QUADRUPLE LAYER PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CHEESECAKE!!!!

THE QUADRUPLE LAYER PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CHEESECAKE!!!! 2 CHEESECAKE LAYERS, 2 GF CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS, 2 LAYERS OF THICK HOMEMADE CARAMEL, GANACHE GLAZE, WHIPPED GANACHE FROSTING, PEANUT BUTTER TOPPING FOR DECORATION, REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS AND HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CRAFTED CURLS.... MOVE OVER CHEESECAKE FACTORY!!!!! NEED I SAY MORE????????????????????? WHAT DO U THINK???YUP! THE CAKE IS WEIGHING IN AT A WHOPPING 11.5 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!
GETTING READY FOR THE FIRST SLICE!!!
OOOOOOOOH!!!! CHECK OUT THOSE LAYERS!!!!!
ARE YOU CONVINCED YET THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS??? SET ASIDE 2 DAYS MINIMUM AND GET TO WORK. USE ANY CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE OR MIX YOU LIKE.
I USED BETTER BATTER GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE MIX TO MAKE THIS A GLUTEN FREE RECIPE. THIS CAKE IS WORTH EVERY SINGLE CALORIE!!!!!!! OH YEAH, AND SERVE THIS WITH A BIG SCOOP OF HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM ON TOP!!!!

BAKE BETTER BATTER CAKES IN TWO 9 INCH PANS FOLLOWING BOX MIX.

Crustless Cheesecake portion:

30 mini peanut butter cups, CUT IN FOURTHS

2 sticks softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

4- 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

1- 3 oz. package cook and serve vanilla pudding

4 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9" pans with shortening, line the pans with
parchment and then grease the parchment. Lightly flour the pans and tap out excess
over the sink.

Cream butter and sugar. Add cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except peanut butter cups. Mix again until smooth. Fold in peanut butter cups. Divide batter evenly between 2 pans. Bake 55- 1 hour. Once out of the oven, place immediately in freezer! Cheesecake will deflate forming a nice pocket for the caramel.Turn out frozen cheesecakes and remove parchment. Reline the pan they
were in with enough parchment to hang over the sides of the pan.
Place the cheesecakes back in the pans and return to freezer.

Make the caramel
TWO -14 ounce cans of Eagle sweetened condensed milk

10 T. butter

80 KRAFT caramels

Make the caramel in 2 batches dividing above ingredients. Put 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 5 tbsp. butter and 40 caramels in a bowl. Microwave about 3 mins. until smooth-stir as you go.

Pour caramel evenly over center of frozen cheesecakes. Return cheesecake layers to freezer.

Layer cakes: chocolate, cheesecake and repeat

Frosting Recipe1 2/3 cup Nestle chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 T. light Karo corn syrup

Put chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat cream in microwave. Pour hot cream over chips and stir. Remove 2/3 cup chocolate mixture into a bowl and add corn syrup to it. Pour this over top of cake for a shiny look. Return cake to freezer.

Pour rest of the ganache into the mixer bowl and whip on high for about 8 mins. until fluffy!! Frost sides of cake with this!

Peanut Butter decorations:
2/3 c. Skippy peanut butter-creamy!
8 T. soft butter
1 c. powdered sugar
Beat pb and butter and slowly add sugar. Beat till smooth. Pipe onto cake using pastry bag or ziploc bag with cut corner.

For Chocolate curls, I melted chocolate onto a cookie sheet and scraped it up when cool using a bench scraper. You tube has great videos for technique!

ADAPTED FROM
http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2011/03/peanut-butter-cup-chocolate-cake.html

TRIPLE LAYER CAKE- 2 CHOCOLATE LAYERS & 1 CHEESECAKE LAYER FILLED WITH CARAMEL AND TOPPED WITH CHOCOLATE DIPPED OREOS

START THE FILLING WITH 40 CARAMELS

HERE IS MY CARAMEL TRANSFORMATION....
POUR IT ONTO A FROZEN CHEESECAKE LAYER...

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CAKE OF YOUR CHOICE-2 LAYERS NEEDED...

SCOOP OUT A LITTLE TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE CARAMEL IN ONE LAYER...

LAYER YOUR CAKES...
FROST AND ADD CHOCOLATE CHIPS....ADD YOUR CHOCOLATE DIPPED AND DECORATED OREOS....
MAKE CHOCOLATE CAKE OF YOUR CHOICE. YOU'LL NEED TWO 9 INCH LAYERS. SCOOP OUT SOME OF THE CENTER ON ONE LAYER AND FREEZE YOUR LAYERS SOLID.

MAKE CRUSTLESS CHEESECAKE AND FREEZE:

Crustless Cheesecake portion:

1 stick softened butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2- 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 oz. package cook and serve vanilla pudding

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease ONE 9" pan with shortening, line the pan with parchment and then grease the parchment. Lightly butter the pan and Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add cream cheese a little at a time until smooth. Scrape bowl down and beat again on medium speed, adding eggs one at a time. Add remaining ingredients. Mix again until smooth.

Pour in pan. Smooth batter with offset spatula and bake for 45-50 mins. Cheesecake will puff up during baking, then deflate when taken out.

Do not turn out cheesecake when finished baking. Put directly in the freezer, and leave until frozen solid.

Turn out frozen cheesecake layersand peel parchment from the bottoms. Put parchment in pan extending over sides and place cheesecake back in. Keep frozen.

Caramel:
In microwave, melt until smooth:
5 T. butter
one 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
40 caramels'

make caramel and pour half on one of the chocolate layers and half on this cheesecake layer. Keep all in the freezer.

frosting:
Melt 1 stick butter in the microwave. Beat it in mixer with 3 c. confectioners sugar, 2/3c. cocoa powder and 1/3c milk. Frosting recipe and chocolate chip idea from my friend Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake.

Assembly: layer cakes-chocolate/caramel, cheesecake/caramel, chocolate. Frost top and sides and cover with milk chocolate chips. I then dipped gf Oreos in melted milk chocolate and topped with mini m &m's and pb cups!