Peanut butter cheesecake with chocolate and caramelised bananas. (and tears?)

Because I’m a real person, sometimes I make things and I think they taste good and others don’t agree. And then I say ‘no, it’s fine! I know you’re really full/haven’t got much of a sweet tooth, don’t worry!’ and then I clear the plates away and go back to my kitchen and make a sad face while I look at my cheesecake that I thought everyone would love.

I made this peanut butter cheesecake, covered in dark chocolate and topped with caramelised bananas because we were having 10 people over for dinner and I thought it would be delicious AND have mass appeal, but it only had a 50% success rate.

That’s ok, I’ll eat it in the dark, in my room, with a side of tears.

I’m half joking.

This weekend I also may have:

Eaten apple pie for breakfast

Taken my mum to see my friend, the heron.

Dozed to the kings of convenience on the train.

Eaten too much.

Told my grandma to pose for a photo.

Stroked a goose.

Enjoyed this video.

Anyway, if you like peanut butter, in a cheesecake it’s pretty rad. Topped with the other stuff, it’s even better. But don’t blame me if you get the sads when others don’t like it. More for us.

To make a 9" cheesecake you'll need:

enough biscuits to cover the base of your dish, I used about 15 normal sized cookies
3-4 tbsp vegan margarine
4 tbsp brown sugar

1 (12oz) pack of firm silken tofu, I used the mori-nu brand
1 200g pack of vegan cream cheese, I used Pure
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
half a banana (mashed)
1 tsp vanilla extract

dark chocolate

2 bananas
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar

Smash the biscuits in a blender and mash the crumbs together with the margarine (soften it in the microwave if it's being difficult). Once thoroughly combined, add the sugar and mix again. Press firmly into the bottom your pan. I'd recommend those non stick pans for this cheesecake, the kind with the spring fastening on the side, makes it super easy to release when everything's cooked.

Bake the base in the oven at 180C/350F for around ten minutes until it's golden and a little dryer.

In a mixer (or with a very energetic arm), mix the tofu, cream cheeze, and peanut butter. Mash the banana as smooth as you can, then add that and the sugar and vanilla and mix again. Once smooth, pour over the base.

Spread some foil out on your work surface and wrap the cake pan securely. You don't want any gaps because this baby's going into a water bath! Place the cake pan into a baking pan and fill with water as high as you can without making a mess. Make sure you've wrapped the foil well or you'll have a wet cheesecake.

Bake in the oven at 180C/350F for around 20-30 minutes. It's done when it's golden on top and not all jiggly if you shake the pan.

Leave to thoroughly cool, then melt some chocolate and pour it over that beautiful beast.

To caramelise the bananas, just heat the margarine and sugar in a medium height frying pan/skillet until it's brown and bubbling, then gently add the banana slices.

Leave them in for a minute or so on each side, then take them out and leave to cool on some foil.

Once the chocolate has set and everything's cool, add the bananas and serve the cheesecake.

Get ready for half smiles, half frowns. :/

I bloody liked it.