Black Bottom Cupcakes

Yum! Here is my $.02 about the recipe...some observations: 1) The cream cheese mixture is very runny, some previous reviews expressed concern about that, but it sets while cooking. 2) The cream cheese mixture is about twice what you need. Double the cake portion. 3) I only needed to cook them 20 minutes. 4) I got 1 dozen regular sized muffins out of the recipe (w/o doubling the cake portion). Changes: 1) I used a heaping 1/3 cup of cocoa. 2) Milk instead of water. 3) Splenda instead of sugar.

These were great, I used boxed devil's food cake mix instead of the batter for less prep time. I filled the cups half-full and then put in a mound of the cream cheese mix and then topped them off with more batter to make them like true cream-filled cupcakes. They still made 24 and took around 20 min. to bake!

I acquired this reciped in 1966 - it's a family classic but I add a 1/2 tsp. of salt to the dry mix, use white vinegar and use chopped walnuts on top. I use mini cupcake pans & two liners - 1 tbsp dark batter 1 tsp light batter 350 15 mins. Seeing that these are so rich, I just pretty them up with a dusting of powdered sugar-- no icing is necessary. They store well in the fridge and get perked up with a fresh coat of powdered sugar when holday guests pop in.

Like many other reviewers, I substituted coffee for water (and added a spoonful of dry milk powder to the flour mixture). What really made them good, though, was the spoonful of strawberry jam I dropped on the top of each before baking. Strawberry was what I had; using blackberry or plum jam could give these a sophisticated, Black Forest-type taste, and I'll try that next time--or perhaps swirling berry puree throughout the cream cheese mixture, or just dropping a frozen raspberry into the centre of each cupcake. The berry touch really 'lifts' the cupcake; I recommend it!

Very good. I substituted coffee for the water and it was excellent. I also added a little vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. I was taking them to a party so I drizzled them with a chocolate glaze just to dress them up. They looked great and tasted great too. It does make a lot of filling but I wouldn't cut that in half; I filled each half full with the chocolate mixture and used a heaping tablespoon of filling for each cupcake. I ended up with 19. The baking soda reacts to the vinegar so you really wouldn't want to omit it.

These are the BEST!! ;d I used a devils food cake mix to make it even quicker and I had regular size choc. chips instead of mini ones, but it turned out so delicious anyway. I had to be careful about how I lifted the cupcakes out of the tins - take a knife or spatula and try to pre-loosen the bottoms before taking them out. Next time I might try paper lining and see how that goes. Also, I only had one muffin tin, so I made 12 muffins and one 9" round cake. The cake also turned out excellent. Again, pre-loosen the bottoms before removing the slices. Also, though the cake tastes great, it's not very 'pretty.' That's my food for thought.... :)

These were so good! I might add orange or raspberry flavoring to the batter next time to add a hint of another flavor. Definitely use mini chocolate chips because the big ones sink to the bottom.

I did cheat by using a boxed Devils Food cake mix. The cupcakes were awesome!

These cupcakes were phenomenal! The rich chocolate paired perfectly with the sweet cream cheese filling. If you're like me, and can't resist the urge to make a few teeny weeny changes, here's what I'd suggest: Use coffee instead of water. It really brings out the chocolate flavor. Unless you are all about the cake, make the full amount of cream cheese filling! (I halved the cream cheese mixture because I only had 4 ounces of cream cheese left and wished I hadn't.) It will look like you don't need the full amount when you are filling the liners but once the cake bakes and expands it should create the perfect ratio. If you prefer rich chocolate flavor, use a chopped up dark chocolate bar in place of the semisweet chocolate chips in the filling. I used a 70% cacao bar. For the cake, use half dark chocolate cocoa powder and half unsweetened. Last, as another reviewer suggested, add a dollop of jam to the middle of the filling. I used a four berry blend. This really took the cupcake to a different level! After the cupcakes have cooked, top these bad boys off with fresh or candied raspberries to impress your family and friends! Doctored up or as is, these cupcakes are my new go-to recipe when I want something sweet!

Golfingandrew is RIGHT ON! I've been making these for 33 years?! I think they are best after the sit and "age" for 3 days. I make batches of these at Christmas and am famous for them : ) If your cream cheese mixture is "runny" DC girl...you are doing something way wrong-use hand mixer until nice a creamy. Fill cupcake 1/2 full and then add a HUGE heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mixture or you will have too much left over when finished.

