This cheesecake cake has 2 layers of fudgy brownies, 1 layer of luscious peanut butter cheesecake, fluffy peanut butter frosting, silky-smooth chocolate ganache, and luscious buckeye confections. All of these elements make this Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake simply irresistible!

Disclosure: This Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake recipe includes affiliate links, this means I make a few cents if you buy an item after clicking my link. This costs you nothing, but it helps keep this blog running on butter…lots of butter! See the rest of Food Folks and Fun’s disclosure policy here

The top view of Epic Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake

Epic Cheesecake Cakes

Cheesecake cakes are definitely my most involved, and most loved recipes on the blog. They take a few days to make, but they are seriously worth it. Nothing is more of a show stopper than my Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake for Christmas or Valentine’s Day, or my Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake for spring or Easter, or this Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake for any time of the year!

If I had to pick a favorite cheesecake cake out of the bunch, it would have to be this Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake! Chocolate and peanut butter-anything is my weakness–it’s simply a match made in heaven. I absolutely love my Buckeye Brownies recipe, and I wanted to take it to the next level by turning it into a cheesecake cake!

A slice of Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake on a plate

This cheesecake cake is a labor of love, BUT soooooooo worth it! I only make it on special occasions, birthdays, or holidays. If you’re a busy mom like me, then I suggest you make it over 3 days. If you’re feeling ambitious, then you can easily combine days 2 and 3 below. Find my suggested schedule below.

Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake Baking Schedule:

Day 1

  • Make peanut butter cheesecake.
  • Make Buckeyes.

Day 2

  • Make brownie layers.
  • Make peanut butter frosting.

Day 3

  • Make chocolate ganache.
  • Assemble the cake, and give the cake adequate chill time before serving.

A close-up of Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake on a plate with text overlay for Pinterest

Cook’s Note – Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake:

  • When you assemble the cake, any time the cake isn’t actively being worked on, place it in the refrigerator.
  • If you don’t plan on eating the cake right away, or if you know there will be leftovers, I suggest you make the cake on a cake round. Then you can transfer your cake from your storage container to your cake stand when you’re ready to serve it. This way you won’t have a cake that tastes like your refrigerator odors—yuck!

A top view of Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake with two layers of fudgy brownies

Cook’s Tools – Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake:

Epic Brownie Cheesecake Cake on a plate

Process shots of how to make Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake

A top view of Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake with two layers of fudgy brownies
4.84 from 6 votes

Epic Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake Cake

Author Peanut Butter Frosting: a Food, Folks and Fun original! Brownie Layer: Life, Love and Sugar Cheesecake: Sweet Pea's Kitchen Ganache & Buckeyes: The Cake Blog
12 -16 slices

Ingredients
  

  • PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE LAYER:
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks, room temperature
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • ½ whole cup milk at room temperature
  • BUCKEYES:
  • 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 powdered sugar sifted
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  • BROWNIE LAYERS:
  • 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 6 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 cup dark cocoa powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING:
  • 1 cup salted butter at room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups creamy peanut butter
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 1 ½ teaspoon corn syrup

