Rich chocolate surprise cupcakes with cream cheese and chocolate chip center. They are also known as black bottom cupcakes.
Quite a good recipe! The end result is a much more tasty, moist, delicious version of an already good chocolate cupcake. Like others suggested, I hid the filling in the middle by filling the liner 1/3 full of batter, then added the cream cheese dollop, and then added another 1/3 of the batter on top. It's really easy to create a "pastry bag" to fill the liners by using two plastic bags filled with the batter and the filling, cutting the tips off of the bags, and then squeezing out the right amount of each into the cups. I did it like an assembly line and I was done in no time. It's a much neater way of filling the cups.
Read MoreQuite a good recipe! The end result is a much more tasty, moist, delicious version of an already good chocolate cupcake. Like others suggested, I hid the filling in the middle by filling the liner 1/3 full of batter, then added the cream cheese dollop, and then added another 1/3 of the batter on top. It's really easy to create a "pastry bag" to fill the liners by using two plastic bags filled with the batter and the filling, cutting the tips off of the bags, and then squeezing out the right amount of each into the cups. I did it like an assembly line and I was done in no time. It's a much neater way of filling the cups.
I followed the recipe almost to a "T" - I did add more sugar to the batter as a few reviewers had suggested. Not much more, I just kind of winged it. These did come out very tasty; I like that fact that they weren't too sweet. My one major mistake was using foil cupcake liners. The cupcakes stuck to them and it was a pretty big process separating them. So, make sure you use paper liners or if you have to use foil liners make sure you spray them with cooking spray first. I'm taking these to Easter dinner tomorrow, if they're a hit there then I'll definitely make them again b/c they were very easy to make.
These cupcakes are awesome. I changed them up a bit by replacing the water with brewed coffee and adding a bit of Baileys mint chocolate to the cream cheese mixture.
Delicious! Make sure you let them sit overnight. Fresh out of the oven doesn't taste too great.
These cupcakes were awesome. I didn't think they needed anything to make them sweeter. The ONLY thing I would do different would be to fill the cupcakes only 1/3 of the way, then put the dollop of cream cheese mix and then top with the other 1/3 of the cupcake mix. Then it would truely be a "surprise."
Awesome! I have made these many times---always come out great and I have gotten many complements! Made them for my daughter's 1st Birthday party. I recently made a double layer cake using this recipe. I pureed fresh raspberries, added the puree to my cream cheese icing, put the raspberry icing between the 2 layers, frosted the rest of the cake with plain cream cheese icing and drizzled the remaining raspberry icing on top of the cake. Turned out VERY rich, but OH SO GOOD!
Fabulous! I'm 6 months pregnant and these were SOOO yummy!!! The chocolate chips are still soft the next day too, I was afraid they would cool off and become hard again. I cooked mine a little less, about 20 minutes because they looked done at that time.
I made these exactly how the instructions say, no deviations what-so-ever and the dozen cupcakes I made for my office were gone within 30 minutes. They were a huge hit and everyone wanted the receipe! Thank you for sharing!
These are very, very good. If you do decide to use a cake mix, just remember that if you keep the oven temp at 350 as the recipe calls for, the cake will cook faster than the filling, and you'll end up with a still-liquid center. The remedy is to turn the oven temp down to 325 so they bake a little slower.
This recipe was fantastic! I made these cupcakes for my partner's birthday at work (they have to take in a cake on their birthday) and he sent me an email after they'd started having them... "your cakes are a hit and all the women hate you because you set the standard too high" I've been asked for the recipe by every woman I've met who ate them and all the men think my partner is a very luck boy :) What more can I say?
Made these for New Years--delicious, but they looked a little "naked." I made a chocolate glaze (mix 1/4 c melted butter, 1 T cocoa, 1/4 c xxx sugar, and 1 t vanilla until crumbly, then add boiling water by the T until spreadable with a pastry brush) then sprinkled with decorative gold sugar crystals. Dressed them right up, and the filling was more of a surprise, because eaters couldn't see the filling peeking through the top.
