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4 mason jars - one filled with just cake crumbles, then adds a layer of peanut butter cheesecake, the next jar adds chocolate ganache and the final jar adds chopped peanut butter cups and peanuts.
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5 from 2 votes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake in a Jar

Turn no-bake cheesecake into adorable peanut butter cheesecake in a jar topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and creamy chocolate ganache.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Additional Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Barbara Bakes LLC

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup hot water
  • cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract

Cheesecake Filling

  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream chilled
  • 1 package 8-oz cream cheese, softened
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 standard size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups finely chopped

Ganache

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Garnish
  • 5 standard size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups finely chopped
  • handful of chopped peanuts for garnish

Instructions

CAKE:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8- or 9-inch cake pan.
  • In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  
  • In medium bowl, whisk together hot water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.  
  • Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk together until well blended. 
  • Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. 
  • Once completely cooled, crumble the cake with your fingers or a fork and place in a bowl for assembly.

PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE FILLING:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. 
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla until blended and smooth. 
  • Gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture until no white streaks remain and your mixture is fully combined and a uniform light brown color. 
  • Gently fold in the chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. (The rest will be for sprinkling on top when assembling)

GANACHE:

  • Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan to just about boiling, but not boiling. 
  • Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute undisturbed. 
  • Begin stirring the mixture with a spatula, starting in the center and making small circular motions. Continue stirring towards the outer edges of the bowl. Stir until a thick ganache forms and the mixture is fully combined. Cool until ganache is thickened and pourable/spoonable. 

ASSEMBLY:

  • Line up your jars (or cups). 
  • Have all your ingredients ready to go.
  • Layer jars as follows: cake crumbles, peanut butter cheesecake filling, ganache, crushed peanuts, and chopped Reeses’s peanut butter candies.
  • Start by adding the cake crumbles to the bottom of each jar. 
  • Next, add peanut butter cheesecake filling. Fill a Ziploc sandwich bag with the peanut butter filling and cut one corner off. Squeeze in the filling on top of the cake crumbles then use a spoon to press the mixture down as evenly as possible.
  • If the inside sides of the jar get a little messy, this is fine. However, if it bothers you, dampen a very small piece of paper towel, wrap it around your finger, and wipe the inside of the jar as best you can. 
  • Next, add the ganache with a small narrow spoon. The ganache should stay below the narrower top of the jar. This will ensure you have room for crushed peanuts and candies before twisting the lids on. 
  • Sprinkle on your crushed peanuts and chopped Reeses’s candies.
  • Twist on the lids. Refrigerate until ready to serve.