Creamy peanut butter cheesecake is layered over an Oreo crust and topped with rich nutella ganache!

I love cheesecake. Can you tell? If I had to pick something to call my "signature dish," it'd be cheesecake.

So when Carla over at Chocolate Moosey told me about a blog event called Cheesecake Day hosted by Roxana of Roxana's Home Baking, I jumped to sign up.

I had a heck of a time trying to choose a cheesecake recipe to make. Should I go chocolate-y? Fruity? Then, we spent Father's Day at one of our favorite Philly restaurants, Catahoula, and they had a fabulous peanut butter cheesecake on the dessert menu. I had to recreate that cheesecake at home.

The question I see most often regarding cheesecakes is how to prevent it from cracking. First, ensure all of your ingredients (not just the cream cheese) are at room temperature. This ensures that they will blend together well. And secondly, even if the recipe you're following doesn't include it, use a water bath.

What is a water bath, and what does it do for cheesecake? To make a water bath, you place your springform pan inside a larger baking pan, and pour boiling water into the larger pan before placing the whole setup in the oven.

Why go to the extra trouble? First, cheesecakes are thickened with eggs. Eggs set (cook) at a much lower temperature than most other baking ingredients. Cheesecakes start off baking at a high temperature to set the cake, then finishing "low and slow" (at a low temperature for a long time). If the egg proteins cook too quickly, they will tighten up and shrink, causing your cheesecake to crack. The water bath acts as insulation, keeping the batter from overheating and cooking the egg proteins too quickly.

One final trick to preventing cracks is to let the cheesecake cool slowly. And definitely use a paring knife to separate the cheesecake from the springform pan before placing it in the refrigerator. The cake will definitely shrink once chilled, and if it's still clinging to the side of the pan, it can crack.

Although, if after all these precautions are taken, and the cheesecake still cracks, I just remember the wise words of a chef at my culinary school: cover the cheesecake with some sort of topping! Whether it's melted chocolate or whipped cream, or fresh fruit, just cover up the crack! No sense in wasting a perfectly tasty, if slightly imperfect, cheesecake.

This cheesecake is just amazing. The cheesecake itself is light and creamy, almost silky, which contrasts with the thick, rich ganache topping. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter and Nutella is one of my favorite flavor combos.

This recipe is definitely getting added to my "Must make again!!" file.

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Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Ganache Topping

Yield: 12

Equipment needed: 8-inch springform pan; large offset spatula; a 10-inch or larger cake pan

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Ingredients

For the cheesecake:

• 15 Oreo cookies, cream removed
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 24 ounces packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter

For the ganache:

• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup Nutella spread

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the Oreo cookies and the sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until reduced to fine crumbs. Add butter to the crumbs, pulse until all ingredients are moistened.
3. Scrape crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan and tamp down to an even layer. Wrap the bottom of the springform pan in a double layer of tin foil. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool. Keep oven at 350 degrees.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, brown sugar and sour cream for several minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then add the first egg. Beat until well-combined, then scrape down the bowl and add the second egg. Beat until well-combined, then scrape down the bowl and add the third egg and the vanilla. Beat until well-combined. Add peanut butter and mix until evenly combined.
5. Scrape the batter into the springform pan and spread evenly.
6. Place the springform pan inside the larger cake pan. Carefully pour boiling water into the larger cake pan, being sure not to splash any into the cheesecake batter.
7. Use oven mitts to carefully transfer the cheesecake in the water bath into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temp to 200 degrees, and bake for another 2 hours.
8. Remove from the oven, and remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Let cheesecake cool at room temperature for at least an hour.
9. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake from the sides. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.
10. The next day, remove the sides of the springform pan from the cheesecake. Then, make the ganache: place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the cream to scalding (small bubbles form around the edge of the pan). DO NOT BOIL. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let sit for a minute, then stir until the chocolate is melted and incorporated with the cream. Stir in the gananche. The ganache should be pourable/spreadable consistency. If too thick, add another tablespoonful of cream and stir.
11. Transfer the ganache to a spouted measuring cup. Pour over the center of the cheesecake, then use an offset spatula to spread to the edges of the cheesecake, letting the ganache drip down the sides.
12. Place cheesecake back in the refrigerator, uncovered, for an hour to set the ganache. Then place a cover (such as a large tupperware bowl) over the cheesecake to prevent the ganache from seeping.