The cupcakes are delicious. I would suggest only cooking the for about 20 minutes or else they will stick to the paper liners. Definitely put them in the fridge and let them sit for a few hours to get the cheesecake style filling to be correct.
One word....WOW!! I made these for a bunch of chocolate lovers and they were huge hit! I only made one change to the recipe (used unsweetened applesauce instead of oil) and they turned out really moist, rich, and sweet. I may have used too much filling b/c they ended up looking marble all over (which looked pretty). I covered the cupcakes with a peanut butter icing but they were better without icing. The chocolate chips make these cupcakes really standout!
I've been making these cupcakes for Halloween for 25 years. To make the centers orange add yellow and red food coloring to the cream cheese mixture (and grated orange peel if you want it to taste orange). The variations are endless...green for St. Patricks day, etc...
These are absolutely delicious! Moist-Rich-Yum-O! I was a bit frightened but the thin runny consistency of the chocolate batter and the fact that only the cream cheese filling had egg. I had a semi sweet bar on hand that I shaved instead of using choc chips. I took other reviewers advice and put about 1/3 of choc batter, then a scoop of filling and covered with choc batter. I baked on Thursday, refrigerated airtight and frosted friday morning with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting. Oh my goodness are they delicious!! - wait did I say that already? I don't know how you can go south with this recipe if you follow directions. Thank You OP!
I made these cupcakes a couple of times but not often because they make so many. But they are awesome and I love them. One thing I did do was added some chopped pecans to the filling. I love nuts and put them in nearly everything I fix! LOL
My grandma passed down a recipe just like this, but it's cake instead of cupcakes. Before baking, cream cheese/chocolate chip mixture can be spooned on top of batter in a 9x13 pan, then run butter knife through to make a marble effect. Also, if you're baking for somebody who doesn't like cream cheese, you can leave a portion of the cake plain and it bakes up wonderfully. Baking time will be slightly longer than a regular crazy cake because of the cream cheese "surprise." Top with a rich fudge frosting and you have a chocolate lover's dream!
Used a boxed cake mix with mayo in lieu of oil, so 5 stars are for the filling and idea. YUM!
Everyone loves this. Can also use a good cake mix then mix own filling.Have made this for 35 years.Viv
Nice, moist chocolate cupcakes. I just felt they were missing something, so I ended up adding a chocolate glaze to them. Then, they were terrific.
I have been making these for years and I get requests for them all the time. I had decided to make a different cupcake for my son's birthday this year and heard so much griping I am scrapping the other recipe and making these. I follow the recipe to the tee and never have a problem with them. I put Cream Cheese Frosting II on them. Delish!
this was an enjoyful snack
This recipe is terrific! I initially had a slight doubt about the cake batter ( because it had no eggs), I wondered if it would be moist enough. No worries, incredibly moist, not dense at all. I baked some for my family and co-workers using the partial fill, filling and topping off technique. I used different size of cookie scoops- worked like a charm. I used mini chocolate chips for better texture ans added 1 tsp of vanilla to the filling. After cooling, the topper was cream cheese icing- divine! I was told I could bring these to work any time. My husband who is generally noncommittal about things said these were delicious. High praise for a cupcake! I'll be making these again.
Very unique and yummy cupcakes! Followed recipe exactly except for I took cupcakes out at 20 minutes and found them to be perfectly done. Definitely let them cool completely before eating. The cream cheese part does not taste like cheesecake as I thought it would but delicious none the less. The semisweet chocolate chips add just the right amount of flavor. Will make again!
I love these, delicious! Would also be good with some melted chocolate chips drizzled over the top.
I really liked these. I was suspicous of the batter at first with no milk or eggs but they are a great cupcake! I'll use this recipe alot!
