layering with the chocolate cake!
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and flour until light and smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the milk.
Grease a 9-inch round springform pan VERY WELL. There is no crust on this cheesecake, so it is imperative that you really grease the pan so that the cheesecake will release from it easily.
Pour batter into the greased pan.
Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees.
Reduce heat to 260 and bake for 50 minutes or until just the center is slightly jiggly.
Cool on the counter for 2 hours. Transfer to a refrigerator to chill overnight.
For the chocolate cake:
Prepare the cake mix according to the package or use a recipe for homemade cake.
Bake in 2 9-inch round, well greased cake pans. Cool completely.

For the peanut butter frosting:

Cream together the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix well. Beat in half of the cream. Add the remaining powdered sugar and continue mixing until combined. Beat in the remaining cream.
For the chocolate peanut butter glaze:
In a double boiler or a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. When melted remove from heat and whisk in the cream until it is a smooth, creamy consistency.

To assemble:

Place one layer of chocolate cake on your cake stand and top with 1/4 of the chocolate peanut butter glaze. Spread to the edges.
Very carefully remove the sides of your springform pan and place the entire cheesecake upside down on the chocolate cake layer. The bottom of the springform pan should now be on top of the cheesecake. Carefully slide a knife in between the cheesecake and pan bottom to loosen. If you greased your pan well this should be fairly simple and the pan bottom will easily lift off.
Pour another 1/4 of the chocolate glaze over the cheesecake and spread to the edges.
Top this with the second layer of chocolate cake.
Place the whole cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to harden up a bit.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with the peanut butter frosting. Smooth it out as best you can.
Microwave the chocolate glaze for about 5-10 seconds to soften it back up. Whisk well and then pour over the top center of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the glaze to the edges, letting it drip down in some areas.

Store in the refrigerator.