Candy Bar Cheesecake Cake: Chocolate Hershey’s Bars Recipe

This to-die-for candy bar cheesecake cake is completely over the top! A chocolate cheesecake layer smothered in caramel sauce and peanuts, sandwiched between two thick cake layers of my favorite chocolate cake, frosted with the BEST chocolate frosting of all time, and topped with candy bars galore. It is, without question, the best dessert I have ever made — and I make a lot of delicious food.

Happy Tuesday, friends! Before I left for a weekend trip to Atlanta with my mom, I made you a cake. And not just any cake — the mother of all cakes. FOUR layers of pure insanity, plus all that good stuff you can see on the outside. But this chocolate cheesecake cake is SO MUCH more than what it looks like, I promise. Let’s dive in!

Why This Candy Bar Cheesecake Cake Is the Best Dessert Ever

Oh mama! Starting from the bottom and moving on up, you’re looking at the most glorious stack a chocolate lover could dream of. The base is my all-time favorite chocolate cake — moist, rich, and incredible all on its own. It uses cocoa powder for deep, fudgy flavor and bakes up with the most gorgeous tender crumb every single time. I’m obsessed.

On top of that chocolate cake sits an entire full cheesecake layer, and it’s really not that much extra work, honest to goodness! Just a handful of ingredients — brick-style cream cheese (use a quality cream cheese today; generic brands of cream cheese just don’t give you that same silky result), a teaspoon vanilla extract, cup sugar, and a little sour cream for a little extra creaminess. Beat it all in a large bowl with an electric mixer until the cream cheese mixture is smooth, then bake the cheesecake filling in a pan lined with parchment paper — no springform pan, no water bath, no aluminum foil situation required. Easy peasy!

The Candy Layers — All the Good Stuff

This next layer combined with the cheesecake layer is my absolute favorite part of this whole cake. We’re talking caramel sauce drizzled over roasted peanuts right on top of the chilled cheesecake — it’s like a Snickers bar in cake form, be still my heart. Then we top it all off with a second layer of that dreamy chocolate cake, and wham bam — now it’s time for the outside!

For the candy situation on top, I used a Halloween fun-sized variety pack, because what better good use is there for leftover halloween candy?? Leftover candy sitting in the candy dish just begging to be put on a cake — yes please! I’m talking milky ways, heath bars, even a skor candy bar or two if you can find them. A peanut butter cup cut in half on top? Dreamy. Candy bars are basically the whole vibe here, so don’t hold back. You could even tuck in some candy cane pieces around the holidays for a festive twist. If you want full chocolate lovers mode, press some white chocolate chunks or milk chocolate pieces into the sides of the cake too. 😍

How to Bake Candy Bar Cheesecake Squares (the Bar Version!)

Not in the mood to bake a full layer cake? Totally get it — this can be a labor-intensive alt to your usual weeknight baking. Good news: you can bake candy bar cheesecake squares instead! Just press an oreo cookie crust into a prepared pan — I love a 13-inch baking pan, or really any 13-inch pan lined with parchment paper for easy lifting — then pour the cheesecake batter right over that oreo crust and bake. The chilled pan of cheesecake bars slices up beautifully the next day after an overnight rest in the fridge. So much easier than assembling full cake layers! If you love this concept, you’ll also adore these Churro Cheesecake Bars.

You can riff on the crust too — a chocolate chip cookie crust made from crushed chocolate chip cookies (or oreo cookies blitzed in a food processor) is ah-mazing here. A rolling pin and a zip bag work just as well if you don’t have a food processor. The fine crumb crust presses perfectly into the sides of the pan and gives you that classic chocolate cookie crust bite. For more bar-style inspo, check out these French Silk Pie Bars — no-bake and equally dreamy! And if you’re more into chocolate chip cheesecake bars or chocolate peanut butter cheesecake bars, just swap your candy bar pieces accordingly and place pan in the oven like normal. Done!

The Chocolate Frosting and Ganache Topping

I adore this chocolate frosting. In a large bowl, beat your room temperature butter using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment at medium speed until fluffy, then mix in cocoa powder and powdered sugar with a splash of cup milk until everything is smooth and gloriously chocolatey. It frosts the sides of the cake like an absolute dream. If you want to go totally extra, warm a splash of hot water into your chocolate ganache to loosen it, pour it over the top of the cake, and let the mixture cool slightly before it sets into that gorgeous ganache topping. Then pile on the pieces of candy and drizzle with more caramel sauce. A small bowl of extra caramel on the side for dipping? Good idea. Always a good idea.

If you’ve ever been wowed by the cheesecake factory’s over-the-top creations, this cake will feel like home — it honestly rivals any slice I’ve ever had there. For more jaw-dropping chocolate desserts, try this Grandma’s Famous Chocolate Trifle, these Chocolate Truffle Cookies, or even this dreamy Nutella Mousse Cake — all deeply chocolate and deeply necessary. And if you want to master the ganache itself, this Perfect Chocolate Ganache tutorial is a must-read.

Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Cheesecake Cake

A few quick tips before you bake! Always use a brand of cream cheese that is brick-style and full-fat — it makes a huge difference in your cheesecake form and texture. Let everything come to room temperature before mixing so your cream filling is silky smooth with zero lumps. Cool your cake layers on a wire rack completely before assembling, and if you can swing it, chill the assembled cake overnight. That chilled cheesecake layer slices so much more cleanly once it’s spent real time in the fridge. The whole thing is easier to cut when cold — trust me, a large piece of this rich dessert is so much prettier when the layers are firm and defined.

Also — if you’re using up much candy from leftover halloween candy or just raiding your candy dish, this is the best cheesecake cake to use it all up! Chocolate bars, chocolate chips, even a batch of cookies crumbled on top — it all works. And if you love baking with candy, don’t miss Swanky’s Best Halloween Desserts, or for another cream-cheese-forward favorite, try this White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cake too. Now go make this cake. You have to. I literally can’t even with how good it is! Enjoy! 🎉

Candy Bar Cheesecake Cake

Yield: 8-16

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This chocolate cheesecake cake is completely over the top! A layer of cheesecake smothered in a layer of caramel and peanuts sandwiched in between two thick layers of my favorite chocolate cake. Frosting with the BEST chocolate frosting of all time and topped with candy bars and a caramel drizzle.

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Ingredients

Cheesecake Layer:

• 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. vanilla

• 2 eggs

Caramel Peanut Layer:

• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce

Toppings:

• Halloween candy such as Twix, Snickers, Milky Way, M&Ms, Peanut M&Ms, and Reese's Cups.
• about 1/4 cup Caramel sundae sauce (I like Smuckers Caramel Delight Sundae Sauce and Mrs. Richards Butterscotch Caramel Sauce).

Instructions

Make the Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Whisk together all cheesecake ingredients.
3. Line an 8-inch round cake tin with parchment paper or foil (lightly grease if using foil).
4. Pour the batter in, and bake cake for 40 minutes. Let cool completely.

Assemble:

1. Spread frosting on top of one of the layers of chocolate cake.
2. Place the cheesecake layer on top of the frosting. Pipe a thick chocolate ring of frosting around the border of the cheesecake.
3. Mix together the 1/2 cup peanuts with 1/2 cup of caramel sauce and spread over the cheesecake layer.
4. Place the second layer of chocolate cake on top of the caramel peanut layer.
5. Frost the entire cake in chocolate frosting. Drizzle with caramel sauce and top with candy. Keep chilled.