Mine did not really come out moist but that's due to my oven. I did hesitate on the 25 min baking time but since I'm not one to make cupcakes, decided to follow the recipes baking time (big mistake). I used Splenda in place of sugar for my diabetic mother who loves sweets. The filling was OK, nothing really special but I'm not a huge fan of cream cheese type fillings. Overall the cupcakes tasted very bland. Throwing them away and going to try again later this week with a different filling and less baking time.
So Rich!! I can only eat one of these a day (glad I have my big kids to help me out, lol). But I'm pretty proud of being able to bake these now. Quite ideal for future celebrations and the like. Thanks!
The filling did not cook while the rest of the cupcake was cooked. The next round, I decided not to put the filling in and it was fantastic, great texture!
Great dessert. Just remember to chill anything not immediately eaten. I didn't and discovered the hard way that cream cheese will go bad pretty darned quick. I also add the cream cheese mis about at the half way level in the muffin cup and then fill to the brim with the cupcake mix. When done properly it makes for a nice surprise as the filling is completely hidden.
I took these cupcakes to a boy scout party and they went fast. I loved the fact they did not to be iced. I individually wrapped them in colored cling wrap and put a bow around the top. Thanks for the recipe!
Rating is for recipe idea. I was pressed for time and ended up making this as a 9 x 13 cake. Along with that modification, I made the following changes: cut sugar to 1 C.; added 3/4 C. semi-sweet choc chips to dry ingredients; added 3/4 C milk choc chips to cream cheese batter and subbed 10X sugar for white in that batter; added 1 C. flaked coconut to cream cheese. Spread choc. batter in pan then dropped cr cheese batter sporadically over and ran a knife through in a swirl pattern in both directions to disperse cr. cheese. Sprinkled sliced almonds on top. Baked for 35 mins. and it was moist and yummy!
These cupcakes are soo moist and flavorful! I was intimated and thought I had done something wrong because the cream cheese filling was very runny when I dropped it in the batter, but it came out perfect. A must try!
Good. Very tender. It's a nice cupcake, but be careful not to overfill or overbake as the edges get hard quickly.
i went by the recipe exactly as written and WOW! I always have trouble with my cupcakes coming out dry but these were moist and delicious. The filling is creamy and wonderful. The ONLY thing I did differently was bake them for 20 minutes instead of 25 minutes. Great recipe!
I'm still a novice as far as baking without cake mixes goes, so I was absolutely thrilled with how these turned out! Rich, moist, creamy, and just plain delectable. I will definitely be saving this recipe! The cream cheese filling wasn't enough for me, so I'll make more next time. Granted, cream cheese is one of my favorite flavors. :) I also used soy milk instead of water, and only had apple cider vinegar so I used that instead. Everyone loved them, even my sister who has extremely high standards with baked foods!
this is a wonderful desert. The only change i made was that i used a different kind of cake. I used white and on another occasion i used strawberry and the party confetti cake. The kids love it and so do i!
These are FANTASTIC cupcakes. Very easy to make (even from scratch) with great chocolate taste. These will be made time and time again! Family loved them too. Like not having to ice them, but still moist and very flavorful. Will try this as a cake next time!
This was a success when I made it for Valentine's day, my boyfriend and his family loved it. It was easy to make, just remember that when you check to see if they are done from the oven, the tester will always come with a little chocolate specially if you poke the middle of the cupcake (this because the chocolate chip melts) so it doesnt mean it needs more cooking!
My aunt used to make these when I was a kid. I was so happy to find this recipe again. I made them for my husband to take to his office and the guys LOVED them! Very moist and tasty and you don't have to frost!
I was surprised the batter didn't have any egg in it, I had to go through the ingredients twice because I thought I was forgetting something. This makes a lot of batter though, I had probably 30 cupcakes worth even after filling them almost full. It tasted great, just like a cupcake with cheesecake baked in it. So if you want something lighter or creamier, this recipe is not for you.
I used this recipe for years, and could always count on kudos for all who sampled them. Over the past several years of building a new house and unpacking, I had somehow lost this treasured recipe. What a wonderful surprise to find it once again on your site! Thanks bunches from SC!