Very good.

Here is my .02 cents, I live in colorado. The high altitude doesn't work for the cake recipe. Use a devils food cake mix and follow high altitude directions. Make sure the cream cheese AND egg are at room temp and do not over-mix. I mix by hand to ensure this doesn't happen. My cream cheese center is never runny and always sinks to the bottom. some of the pictures posted look horrible and I have never had a problem with center not sinking, doing it my way. The top is only cake, never ANY cream cheese visible. It is always a surprise when people bite into them. I also frost with either chocolate ganache or cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes will never be beat. DELICIOUS!

Meh. The cream cheese part is yummy, but the cake itself is blah. I even followed other's advice and replaced the water with coffee, still blah. I've had way better black bottom cupcakes. These are very pretty, though, so they get a 3.

The chocolate chips (Ghiradelli 60% cacao) overpowered this cupcakeI Next time I will use only HALF the amount of chips or use tollhouse chocolate chips. I made a mini bundt cake, placing the cream cheese filling in the bottom and then covering with the chocolate. Baked for 32 min. I also got 4 additional regular sized muffins, baked at 23 minutes. There was alot of extra cream cheese filling left over. My filling did sink well into the mini bundt cake, but sat on top of the cupcakes.

I loved these! I like how you can really taste chocolate instead of just a generic sweet taste. The key seems to be to not overfill with cake batter and be generous with the filling. This balances out the dark chocolate flavor with sweetness and makes the cupcakes more moist overall. Also, try to push the filling into the batter a bit. I wouldn't change a thing. Although, I might try adding vanilla flavored coffee instead of the water. Probably with cream and sugar, just the way I'd drink it. I baked the first batch for 26 minutes and they seem a little dry, although still very good. I baked the second batch for 24 minutes and they seem perfect, so 25-30 minutes may be a little too long.

I've made these cupcakes many times to rave reviews. The only thing I do differently is use plain white vinegar instead of cider vinegar and coffee instead of water (it enhances the chocolate flavor, doesn't make the cake taste like coffee). I find it helps to use a plastic storage bag with a corner snipped off to fill the cupcakes with the cream cheese mixture. Excellent recipe. (I've doubled the cupcake recipe and made a layer cake with it..outstanding for a batter that contains no eggs or dairy!

OMG, sooo sooo sooo good. This was a huge hit with 3 kids and hubby. I substituted applesauce in place of oil and deleted the salt. Came out great!!! Would highly recommend this recipe!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!

absolutely the best cupcake recipe around... I made mine in empty ice cream cones instead of cupcake liners, and then iced them with butter cream icing. they were FANTASTIC! Chocolatey, moist cakes with amazing flavor and texture, and the filling tastes like chocolate chip cheesecake! i actually had leftover filling and just baked it alone and they made little mini cheesecakes-oh my GOD was it good! Again, STRONGLY recommend this recipe, i know i will never look for another chocolate cupcake recipe again---THIS IS IT!

These were perfect ! ! ! I made MINI CUPCAKES and adjusted the time to only 15 minutes. If you are making mini's make sure to cut down the recipe or you will have way to much batter! :)

I love these cupcakes and they are a hit every time that I make them. I use regular size chocolate chips and use either cider or white vinegar depending on what I have on hand. Here is a secret that I shared with a pastry chef who loves them but thought mine turned out better than his! **** refrigerate the cream cheese mixture while you make the cake batter or even overnight! *********

Very good and easy to make and take for a pot luck, football game, picnic. Because they dont have frosting, they travel well, and can be made a day ahead since they taste better the next day.

I changed only two things. Used 1/3 cup of cocoa powder because it wasn't chocolaty enough for my taste, and I omitted the chocolate chips in the cream cheese filling. They were AMAZING. Mine baked about 20 minutes.

This is almost exactly like the recipe my mother has been making for the last 40 years. I was so happy to find this. Anytime we have company my hisband asks me to make this for dessert. So good!

Great recipe. I followed the sugguestions of other reviewers and substituted coffee for water. They turned out great-moist and chocolately. No need to frost these, they're perfectly sweet and so pretty with the black and white swirl of the top. I got 18 cupcakes out of this recipes. I will definitely make these again!

This is the best cream cheese cupcake recipe I have found. Everyone who has tried them has fallen in love.

