no-bake butterfinger and pretzel cheesecake

Me: Hey Babyface, what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?
Babyface: I dunno, whatever you want to make.
Me: But it’s your birthday.
Babyface: Okay. Uh. Well, what do you want to make? Whatever that is. That’s the kind of cake I want.
Me: *unimpressed look*
Babyface: Okay. Uh. A cake. Maybe some kind of cheesecake. With Skor pieces in it. And chocolate swirls. Wait no. Butterfinger. And chocolate. Yeah. That. Butterfinger cheesecake!
Me: Now we’re talkin’!

I have to say, I assumed this cheesecake would be good. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with Butterfingers, peanut butter and cheesecake. But HOLY COW, this may have been the most delicious dessert I’ve ever made. I served this sucker after a plateful of slow cooker BBQ ribs and a couple of bottles of Blue Moon and Babyface was one very, very happy birthday boy. And truthfully, I was one very, very happy Cass, too. It was goooooood.

I know it says “no bake” in the title up there, but I totally lied to you. It isn’t really “no bake.” It’s more like “barely-baked”. There are no water baths or worrying about the filling splitting. But you do have to plop the Butterfinger/pretzel crust into the oven for a few minutes to heat up all the chocolate that holds it together. But after that the oven can be turned off. See, pretty much almost kinda no bake. I just didn’t want to you think you were going to be making some fussy regular cheesecake (mostly because I’m too afraid to try that myself).

Feel free to “dress” this sucker up however you like. I chose to drizzle on a chocolate ganache and put a nice big pile of crushed up Butterfingers in the middle. I love that the crunchy, sugary middle of the candy bars make the top of the cheesecake sparkle in the light. Very festive.

I was so excited to dig into this cake that I totally forgot to do the whole candle/sing thing. Whoops. But I think Babyface forgave me the second he took a bite of his piece.

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No-Bake Butterfinger and Pretzel Cheesecake

Yield: One 9-inch cheesecake

Prep Time: 4 hours 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes

Adapted from Bakers RoyaleI chose to reserve some of the crust mixture to stir into the filling to add a little bit of crunch and texture. If you prefer a silky smooth filling, just use all the crust mix for the actual crust.

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Ingredients

For the crust:

• 15 mini Butterfingers
• 3 ounces pretzel twists (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 packet unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of Butterfinger and pretzel mixture

For the ganache:

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the Butterfingers and pretzels. Pulse until well-chopped, but not dust.
3. Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and set aside.
4. Still in melted butter to Butterfinger/pretzel mixture until well-combined. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to form the crust.
5. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
6. To prepare the filling, mix the water and gelatin in a small, microwave safe bowl and set aside to bloom.
7. Meanwhile, beat heavy cream on high in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until medium stiff peaks form. Set aside.
8. In another mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, salt and reserved Butterfinger/pretzel mixture. Beat on medium until smooth. Set aside.
9. Place bowl of gelatin in microwave and heat at 50% power for 10 seconds. This is to smooth out the gelatin mixture.
10. With the mixer on low, slowly stream in the gelatin mixture to the cream cheese mixture until well combined.
11. By hand, fold the whipped cream in with the cream cheese mixture.
12. Spread filling evenly into the springform pan.
13. To prepare ganache, combine chocolate and heavy cream in a double boiler over low heat. Once chocolate is melted and combined with the cream, remove from heat and drizzle over cheesecake.
14. Place cheesecake in fridge and let chill for at least 3-4 hours or until set up. Before serving, move ring of springform pan.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 732Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 439mgCarbohydrates: 82gFiber: 3gSugar: 50gProtein: 10g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

What kind of cake would you ask for your birthday?