Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes consist of fudgy, moist chocolate cupcakes filled with a tangy chocolate chip cream cheese filling. With 20 minutes of prep and a quick bake in the oven, you can create these indulgent, tangy treats in no time. Top them off with the dreamiest chocolate mousse frosting.
Chocolate Cupcakes with a Cheesecake Filling
This cupcake recipe combines chocolate cupcakes with a rich cream cheese filling for a fun twist on basic chocolate cupcakes. Maybe the best cupcakes ever. Add a smooth and light chocolate mousse frosting for just a touch more chocolate and you’ve created the best chocolate cupcake around.
The recipe starts with a typical chocolate cupcake batter made with basic pantry staples to keep things simple. Then, you’ll make the cream cheese filling.
This is plopped into the center before the cupcakes bake. It creates cheesecake like filling in the middle. You might have heard these called black bottom cupcakes.
The result is a super moist cupcake with a decadent cream cheese filling that’s so easy to make, and one of those cupcakes that’s very forgiving.
We’ve been making these cupcakes ever since college when my roommates’ mom gave me the recipe. We never frosted them, they are so moist and delicious as they are.
While great without any frosting, most think a cupcake needs frosting, so we top them with this amazingly light and creamy chocolate mousse frosting or a fudgy chocolate frosting. I had a little white chocolate cream cheese frosting left over from some red velvet cupcakes and we tried them with a little of both.
All I can say is woah, what a great combination! If it sounds like too much chocolate, then try a creamy vanilla buttercream or a creamy peanut butter cream cheese frosting.
If you want to go all chocolate and need them to hold their shape while transporting, then I would go with a chocolate cream cheese frosting. It’s much thicker than the chocolate mousse and is easier to pipe and transport.
Perfect for a birthday party, a family-friendly dessert, holidays, or any occasion where you want a rich, chocolaty treat.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Rich and moist: The chocolate cream cheese combination in the cupcake is the perfect balance of sweet and chocolate and the cream cheese makes them super moist.
- Easy: This recipe uses basic ingredients and instructions, so it’s super easy to recreate in your own kitchen.
- Quick: With 20 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of baking time, you can serve these cupcakes in under an hour.
Here’s What You’ll Need to Make Cupcakes
- Pantry staples: You’ll need all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soday, vanilla extract and salt.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: Adds a classic chocolate flavor. Use natural unsweetened cocoa and not Dutch process cocoa as it will not react with the baking soda, creating dense cupcakes.
- Oil: Adds moisture and creates a tender crumb. Use a neutral cooking oil like canola, or all vegetable.
- White vinegar: Acts as a leaving agent when paired with baking soda to produce a light and fluffy texture.
- Cream cheese: You’ll need an 8 oz block of cream cheese. Don’t use the kind that comes in a tub.
- Egg: This is added to the cream cheese to help it set while baking.
- Chocolate chips: Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.
Chocolate Mousse Frosting:
- Pantry Staples: Powdered sugar, butter, eggs. milk, vanilla and bittersweet chocolate.
How to make Black Bottom Cupcakes
Step One: Preheat and Prep
Get your oven nice and warm at 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or give it a quick spray to keep things mess-free.
Step Two: Make the Cake Batter
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl, then mix in the wet stuff until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, filling each cup partway.
Step Three: Whip Up the Cream Cheese Filling
Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and egg until it’s creamy, then stir in some chocolate chips. Drop a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of each cupcake.
Step Four: Bake the Cupcakes
Pop the cupcakes into the oven and bake until they’re set and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool them down on a wire rack before frosting.
Mousse Frosting
Heat the eggs, powdered sugar and milk over a pan of simmering water. Add butter and chocolate and whisk until smooth. Then cool it in an ice bath. Once cool, whip it with an electric mixer until it’s lightly and fluffy. Spread or pipe over cupcakes.
Alternative frostings
Pro Tips
- Overfill: Don’t overfill the cupcake liners , or the batter may overflow when baking.
- Doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcakes to test for doneness. A stray crumb or two may come out, but that’s fine.
- Mini muffin pan: You can make these using a mini muffin pan and mini chocolate chips. Bake for 12-15 minutes, it will make 60 mini cupcakes.
Got Leftovers?
- Fridge: Since these cupcakes are made with cream cheese, they need to be stored in the refrigerator. Store them in an airtight container for up to one week.
- Freezer: Flash-freeze unfrosted cupcakes on a sheet pan for 1-2 hours, then transfer them to an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let the cupcakes thaw in the fridge overnight before eating. Frost after thawing if you like.
Don’t Forget!
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Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup sugar
Chocolate Mousse Frosting
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 1 cup butter room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Line or spray 18 muffin tins.
Cake Batter:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa powder, soda and salt.
- Use a large measuring cup and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour it into the flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
Cream Cheese Filling:
- In a medium sized bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese, ⅓ cup sugar and egg. Beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon in the center of the cupcakes.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frosting
- Heat a saucepan with water over medium heat. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add powdered sugar, eggs, milk and salt. Whisk together and place over the simmering water. Whisk until the egg mixture reaches 160º, about 7-9 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the butter, whisking until it has melted. Add chopped chocolate, whisking until it is smooth then whisk in the vanilla.
- Place the bowl in a bowl of ice water and let it cool. It should be cool to the touch and slightly thick, about 60º. With the whisk attachment, beat the chocolate mixture on medium-high for about 5 minutes until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate to thicken before piping.
Notes
- The nutrition information is based on a cupcake without frosting.
- You can make these using a mini muffin pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, it will make 60 mini cupcakes.
- Make sure you let the cream cheese come to room temperature or it will be difficult to cream together.