Instructions

  • MAKE PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE LAYER: Move oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease bottom of 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray, line bottom of pan with parchment paper, and then spray parchment and rest of pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar and beat on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add flour and beat on low until combined, about 30 seconds. Add egg and milk, and pulse mixer until mixture comes together in a smooth, cohesive batter, about 1 minute.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan, and use rubber spatula to smooth batter evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 260 degrees F and back for 50 minutes, or until center jiggles slightly. Move pan to wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours. Cover pan with foil, and place in freezer until frozen-solid, about 3 hours or overnight (Note: cheesecake can stay in freezer for up to 3 days).
  • MAKE BUCKEYES: Line cookie sheet with wax paper; set aside.
  • In bowl of stand mixer, add peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Mix on low until a smooth, stiff dough forms. Shape batter into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball, and insert a wooden toothpick into each ball. Place each ball on prepared cookie sheet, and chill for 1 hour (up to overnight).
  • In small bowl add chocolate and vegetable shortening. Cook in microwave for 60 seconds on 50% power. Stir, and cook another 30 seconds on 50% power. Repeat until chocolate is smooth.
  • Take peanut butter balls out of refrigerator. Dip each into melted chocolate, leaving a small area on top uncovered. Place dipped balls on wax paper-lined cookie sheet, chocolate side down. Chill for 30-60 minutes, or until set. Remove toothpicks, and place buckeyes in air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  • MAKE BROWNIE LAYERS: Move oven rack to middle position, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans, line pan with parchment rounds, and spray parchment and sides of pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In medium bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.
  • In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Slowly pour oil mixture over flour mixture, and mix until combined and no flour streaks remain.
  • Evenly distribute batter between prepared cake pans, and bake on center rack for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.
  • Cool brownies for 10 minutes in their pans, and then remove them from pans. Cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours.
  • MAKE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING: In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and peanut butter together on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light, creamy, and lightened a few shades.
  • Scrape down sides of bowl, add powdered sugar, and mix until combined. Add heavy cream and beat on medium-low until combined and smooth. Turn mixer to high and beat for 4 minutes, or until frosting is light and fluffy.
  • MAKE CHOCOLATE GANACHE: Pour chocolate chips into medium bowl; set aside. In small saucepan over medium heat, heat cream until it almost starts to simmer. Remove from heat, and pour cream over chocolate. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes, and then stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in corn syrup.
  • ASSEMBLE CAKE: Remove cheesecake from freezer, and then remove cheesecake from pan (slide knife under parchment to remove cheesecake from bottom of pan). Peel off parchment. Measure cheesecake layer against brownie layers, and trim cheesecake layer as needed so all layers are the same size in diameter. Place one brownie layer on center of cake plate, and place cheesecake layer on top. Place 2nd brownie layer on top of cheesecake.
  • Reserve ½ cup of peanut butter frosting for later. Apply a crumb coat layer of frosting to cake—use a long, thin spatula to cover the cake completely with a thin layer of frosting. Don’t worry if there are visible crumbs on the frosted cake, because it will get a second layer of frosting.
  • Refrigerate for about 30 minutes so crumb layer will “set”.
  • Apply second layer of frosting using a long, thin spatula again to spread frosting evenly over top and down the sides of cake. Refrigerate another 30 minutes to set frosting.
  • Drizzle chocolate ganache over top of cake, allowing small drips to drip down sides of cake. Smooth top of cake as desired with offset spatula. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set ganache.
  • Use reserved frosting to fill piping bag fitted with a large star tip (I used a Wilton 1M tip). Pipe 8 swirls of frosting evenly spaced around edge of cake. Place a buckeye on top of each swirl. Place cake in refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

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7 Comments

  1. Wow, what an INCREDIBLE cake – love everything about this!! Thanks for the recipe.

  2. This will definitely be the showstopper on any dessert table! I know it’ll be a hot!

  3. This looks so yummy and delicious! My family is going to love this recipe! So excited!

  4. You had me at cheesecake. I love any kind of cheesecake, and this brownie version looks epic.

  5. Toni Dash says:

    This is really an ahh-mazing cake! Totally irresistible!

  6. Christina Bucceri says:

    Made this for my daughters 26th birthday cake. Very time consuming to make fir sure but loved taste testing at every step!

    The flavor is phenomenal! Huge hit for my whole family!

    Suggestions for anyone else making this cake:
    Make the Buckeyes smaller than the recipe recommended. The size suggested is really too big for the cake.
    When cutting the cake I HIGHLY recommend cutting smaller slices. The cake is very rich in flavor and a big slice might be too much for one setting!

    1. Christina,
      I am glad you enjoyed the cake. It is decadent for sure and a labor of love!