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Cheesecake recipe adapted from Bake or Break; Ganache recipe from Culinary Couture

Don't forget to check out the other Cheesecake Day recipes!

Baked Cheesecakes:

• Apricot Ricotta Cheesecake from Diethood
• Blackberry Goat Cheese Cheesecake from Baking a Moment
• Blueberry Ricotta Cream Cheesecake from Hungry Couple
• Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake from Wishes and Dishes
• Cheesecake Factory Vegan Copycat Oreo Cheesecake from Namely Marly
• Chocolate Cheesecake w/ Whisky Toffee Shards from girlichef
• Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake from Savvy Eats
• Coconut Cheesecake with Macadamia Crust from All Day I Dream About Food
• Gluten-Free Mini Cheesecakes with Toasted Coconut Crust from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine
• Hawaiian Chantilly Layer Cheesecake from Wallflour Girl
• Lemon Cheesecake from Shugary Sweets
• Lemon Ginger Panna Cotta Cheesecake + Blueberry Sauce from Girl Versus Dough
• Lightened Up Apricot-Swirl Cheesecake from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Lilikoi Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Shortbread Crust from Dieter's Downfall
• Mini Hawaiian Cheesecakes from Pint Sized Baker
• Mini Mascarpone Cheesecakes with Strawberry Balsamic Topping from Boulder Locavore
• Mom's Cheesecake from Magnolia Days
• New York Style Cheesecake from URBAN BAKES
• Oreo Ripple Cheesecake from Overtime Cook
• Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Nutella Ganache Topping from The Redhead Baker
• Pear cheesecake with gingersnap crust from Roxana's Home Baking
• Pumpkin Cheesecake from Lady Behind The Curtain
• Rainbow Cheesecake from In Katrina's Kitchen
• Raspberry Cheesecake with Oreo Crust from Hip Foodie Mom
• Ricotta Cheesecake with Strawberry Basil Sauce from French Press
• Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
• Snickers Cheesecake from Life, Love and Sugar
• Vanilla Bean Cheesecake from Wine & Glue
• Vegan Mango Coconut Cheesecake from Jessiker Bakes
• Very Berry Cheesecake from JavaCupcake
• White Chocolate Cheesecake with Macadamia Nuts and Caramel from Taste and Tell
• White Chocolate Frangelico Cheesecake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake from Will Cook For Smiles

No Bake Cheesecakes:

• Butter Pecan Caramel No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes from Simply Southern Baking
• Cherry and Pistachio No Bake Cheesecake with Animal Cracker Crust from Cravings of a Lunatic
• Mini No Bake Lime Cheesecakes from Miss in the Kitchen
• Neapolitan No Bake Cheesecake from Grandbaby Cakes
• No-Bake Berry Cheesecake from Food Lust People Love
• No Bake Blackberry Cheesecake from You Made That?
• No Bake Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Caramelized Peaches from The Food Charlatan
• No Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake from White Lights on Wednesday
• No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Crunchy Creamy Sweet
• S'mores Cheesecake from The Gunny Sack

Cheesecake Beverages:

• Black Raspberry Cheesecake Milkshake from Blahnik Baker

Cheesecake Cookies and Bars:

• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars from Cooking with Jax
• Caramel Overload Cheesecake Bars from Crumbs and Chaos
• Cherry Cheesecake Brownies from Inside BruCrew Life
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars from Chez CateyLou
• Healthier Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars from Texanerin Baking
• Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars from Cooking In Stilettos
• No Bake Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars from Beyond Frosting
• No Bake Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars from Garnish with Lemon
• Strawberry Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake Bars from A Kitchen Addiction

Cheesecake Desserts and Treats:

• Chocolate Nutella Cheesecake Cake from gotta get baked
• Key Lime Cheesecake Trifles from Hoosier Homemade
• Strawberry Cheesecake Pots from Barbara Bakes
• Triple Brigadeiro Cheesecake Tart from From Brazil To You

Frozen Cheesecakes and Treats:

• Blackberry Cheesecake Popsicles from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Ice Cream from Chocolate Moosey
• Frozen PB&C Cheesecake from Noshing With The Nolands
• No Bake Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake {Nutter Butter Crust} from Crazy for Crust