> Skip to content

Recipe  •  17 July 2023

 

PB&J Cheesecake

A classic sandwich, transformed into a scrumptious cheesecake.

The 1980s were a time of celebrated youth. It was the dawn of video gaming, glowing roller-skating rinks, shopping mall hangouts, and frizzy hair. This cheesecake from this fabulous decade captures the sweetness of youth in the flavors of peanut butter and jelly. Historically, cheesecakes were stodgy, baked affairs. But as the years rolled by, the “no-bake” class began to take the spotlight in the home kitchen, allowing far more inventiveness and experimentation with a variety of flavors. A sweet and silky peanut butter filling is elevated by the crunch of a graham cracker crust, and a heavenly drizzle of grape jelly seals the deal as a rewardingly merry trip down memory lane.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cool: 5 hours

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

  • 1½ cups (165g) graham cracker crumbs
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (115g) melted butter

CHEESECAKE

  • 3 (8oz/226g) packages cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup (125g) sour cream
  • 1 cup (270g) peanut butter
  • 1 cup (235ml) heavy cream
  • ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
  • 1 cup (320g) grape jelly, divided
  • 1 cup (130g) chopped salted peanuts, for topping


SAUCE

  • ½ cup (135g) peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 5 tbsp water

 

METHOD

CRUST METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the crust ingredients and mix until a uniform crumb is formed. Press the mixture into the bottom, and partway up the sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

CHEESECAKE METHOD

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with which an electric hand mixer is to be used, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth and uniform. About 5 minutes. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, again using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, switch to a whisk attachment and whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar to smooth, stiff peaks, but do not whip beyond this point.
  3. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture in three additions, folding until uniform.
  4. Spread 2⁄3 cup (210g) of grape jelly evenly over the cooled crust, before turning the cheesecake mixture atop. Smooth top, then spread the remaining 1⁄3 cup (106g) of jelly over the top. Sprinkle chopped peanuts evenly.
  5. Refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 5 hours. Gently run a sharp knife along the edges of the springform pan before decoupling and serving.

SAUCE METHOD

  1. In a microwave-safe bowl, or in a small saucepan over low heat, stir together all the sauce ingredients and heat until a pourable consistency is reached. Decoratively drizzle over top the cheesecake before refrigerating, or serve with cut slices.

Feature Title

Baking Yesteryear
A decade-by-decade bakebook that highlights the best (and a few of the worst) baking recipes from the 20th century
Read more

More features

See all recipes
Recipe
Tomato Soup Cake

Tomato soup . . . as a cake? What will they think of next!

Recipe
Food for the Gods

An unorthodox, god-like dessert popularised in the 1900s.

Article
10 fun facts about B. Dylan Hollis

Learn all about TikTok sensation and cookbook author, B. Dylan Hollis.

Recipe
Rainbow Peanut Noodles

These vegan rainbow peanut noodles make the easiest 25-minute dinner.

Recipe
Coconut & raspberry Viennese whirls

Jam-filled shortbread swirl biscuits with coconut twist.

Recipe
Rainbow cookie pie

A decadent chewy, colourful cookie cake that's perfect for any occasion.

Recipe
Cumin Lamb Steamed Baos

My stepdad is from the city of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, central China. Home to a large Muslim community, halal influences shape the cooking there, so dishes using lamb and mutton are a common sight in street-food markets.

Recipe
Soothing Congee

A bowl of congee (soft cooked rice in a comforting broth) is a staple in many Asian households, particularly if you’re a little under the weather.

Recipe
Soy & Garlic Tofu Bites

Tofu has been a firm favourite of my family’s since way back, and my Buddhist grandparents would always promote the idea of eating more veggies and beans over meat.

Recipe
Zero F***s Mac 'n' Cheese

If you have any awareness of or give a f**k about calories, you may want to put your welding helmet on and take a deep breath for this doozy, champion.

Recipe
Sacrificial Lamb Rack

This recipe is so crazy tasty you’ll think you died and went to hell/heaven.

Recipe
Pork and Chive Dumplings

Think of this as a good starter recipe when you’re learning how to make dumplings, and especially how to fold them.

Looking for more recipes?

See all recipes