Fudgy chocolate cake topped with cheesecake and choc chips.

I love Fridays! Fridays at the present moment are my day off; the day where I get to do nothing, or exactly what I want or need to do. Being in education as I am, teaching and/or tutoring children, teens and adults, work is work can be very tiring, and this week I worked or volunteered 4 days in a row. This may not seem much, but for someone who hasn’t been working full-time, it takes it out of you. So, even though I still want to go nap, I did some baking for tonight. And as I wrote on a friend’s fb wall; “I just made the ugliest, yummiest cupcakes, and I thought I’d share”.

Can't have too much of a good thing...!
Can’t have too much of a good thing…!

Ever since reading about black bottom cupcakes on the smitten kitchen site, I’ve wanted to make them. Mostly because I adore cheesecake. And these are chocolate cake and cheesecake together, so what’s not to like? Unfortunately, I made them during Lent, which is about as dumb as it gets. And so I have broken my sugar fast. [As I’ve been wanting to do for some time!]  

cupcakes4_adj_sml
Bit ugly, but oh, so good!

This copy of the very same recipe I actually took from the foodie website Eating From the Ground Up. The original comes from The Great Book of Chocolate, by David Lebowitz. Either way, the recipe’s the same and it totally rocks! The recipe says it makes 12, but I made 14 and they were still overflowing. I also added raising agent (baking powder) just in case.

Chocolate and cheesecake - doesn't get much better than this!
Chocolate and cheesecake – doesn’t get much better than this!
Black Bottom Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
5 ounces chocolate chips
For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the filling:
Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and egg until relatively smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
For the cupcakes:
Preheat to 350 degrees. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with muffin cups. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, use a whisk to beat together the milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until just combined.
Fill each muffin cup halfway with cake batter. Top with the cream cheese filling so that the filling comes nearly to the top of the cup. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown. They will keep well unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container – if they last that long!

3 thoughts on “Black-bottom Cupcakes”

Leave a Reply