These are a whole lot of chocolate with a surprise center: cream cheese and teeny chocolate chips. Two of my favorite combos, and one of my father’s two favorite desserts (the other being Pineapple Upside Down Cake). My father passed away quite a while ago, but I was thinking of him yesterday on Father’s Day and decided late last night to whip up a batch of Black Bottom Cupcakes, his way. Most Black Bottom Cupcakes do not have frosting or icing on top, as the cream cheese rises to the top while baking and serves as the frosting. But my Dad really liked chocolate and he adored chocolate frosting in particular – so I always frosted these cupcakes to make them special for him. You can make the cupcake batter from scratch, but a cake mix off the shelf can be awfully tasty when you are rushed, or as in my case it is 11:30 at night when I started baking.
Ingredients:
Cake:
One package of Chocolate Devil Food’s Cake Mix
3 whole eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Frosting:
1 stick butter (softened, but not melted)
1/3 cup of Ghirardelli Cocoa
2 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar (not sifted)
3 or 4 Tbl heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1 whole egg
¼ tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbl heavy cream
½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Method:
- Start with the filling – add all ingredients into a bowl and mix on medium speed until blended – set aside.
- Follow directions on package of Devil’s food cake mix and mix all ingredients till smooth, no lumps
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill them ½ full
- Use one tablespoon of cream cheese filling per cupcake – drop into center of cupcake batter.
- Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips onto the cream cheese centers.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Test with a toothpick – they should come out clean when inserted into the chocolate portion of cupcake. Place pan on rack to cool.
- Place softened butter into mixing bowl and add the cocoa powder – mix well. Slowly add the confectioners sugar in portions (not all at once or you will have a white powder mess all over your kitchen counter and floor).
- Alternately add the cream while you continue to add the sugar.
- Add vanilla and whip till creamy and smooth.
- Using a pastry bag fitted with your decorating tip (I used a Closed Star tip) add your frosting and pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake.
- These can be left out for 2 or 3 days as long as they are covered. You can refrigerate them, but they will only last about one day, again needing to be covered.
Yield: 30 cupcakes
Related articles
- Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (gentlewit.com)
- Black-Bottom Cupcakes (themidlifesecondwife.com)
- chocolate fudge cupcakes with salted caramel frosting. (sallysbakingaddiction.com)
canapesandchocolate.com 
Oh these look delicious. I guess I am going to have to try and make these. I think I will make the small ones, be really good for a group.
But first I will have to loose 5lbs!!!
Jc
Thanks JC – I like your idea of making these in the mini size – just remember to adjust the amount of filling based on the smaller size of cupcake. Let me know how they turn out.
Omg, chocolate and cream cheese, yummy 🙂
Two of my favorite foods – thanks for visiting my site!
How kind of you to include a link to my own recipe…thank you!
You’re welcome – you have a great site!
Oh my, love the filling so much!! Sinfully delicious!!
Judy,
I love the cream cheese filling too! Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment.
I have always loved black bottom cupcakes too! I have fond memories of my mom picking them up from a bakery in Santa Barbara! Lovely post about your dad…
Thanks Lindsay – isn’t it fun how food often conjures up many happy memories from your childhood?
ooooh yummy!
Maybe this is the answer to Hostess CupCakes’ extinction?