My Danish Kitchen

Swirled Black-Bottom Cupcake

Black-bottom cupcakes are seriously delicious and super moist, hence no frosting needed at all on these little babies. Funny name though and think it comes from the cupcake originally having the cream cheese encased in chocolate, sort of like a peanutbutter cup. Here I made half of the cupcakes with the  cream cheese center and the other half with a swirling effect. You pick what you like the best and enjoy.

Making Black-Bottom Cupcakes

Black-Bottom Cupcakes, makes 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients

For the filling:

8 oz cream cheese, low fat, at room temperature (226 g)

1/3 cup sugar (75 g)

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 oz semi-sweet chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (60 g)

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (195 g)

5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder(33 g)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (190 g)

1 cup water (225 ml or 2.25 dl)

1/3 cup vegetable oil (75 ml or 0.75 dl)

1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 12 cup muffing pan with cupcake liners, set aside.

Make the filling:

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) and set aside.

Make the cupcakes: 

In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl mix together brown sugar, water, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and stir in wet ingredients. Stir only until smooth, careful not to over-stir.

Fill each cupcake liner half-way with chocolate batter, leaving a small amount of batter in the bowl which you will need later on. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese batter into center of each cupcake, trying to not let cream cheese batter touch the sides of cupcake liner. Divide cream cheese batter evenly among all 12 cupcakes. Using the remaining chocolate batter, spoon batter over cream cheese to seal it off. Cupcakes will be 90% full which is ok. If you wish to swirl the batter, insert a butter knife only about 1/2 inch into each cupcake moving the knife around in an abstract pattern to create the swirling effect.

Bake for 25 minutes until the cupcakes are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed.

Black-Bottom Cupcake

Source: Smitten Kitchen via David Lebovitz