GolfingAndrew's review could be mine: my orig. recipe was from a local bakery 25+ yr ago. Hints: my cake recipe is about 1.5x this, so the filling/cake ratio works. I use foil cupcake liners,good quality cocoa,no salt, less sugar in each part, minichips, don't overmix the filling, and blend the cake ingred. in the food processor. Biggest tip: if the filling touches the edge of the cupcake it will still be yummy but not as pretty. These are wonderful,dense chocolaty, & not too sweet. If there are leftovers, haha, they freeze well. Note: a cake mix produces more of the jumbo cake-like muffins avail. at coffee bars. IMHO, these are absolutely delightful as written and one of my most-requested recipes.

Yummy cupcakes! Recipe made about 14 large cupcakes. Baked for 25 min, but could have taken them out at 23 min- they cooked a lil hard on the top, but nothing major. The center was soft and moist and the cream cheese filling came out perfect! The only changes I made were to sub coffee for water and omit the 1/8 tsp of salt from the cream cheese filling. One warning: These little numbers are addictive- you can't eat just one!!

I would have given these 5 stars except that I didn't like the cream cheese topping too much. It was a little too cheesy for me. But the cupcake batter was delicious!!! I didn't have any vegetable oil, and substituted canola instead, and the batter smelled awful, but the smell was gone after they had finished baking, and left a wonderful and moist cupcake. Next time I will try them without the cream cheese topping and just a little vanilla icing instead. All in all, a very good cupcake!

Very good and what i remember my grandma making, but never had a recipe. This is how my experience was, I used mini cupcakes instead becuase i made these for christmas and thought a big cupcake would be too much for people, plus they are rich and chocolately. Baked them for 15 minutes. I still had half of the cream cheese mixture left over so i made a second batch of the cupcake part to use it up. I used weak coffee instead of water just thought it would give a nicer flavor. Only filled then half way with chocolate then a tsp of cream cheese so they didnt run over the liners. And they came out wonderful.

These were fantastic! I made a single batch of chocolate, but will do a double batch next time. I had a lot of cream cheese mixture left over. My husband ate 11 out of 12 of them in one night...these are a keeper!!

Thanks alot for the great recipe. I got exactly 8oz of expired cream cheese and don't know what to do as it hasn't gone bad until I got this site. Bake this today and it was excellent!! I follow exactly the instruction but I only get 5 cupcakes n too much cream cheese. Immediately I make another batch but i'm out of vanilla essence. I grate 2 lemon zest instead. I think I have to change my measuring cup as the amount is incorrect. Oh ya and I used apple cider vinegar.

I remembered having these as a child and I found myself craving them 20 years later. I had to go back to the mom who made them for the recipe. We cheat and use a devil's food box mix and then add a spoonful of the cream cheese/choc chip mixture like the recipe calls for. I think they're just as good this way (& quicker!) Doesn't taste like a box mix because the cream cheese/chips add a homemade touch.

made this weekend and wow simply great, i baked then in jumbo muffin pans so had to bake them an extra 5 minutes.

Very good rich chocolate cupcakes!!! Totally fulfilled my craving. I went by the recipe exactly except for one adjustment and that was using coffee instead of water which I recommend to everyone!

I omitted the salt and used white vinegar instead of cider vinegar. These were good, but the batter was not as rich, fudgy and chocolatey as I was expecting. Next time I think I'll actually melt some chocolate into the cupcake batter.

I'm a college kid who makes these frequently, and they're a hit in the dorm! I made a few changes as suggested by others and tweaked it myself a bit....replace the water with cooled coffee and the oil with no sugar added apple sauce. Also, I put a little more than a teaspoon of either raspberry or pineapple preserves in the middle before baking!

EVERYONE loves these! I have never had a bad batch and they are always requested! I used the cream cheese filling dropped in a pumpkin muffin, and it was incredibly delicious!

I followed the recipe exactly and these turned out really good. You need to put a generous amount of cream cheese filling in each cupcake. This recipe made 18 cupcakes for me and I baked them for about 30 minutes. Thanks!

Delish - rich and gooey and decadent. I did pull a no-no. I only had soft cream cheese in a tub, and tried to use that the first time and it melted all over the top of the cupcake, so looked bad even though it tasted good. The 2nd time using the block style cream cheese it was perfect --- mea culpa.

These blackbottoms are great! I just made a few changes. I doubled the chocolate chips and didn't use miniature. I used white vinegar instead of cider. I also adjusted the quantity of batter in each cupcake liner. I used 1/3 chocolate, but added more than a "dollop" of cream cheese mixture. I used a healthy, heaping tablespoon. They were amazing.

