Why Did I Wait So Long?!

I have wanted to make these cupcakes since 2008 when I saw Kristin from The Kitchen Sink Recipes make them. The contrast of the white filling against the dark cocoa cupcake intrigued me. Not to mention that I love anything with chocolate and cream cheese. Add a few fresh strawberries and I'd have the perfect trifecta. 

Yet, for some reason I never made them. I didn't forget about them, but I kept waiting for a special occasion to make them. I don't really know what I was waiting for but earlier this year my aunt made them and texted me a picture of these cupcakes she made and I got jealous. Silly, I know. I was bound and determined to make these cupcakes so once I finished up my cookbook baking I made these cupcakes and they did not disappoint. They were everything I hoped they would be. It's like a moist chocolate cupcake meets cheesecake studded with chocolate chips. 

I'm not generally a fan of warm cream cheese but I ate one of these when it was still slightly warm and the chocolate chips were nice and soft. So good! The only issue I had with this recipe was that it was supposed to make 12 cupcakes, but I had a lot of filling leftover so I ended up making another 1/3 batch of cupcakes. I made the adjustments in the recipe below and you should get about 18 full sized cupcakes. More cupcakes is never a bad thing. Please don't wait 5 years like I did to make these cupcakes!

Black Bottom Cupcakes adapted from TheKitchenSinkRecipes

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Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups brewed coffee, cooled 
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For The Filling: Beat together the cream cheese, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

For The Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with 18 paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine then add the cooled coffee, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir until just combined and no traces of flour remain but try and avoid over mixing the batter. 

Divide the cocoa batter evenly between the paper liners. Then spoon about 3-4 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of the cupcake. The cups will be about 3/4 full. 

Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the tops are set and the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed. 

Allow to cool for a few minutes in the baking tin before removing the cupcakes to a cooling rack. 

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Note: You can use plain water instead of the coffee if you prefer. Or you can use water and instant coffee or espresso powder in place of the brewed coffee.