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Black Bottom Cupcakes Recipe

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Black Bottom Cupcakes Recipe

Black Bottom Cupcakes are hard to resist for they taste as good as they look. As soon as I found this recipe in David Lebovitz's 'The Great Book of Chocolate'  I knew it was a keeper. The combination of a rich and chocolately cupcake filled with a lovely soft cheesecake center is reminiscent of a cheesecake brownie. 

We start these cupcakes with a Devil's Food Cake batter. John Mariani tells us in his book "The Dictionary of American Food and Drink" that the name is so called "because it is supposedly so rich and delicious that it must, to a moralist, be somewhat sinful." It is true that this cake has a deep chocolate color and flavor with a moist and tender crumb. This color and flavor comes from using unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch processed in the batter. Popular brands of unsweetened natural cocoa powder are Hershey's, Ghirardelli, Pernigotti, and Scharffen Berger. Once the chocolate batter is made and placed in the muffin cups, we next turn to the cheesecake filling. It is easily made in your food processor and once made it is dropped by tablespoons into the center of each muffin cup. As the cupcakes bake the chocolate batter becomes a shell for the cheesecake filling. Wonderful hot, cold, or at room temperature.

The name "cupcake" was used differently back in the 1800s. Then the name "cup cake" simply referred to a cake where the ingredients were 'measured' not 'weighed'. It seems that before the 1880s ingredients for cake baking were actually weighed so when recipes started to be given in 'cup' measurements, the cake recipes were named 'cup cakes' to reflect this difference. Greg Patent also tells us in his book 'Baking in America' that a woman named Mrs. Rorer (in 1902) was the first to actually print a recipe for the cupcakes (with frosting) we all enjoy today.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and lightly butter or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, 12 muffin cups.

Cream Cheese Filling: In your food processor or electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and smooth. Set aside while you make the Chocolate Cupcake batter.

Chocolate Cupcakes: First, in a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until nice and smooth. Evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Then spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cream cheese filling is a little brown and the cupcakes feel springy to the touch (a toothpick inserted into the chocolate part of the cupcake will come out clean). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

These cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 - 4 days.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Sources:

Lebovitz, David. 'The Great Book of Chocolate". Ten Speed Press. Berkeley: 2004.

Mariani, John F. 'The Dictionary of American Food & Drink. Ticknor & Fields. New Haven: 1983. 

Cream Cheese Filling:

8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour

1 cup (210 grams) light brown sugar

1/3 cup (30 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (240 ml) water

1/3 cup (80 ml) unflavored vegetable oil (I use safflower)

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

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