Black-Bottom Cupcakes
Classic black-bottom cupcakes – plush chocolate cupcakes topped with a cheesecake filling and mini chocolate chips. A standby of both worlds!
We first came across black-bottom cupcakes ages ago, and while we made a recipe years ago that we liked at the time, we didn’t LOVE them. It’s hard not to totally love the combination of chocolate and cheesecake, but the key is to getting a supremely plush chocolate cupcake along with a creamy cheesecake center.
We're so thrilled to have found this new recipe – it’s a total dream for anyone else who loves chocolate and cheesecake!
We have a weird relationship with chocolate and cheesecake… Oddly enough, we're not a huge fan of chocolate cheesecake. We're not sure why, but we would much rather have regular cheesecake with chocolate swirled or added in… is that weird??
We feel the same way about ice cream – we much prefer vanilla ice cream with add-ins than actual chocolate ice cream.
That’s why these cupcakes are so totally reliable for us – we get our dose of chocolate along with cheesecake in its purest form. LOVE!
In addition to fulfilling our love of chocolate and cheesecake together, this recipe is simple and only requires a couple of bowls. Score!
We like to try new recipes for Sunday dinners so that we can ship leftovers home with family or to work with our mom, but we totally hoarded these cupcakes. We didn’t relinquish any of them, and savored every last one!
One year ago: Poor Man’s Cookies
Seven years ago: Lemon Burst Cookies
Black-Bottom Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes Classic black-bottom cupcakes - plush chocolate cupcakes topped with a cheesecake filling and mini chocolate chips. A standby of both worlds!For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ⅓ cup (60 g) miniature chocolate chips
For the Cupcake Batter:
- 1½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (43 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1¼ teaspoons (1.25 teaspoons) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- ¾ cup (172.5 ml) sour cream
- 1⅓ cups (333.33 ml) water
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two standard muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- Make the Cheesecake Filling: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and salt on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Beat in the egg whites and sour cream until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips using a rubber spatula; set aside.
- Make the Cupcake Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center, and add the sour cream, water, butter and vanilla extract, and whisk until just combined.
- Divide the cupcake batter evenly among the 24 liners and top each cupcake with 1 rounded tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes just begin to crack, 23 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
Note: This recipe can be halved to make only 12 cupcakes. Nutritional values are based on one cupcake
- Yield: 24 cupcakes
- Prep: 30 minutes
- Cook: 25 minutes
- Total: 1 hour
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces ( 453.59 g ) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup ( 100 g ) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
- 2 egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ⅓ cup ( 60 g ) miniature chocolate chips
For the Cupcake Batter:
- 1½ cups ( 187.5 g ) all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups ( 250 g ) granulated sugar
- ½ cup ( 43 g ) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1¼ teaspoons ( 1.25 teaspoons ) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) salt
- ¾ cup ( 172.5 ml ) sour cream
- 1⅓ cups ( 333.33 ml ) water
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two standard muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- Make the Cheesecake Filling: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and salt on medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Beat in the egg whites and sour cream until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips using a rubber spatula; set aside.
- Make the Cupcake Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center, and add the sour cream, water, butter and vanilla extract, and whisk until just combined.
- Divide the cupcake batter evenly among the 24 liners and top each cupcake with 1 rounded tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Bake until the tops of the cupcakes just begin to crack, 23 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
