Black Bottom Cupcake

White on black

I was so besotted with Jean's black bottom cupcake that it  became a high priority project on my to-do list. But many cupcakes have come and gone and still there was no black bottom cupcake forthcoming. The difficulty of centering cream cheese in an already tight real estate of a cupcake was one main reason the project was in KIV state.

Finally a really slow day bought about a baking opportunity, and what a cinch it had been.  All that was needed was prior  preparation of 3 bowls :  a bowl of dry  ingredients for the cupcake base, another bowl of wet ingredients for the base and a third for the cream cheese filling. Whisk the white top then the black bottom. Plonk the batter and cheese into 6 cups and voila ! Even before the cakes are ready, the washing's done.

One nonplus, though. I was trying to figure out the missing baking powder and realized the vinegar and baking soda are the leavening agent in this cake ( whatever was left from my chemistry knowledge ).  Treading on unfamiliar territory, I left generous rising room for each cup, at half full, and was relieved that gut feelings were proven right. The cupcake rose like a volcano ready to erupt in the oven, only to deflate slightly upon cooling. The slightly browned cheese cake top was  tempting  so lots of self control was needed while waiting for it to be chilled .

Verdict : the generous amount of cream cheese topping  tastes decadent with a slight hint of egg, the black bottom base was  moist, being buried by the cheese, with pockets of chocolaty surprise ( hmm, should have added more choc chips ! ) 

My only regret ? I should have made them sooner !

Portions adapted from joyoffbaking.com

Soft cupcake base with creamy topping is a to-die for

Makes 6 medium sized cupcakes.

Cream cheese filling :

120g cream cheese, softened at room temperature

33g caster sugar

1 small egg

1/2 t vanilla extract

Black bottom chocolate cupcake base:

Dry ingredients -

100g all purpose flour

60g caster sugar ( increase to 70g if you prefer sweeter cupcakes )

15g cocoa powder, unsweetened

1/4 t baking soda

1/8t salt

Wet ingredients -

120ml water

40ml canola oil

1/2t cider vinegar

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 handful of chocolate chips of your preferred flavor ( 1/3 cup will bring out the chocolate accent better )

Method :

Preheat oven to 180C with baking rack in the center of the oven.

For ease of preparation and cleaning, prepare the cheese filling first.

To prepare the cream cheese filling, break up cream cheese by whisking it in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add egg, vanilla extract, sugar and whisk until well combined. Set aside.

In a second bowl, sift all the dry ingredients for the black bottom base. Make a hollow in the center on the dry ingredients.

In a third bowl, mix all the wet ingredients. Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk until well combined. Stir in 1 handful of chocolate chips  ( or more ! ).

Prepare 6  medium sized muffin cups. Spoon black bottom base to the cups, distributing evenly.

Finally, spoon cream cheese filling onto the black bottom batter.

Bake at 180C for 25 minutes.

Cool cupcakes on a rack. Chill the cupcakes and serve them cold.