Rating for inside only! Used "Rated R for Richness Chocolate Cake" from this site for the cupcake part but used this filling, yummy! I thought it would be gooier, but this was the first time I have ever had this type of cupcake and they tasted delicious!
I made these with my 2 & 4 years old boys. They were really excited that we were going to surprise Daddy with something hidden in the cupcakes. Used the cake recipe here, thought they were good, maybe next time I would add some zucchini to the cake batter to make it a little moister and get veggies in. I poured a little cake batter in, added the cream cheese mixture, and then more cake batter. We aren't going to frost them, I don't think they need it.
Very good and very rich. I followed the recipe exactly (except for the baking time, mine were done in about 20 minutes) and frosted them with peanut butter frosting. They turned out very rich and moist.
This was excellent! No frosting needed... it is so moist and yet so easy to make... LOVE THEM!
Just made these today and my husband can not stop eating them . They are really a great chocolate treat . I did use 2tbs more of the semisweet chips . I used the paper liners , and still had a problem with them sticking , but not enough to where they were a pain to eat . I did one batch of the cupcakes with the cream cheese on top , then another batch with the cream cheese in the middle , both were great both ways ... I just prefer them in the middle , due to how pretty they come out . Thanks for a great recipe !
Wonderful recipe. Next time I will not fill the cups so full. I will have the foil cups on hand for the 2-3 extras that this recipe will make. I was worried about how thin the cream cheese mixture was, but it turned out wonderful. Easy enough so that I will not have to ever buy a boxed cake again. Any similar scratch recipes for a white or yellow cake?
they're delicious! i did make a few changes tho - i ran out of white sugar so i used one cup of light brown, instead of mixing the chocolate chips with the cream cheese mixture, i sprinkled them on the tops, i used strong coffee instead of water, and i also baked them for only twenty minutes. the first batch i put the cream cheese on top, but didn't like the look of them when they came out of the oven, so the next batch i filled the cups 1/3 then added the cream cheese, then topped them up with more cake mixture, and no chocolate chips. they're far more attractive, and a little more 'grown up' without the chips. next time i bake these i'm going to add a small amount of cherry pie filling before i bake them too!
Yum! So good, one of my favorite recipes! Defentily try them complelty cold, they get even better!
I've made these a couple times now, and everyone has absolutely loved them. Just be careful how full you fill the muffin tin cups, because they rise pretty good. It's probably my own fault for filling them 3/4 full, THEN adding the "surprise" filling which (surprise!) fills the cups nearly completely. Still, lovely recipe.
They were delicious, just like my mom would make them> Don't chg a thing except use the mini choc chips - ENJOY!
I made this recipe exactly as is and wouldn't change a thing. I've made these twice now and both my family and office mates love them. Very rich, so they are a must-share:)
I made these for a party and they were a hit. I put frosting on some, but I honestly liked them better without.
These cupcakes were awesome!!! They sound very rich, but are not. They are just right!
Wow, wow, wow! These are so delicious. They taste like cupcakes from a bakery. I made them for a group and they got rave reviews. I made them with the frosting from Pioneer Woman's blog called The Best Frosting Ever and it complimented these really well. I could eat these everyday.
delicious! by far the best chocolatey taste i've ever been able to get out of a chocolate cupcake recipe. and so easy! everyone who tasted them was thoroughly impressed. thanks for a great recipe!
I was just looking for a simple chocolate cupcake recipe and fell upon this one! I didn't do the cream cheese center and these turned out wonderful! Not extremely sweet nor over the top chocolaty. They're quite perfect. :) I even noticed that this was eggless. A nice vegan recipe. I think next time I will even substitute apple sauce for the vegetable oil to make it even lower in fat!
i love these cupcakes! i make them all the time and my family loves them too! there a great dessert for a simple dinner or a party! thank you cupcakes!!!
