Black-Bottom Cupcakes

August 9, 2008 | 44 Comments | Email | Print

It is seriously beyond me how I have never made these before. Especially considering they’re a hybrid of my two favorite sweets – chocolate and cheesecake, and honestly there’s really no way anything made of chocolate and cheesecake can be anything but spectacular. These cupcakes are no exception, as they take a super moist and intensely chocolate devil’s food cake and drop a cheesecake filling with chunks of bittersweet chocolate right in the middle. These rank way up there on the ladder of favorite things I have ever made. I was sitting outside for a bit while these were in the oven and when I came back into the house it smelled like I could lick chocolate off the walls – the aroma wafting from the oven completely permeated the house. Mmmm…

Good news for the legions of you that love your KA but love even more when you don’t need to get it dirty (*wink wink*) – this recipe does not require a mixer, only a few mixing bowls. I was a little hesitant about filling these cups the whole way full, but forged ahead anyway, and didn’t encounter any problems. I used a large cookie scoop to filling in the chocolate, and then a small cookie scoop to add the cheesecake filling to the middle. I wish I could have done a better job at keeping the filling in the middle, but hey, they taste amazing, so I can live with it! I was a bit skeptical about the notion of naked cupcakes, but after tasting these, I’m confident there’s no need for frosting of any kind. The chocolate is so rich and moist, and paired with the cheesecake, these are phenomenal all on their own.

While the recipe states that these can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container, I always feel better refrigerating anything with cream cheese in it. Plus, I tasted one of these fresh from the oven and then after they cooled, I popped them in the fridge and tried another after awhile, and I think they are just as good from the fridge.

An added bonus: I get to cross these off of my Top 100 list!

Craving more chocolate and cheesecake? Check out these recipes:
Cheesecake Truffles
Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Brownies
Chocolate Rum Cheesecake

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Black-Bottom Cupcakes
(Source: David Lebovitz The Great Book of Chocolate, as seen on Smitten Kitchen)

For the Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons naturally unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the Filling: Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

Make the Cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring just until smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

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44 Responses to Black-Bottom Cupcakes

ash August 9, 2008 at 8:49 pm

they look beautiful and so tasty!

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Megan August 9, 2008 at 10:07 pm

I love black bottom cupcakes – you can’t go wrong with a combo of chocolate and cheesecake! I’ve often wondered if a frosting would really be “too much”.

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Brooke - in Oregon August 10, 2008 at 9:26 am

These look wonderful and your comment ‘the house it smelled like I could lick chocolate off the walls’ almost caused my computer to have a coating of coffee! lol totally cracked me up :) I think I will be trying these.

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Ally August 10, 2008 at 9:29 am

Those look sinful Chelley!

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Amber August 10, 2008 at 9:50 am

These look and sound amazing!! Chocolate and cheesecake is a wonderful combination.

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bakingblonde August 10, 2008 at 10:53 am

I have never made these! They look like something I woud LOVE!

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Amy (Sing for your supper) August 10, 2008 at 11:12 am

Ooooh, these look fantastic!!! I have had this recipe saved for months now and still haven’t made it – you’ve inspired me, though! Now I remember why I saved it in the first place! Can’t wait to try them!!

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Erin August 10, 2008 at 11:43 am

These look great! I actually made black bottom brownies a couple weeks ago and was going to post it this week (I’m so behind in posting!). Aren’t chocolate and cream cheese a wonderful combination?

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heather August 10, 2008 at 4:12 pm

you know, i was also thinking about the fact that i’ve never made these… i love them, as well! these turned out beautifully, and i’m sure they’re delicious!

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Kate August 10, 2008 at 11:12 pm

These are gorgeous!

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Kelsey August 10, 2008 at 11:16 pm

These look delicious, Chelle. I love the new look. Congratulations!

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Cate August 11, 2008 at 12:26 am

YUM! That pretty much says it all!

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Mollie August 11, 2008 at 7:43 am

Yum! I just discovered these last year too and they are always such a hit. Looks great!

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Kelly (me&mb) August 11, 2008 at 10:41 am

oh wow, these look very tempting. Definitely adding it to my list of things to make!

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kitchenbelle August 11, 2008 at 1:45 pm

These cupcakes look decadent! So rich and delicious!

comforttable.wordpress.com

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Annie August 11, 2008 at 6:02 pm

I have always been skeptical about these because of them being “naked” cupcakes, but with your raves, I know I have got to try them! We have such similar taste, I know they will be a hit :)

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decorated cookies August 17, 2008 at 4:00 pm

divine – can’t get over how rich they look.

