Black-Bottom Cupcakes

I'm sure this recipe is familiar to many of you, and comes from one of my favourite food bloggers (and one of the first food blogs I ever read) - David Lebovitz. Seriously you must go check out his blog if you haven't. He's really awesome and hilarious. As for these cupcakes, they are very rich and moist. Chocolatey and cream cheese-y. What else is there to say? These would be great if you want to make cupcakes and have to carry them somewhere, as they don't require icing that could stick to things and get messed up. Oh and I'm still in search of a good cream cheese brownie recipe, so if you have one let me know. =)

If this sounds good, you might like:
Sour Cream-Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Glaze
Rich Chocolate Cheesecake
Cheesecake Pops
Chocolate Mousse Layer Cake

Black-Bottom Cupcakes
Adapted from The Great Book of Chocolate

I halved the recipe and used 116 g flour, 95 g brown sugar, and 35 g granulated sugar.

Yield: 12 full-size or approximately 30 mini cupcakes

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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

Make the cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by buttering or using muffin liners.

2. In a medium bowl whisk 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 until just smooth.

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. I would recommend creating a little well and putting the filling into it, otherwise the cream cheese sits on top as it did with mine. However you might like it sitting on top.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. Cool on a rack, then store in the refrigerator.