I love these cupcakes. I made them as the recipe says, using mini chocolate chips in the filling, but the regular ones would have worked as well. I have 2 cupcake tins -- one is silver and the other is dark non-stick, and the ones in the dark tin puffed up more. Tasted just the same, but the puffier ones were prettier. Either way, it's such an easy recipe and we gobbled. The magazine said if you want to freeze them, leave them in the tins, cover well, and freeze solid, then transfer to bags to keep frozen. Highly recommend that as they are very delicate.
I didn't really like these. Thought I would love them because I love cheese cake and I love chocolate muffins and thought this would be a nice combination of the two, but it just wasn't what I was looking for.
I would give 10 if I could! My daughter took to school for a party day and all the kids lovd them! The teacher even requested the recipe. Thank you!!!
I made these and they were fantastic. I used chunks instead of chips, and I also used about 50% more cocao, which made them very rich. They are best after having cooled for several hours or even the next day, so I recommend making them well in advance of your intended use. I also added a little bit of butter to the cream cheese mixture which helped it to disperse a little and cook into the cake a bit...excellent! Everyone loved them.
This receipe was super fast, easy and delicious! My boyfriend is not a huge dessert person but he loved these cupcakes. The only thing I changed was to to swap out the water with coffee and I used whipped lowfat creamcheese so my hands wouldn't fall off (unforunately, I don't have a mixer). Great receipe and thanks for sharing Kelly.
These turned out really well. I followed the recipe ingredients exactly. When preparing, I added 1/3 cake batter, the dollop of cream cheese mix and then topped with cake batter, as many others have suggested. I lowered the oven temperature to 337ish and baked for 23 minutes. I'm surprised that some people felt they weren't sweet enough. I found them almost too sweet.
I make cupcakes often for family birthdays and these were by far the tastiest. I did use a cupcake mix and like other reviewers, I filled the cupcake cups 1/3, dolloped the cream cheese mix on top, and added the remaining cupcake mix. These were fantastic!!
These were good and easy. I ended up putting buttercream frosting on top, which was good, but a bit too sweet for me. Next time I will probably do a glaze or some light frosting.
Had a surprise party, so these went perfect! I did add homemade cream cheese frosting and chocolate sprinkles to add a little more punch. HUGE HIT!
Amazing cupcakes. I made 2 dozen of them last night and they turned out to be wonderful. I will be making a lot of these. :)
These are really good. The cake part is terrific, by the way. Next time I make cupcakes, I might just use the chocolate cake recipe by itself! *Update, I made a 2nd batch of these frosted with "Fluffy White Frosting" - my advice, DON'T frost, seriously. Or at least try one each way before serving. They're dense, sweet, rich, and the filling is very cheesecake-like, and overall were much better received unfrosted - even by the sugar-fiend kids in our neighborhood.
Many good things to say about this recipe. This was an afternoon project for my daughter and I and I'm glad I chose it because she was really able to see the science behind the baking when the vinegar reacted with the baking soda. Obviously, her favorite part of the process was licking the bowl! I found this under 'Easter Recipes' so I thought I'd make it a little more festive, by crushing mini-eggs instead of chocolate chips for the filling. Sweet heaven!
i cheated and used a packet mix for the chocolate cupcakes, but inserted a big glob of the cream cheese mix. the next day i took it to work and everyone LOVED them. my husband was bitter that i didn't leave more at home for him.
I was really skeptical about these, especially since the cake batter doesn't contain eggs. But the chocolate cake is even moister and fluffier than box cake, which I think is hard to beat in the "moist and fluffy" department! In the first batch, I tried to push the cream-cheese mixture down into the cupcake and cover it a bit at the top, to "hide" the filling inside. But when I did that, I really couldn't even taste the cream cheese mixture. That mixture is really not intended to be a liquidy center, just a punch of different taste in an otherwise normal chocolate cupcake. The chocolate chips do give it a bit of the liquidy feel. I'd recommend sticking with a dollop at the surface, and not trying to make it a center thing. I used milk chocolate chips instead of semisweet because that's what I had on hand, but I think semisweet would definitely have been better. Milk was too sweet. I also had a lot of the cream-cheese mixture left over. You could cut down on the ingredients to make less of it. Great treat especially for kids, and easy to make. My nearly-2 and 3-year-old girls helped me, and I didn't have that usual "let them lick the beaters" guilt because of raw egg. There is no egg in the cake! :) (I might have snuck some myself.)