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colleen August 20, 2008 at 12:09 pm

these look delicious! i am hoping to make them this weekend!

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colleen August 30, 2008 at 7:17 am

me again ;) do you think these would work as mini-muffins as well? there are more people coming than i expected to the party i am making these for and i would rather have smaller bite-sized than just 12 larger ones.

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Chelle August 30, 2008 at 10:03 am

Hi Colleen!

I think you could definitely make these as mini-muffins. I just wouldn’t fill the cups the whole way (in case there is spillage) and of course use less of the cream cheese filling in each one. I’d love to hear how they turn out!

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Stef August 31, 2008 at 7:04 pm

Oh my gosh…I make these every Christmas. LOVE them!

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colleen August 31, 2008 at 9:28 pm

hi chelle! i just made them (in the middle of blog post right now). they turned out great! actually made 24 minis and 6 regular sized! i baked the minis for 17 minutes.

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Grace September 10, 2008 at 12:10 pm

I’ve never seen those before, but they look delightfully sinful. Chocolate and cheesecake eh? That looks like something I’d have to try.

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k-10 September 30, 2008 at 12:46 am

my grandma has made these for me since i was a kid. they are my favorite. i absolutely LOVE these cupcakes!

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Kham September 30, 2008 at 2:05 pm

Those look absolutely amazing!

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tommy September 30, 2008 at 5:21 pm

Wow, these look great! Thanks for posting.

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Peter October 1, 2008 at 3:30 am

Wow those look good! I’m making those!

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Jen October 9, 2008 at 12:08 am

Those look FANTASTIC! Thanks for sharing!

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Sweet Cuppinn Cakes Bakery October 10, 2008 at 9:52 am

These turned o ut so well many thanks! Love your blog!

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Jenna December 22, 2008 at 12:15 pm

I grew up on these from the farmers markets in PA Dutch country. I made a batch last night and they were great, my only issue is that I found the cream cheese part sickeningly sweet. I think next time I will leave out the sugar completely and let the chocolate be the sweet part. Great recipe otherwise, thanks for sharing!

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Cupcake Forum October 14, 2009 at 1:19 pm

These look so gooey and chocolatey… yum!

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Isabel January 22, 2010 at 12:43 pm

Made these last night! They are AWESOME! So easy to make. Great Chocolate flavor, the cream cheese filling is AMAZING! My daughters (1,4,7) loved them! Definitely going into my recipe box.

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A.Foxx September 8, 2010 at 8:06 pm

Ok, so this recipe is to die! I make this cake recipe for my husband ALL the time! I make it often as just a sheet cake, without the cream cheese filling and its awesome! Its great because its super easy, inexpensive (no eggs or milk needed[the cake part that is], especially for those times you’re hankering for something sweet but, oh dang-it no eggs!!) I like to mix in about a half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in it after i’ve mixed it and it gives great chocolate bites throughout!

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Michelle September 13, 2010 at 10:28 pm

A – Love the idea of making the chocolate part into a cake for a quick dessert! Genius!

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jamie November 2, 2010 at 2:49 pm

hello! i’ve made these a couple times and LOVED them. but each time the cream cheese part sinks to the bottom, making the cake part a little mushy. does anyone have ideas why it would sink? i would love to hear them!

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Michelle November 8, 2010 at 9:21 pm

Hi Jamie, Hmm I’m actually not sure why it would sink; in fact mine tends to rise to the top! Are you by any chance underbaking them?

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Julie July 29, 2011 at 6:01 pm

maybe you did something wrong like letting it sit too much????

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Beverly December 24, 2010 at 6:24 am

Hey I was wondering is it powdered sugar you use or just your regular sugar.

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Michelle February 16, 2011 at 9:55 pm

Beverly – Granulated sugar is regular white sugar (for the filling).

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AlaskaAngie April 27, 2011 at 6:02 pm

I made these this weekend and added a vanilla European buttercream frosting with a sliced strawberry and O…M…G…! That is probably the best combination ever! This cupcake and that frosting. Yes! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten chills on my neck from a cupcake until now!

Then I took some to my friend (also the lady who babysits my daughter) and she couldn’t stop eating the cupcake and flat out asked me to bake her cupcakes for her wedding because of this cupcake.

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Julie July 29, 2011 at 5:59 pm

These look delicious! I can’t wait to bake them! I’m sure it’s a great recipe! I <3 BAKING!!! :D

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sydney October 1, 2011 at 10:08 am

i make these all the time and i use mini chocolate chips and they turn out so good!

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