It was ok, the cream cheese filling wasn't that good. But other than that the cupcake itself was yummy, but nothing special.
I have never, ever made cupcakes from scratch, these are so easy and soooo worth it. I made them for a get together at our house and let me tell you they were a BIG HIT. I still get people ask for them and for the recipe. Mmmmm, definitely making them again.
I MADE THESE FOR MY DAUGHTER ON HER BIRTHDAY SHE LOVED THEM THEY WERE WONDERFUL AND MOIST
I adjusted the recipe by changing the oil to unsweetened applesauce, the sugar to Stevia in the Raw and the cream cheese to reduced fat. Made it as a cake and it is TO DIE FOR!! 24 pieces = 3 WW PointsPlus each.
Bf really loved this. I think it's too rich, but I'm not a huge chocolate fan, or cream cheese fan, so I'm not sure my opinion on this should count so much. I made this in a bundt cake pan instead of as cupcakes, and baked for about an hour. It worked well, but it doesn't look that pretty, probably bc it's just such a heavy cake that a bundt cake isn't the best way. But I'm okay with it, and I made it a tad prettier with a bunch of mint. :o) The cake itself is rich, heavy, and full of flavor so we'll call it a success. Thanks for the recipe!
amazing recipe!! i have never made cupcakes from scratch before and i am soooo happy i decided on this recipe. if i could give it 10 stars i would. i followed the recipe just as written EXCEPT i filled the cup 1/3 full with chocolate mix and then a dollop of cream cheese filling and then filled the rest full of chocolate mix. i wanted them to look just like chocolate cupcakes so when you bite in you get a gooey surprise. i added a thin layer of colored frosting to brighten it up. very moist and a HUGE hit at work. i brought them in for a co-workers birthday and they are GONE!!! i will make them over and over and over again.
I wasn't a big fan of this recipe. Many it was just me, but the cupcakes seemed very dense. This may just be a trait of Black Bottom cupcakes, but it wasn't very appealing. The taste was good, however.
these were pretty good. they were actually much better when you put them in the fridge and eat them cold!
I started making them and thought that they won't be all that great. I was WRONG. They are delicious and my family loves them. These cupcakes have to be some of the best i've ever made. Anyone who loves creamcheese and chocolate should deffinatly make them. I only had a 12 size cupcake holder, so i did the 12 and did a small cake with the batter and leftover filling. That also turned out great with a little bit of the leftover chocolate chips on top.
Love these cupcake! The only thing I did different was use 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chip with 1/2 a cup of mint chocolate chip. They were AMAZING!!
I made these for a friend's birthday at work and they were gone before I could even get one (glad I'd sampled them the night before). Everyone loved them and asked when I was making them again. I hid the cream cheese filling in between layers of chocolate - a little more work, but it was worth it. I also only baked them for 20 minutes and they were done. I got 30 cupcakes out of the recipe and had enough filling for all of them. I did not ice them (easier to transport) and they didn't seem to need it. I'm making them again right now (they're in the oven) and I smell wonderful!
My cousin had a recipe for something very similar to this- the filling was different- more tart. This was a good stand in. and good on its own.
I have been making these for more then 40 years. I mostly just use a chocolate mix, sometimes I use chocolate & peanut butter chips in the cream cheese for a little different flavor.
This is a great recipie!! I cheated and substituted the cupcake mix with a Devil's Food fix for that exta fluffy, extra dense texture. I then added a cream cheese frosting (from a can). Topped it off with a raspberry and mint leaf.
I made the cupcakes for my husband's bday. They turned out pretty awesome. Thanks for sharing !