The chocolate cupcake part was amazing. The cheesecake was a little unimpressive, but i make cheesecake all the time so im biased. overall, great recipe

delicious and easy

These were good. I tried to save time & used a box mix. My mix was a little dry. The cream cheese mixture was excellent. Contrary to what others said, you can soften your cream cheese in the microwave & it'll be fine. Put in microwave for 30 seconds at 40% power. It's perfect! When mixed with egg & sugar, it wasn't runny at all.

I followed the recipe exactly and they came out really salty. I would suggest leaving out the salt completely. the chocolate batter was perfect but the cream cheese made them salty.

I used to make this from scratch but I realized that substituting the actual cake batter for boxed Devil's Food Cake batter is soo much easier, less time consuming, and it comes out delicious!!

These cupcakes are great. I've made them five different time and they are always a hit. This recipe barely has enough for 24 cupcakes but it works. I've also made just 12 using the same amount. The cupcakes turn out giant but the cake engulfs the cream center and it's delicious either way.

I did not care for this recipe. I am a seasoned baker and a cupcake aficionado, so I was really excited about making these. As always, I'd read several black bottom recipes beforehand. But they just turned out dry. Plus, there was not enough of the cake mixture, nor enough cocoa. I probably should have added some sour cream (as another recipe suggested) because they were dry-definitely way less cooking time than stated; I'd say about half.

I've been using this recipe for years. Perfect every time!

Very popular with the kids!

These were excellent cupcakes. I beat the cream cheese mixture until totally light and fluffy, and it did not sink at all!! I doubled the recipe and got 42 cupcakes, enough to take to an office potluck and to send over to the kids/grandkids house. They were much appreciated by everyone. I pretty much followed the recipe, but used bittersweet choc chips. I did not mix the chips into the cream cheese mixture, just sprinkled on top and baked. I only baked for 20 minutes. The cupcakes were not overly sweet. I used half coffee/half milk instead of the water. I also used about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of cocoa (for the double batch) and the choc cake part was really chocolately and good. All in all, I will definitely make these again. Another good point -- they were really easy to make!!

My husband requested cupcakes and I had all of the ingredients for this recipe so I gave it a whirl. He loved them, so I'll be making them again. I substituted 1/2 of the water for a blend of milk and coffee in the batter. Coffee always compliments chocolate flavor. I was forced to used regular sized chocolate chips, didn't have the mini ones, but they turned out great. In fact, I liked the larger burst of chocolate in the filling. Reduced the recipe serving size to "18" and got a perfect 12 cupcakes...I like to fill my muffin pans enough to get a healthy sized cupcake.

Nummy nummy nummyyy. We added strawberries before putting the cream cheese dollup. We made cream cheese icing..Deeee-licious to dip the extra strawberries in!

These were YUMMY!!! I can't wait to make them again!

This is one of my favorite cupcake recipes. I don't change a thing with the ingredients. The only things I have noticed is that I never use all the filling and my cupcakes are always done at 20 mins.

These were a big hit in my house. I used regular chocolate chips because it is all I had on hand and it worked fine for me. The recipe did not state to refrigerate them but since they have a cream cheese center I felt it was best. They are good cold but can be warmed for a few seconds in the microwave for that just baked taste. The kids love them! The recipe yielded only 16 cupcakes so scale up if you need 24.

This recipe is a favorite I've had for years and is a permanent part of my collection - my sister and I make them at least once a year. We use regular sized chocolate chips. The filling is the best part and I wouldn't reduce the amount as a prior review suggested. I bake 20-25 min. and have a note on my recipe that they are better undercooked than overcooked. We like them both right out of the oven while the chips are still gooey and the next day when the chips have hardened. It only makes 18 for me. This recipe is exactly the same as "Grandma Gudgel's Black Bottom Cupcakes" and "Black Bottom Cupcakes II".

I bake quite a bit and thought this was an interesting recipe. However, they were just okay. I would omit the salt completely and maybe even the vinegar...........it seems like that is what I tasted the most in these cupcakes.

These were easy to make and scrumptious! I used regular sized chocolate chips, and I used half of the batter to make 12 cupcakes and then used the rest to make a small sheet cake, which came out sort of like brownies. I preferred the cupcakes :) I'll definitely be making them again. Chocolatey and delicious!

Loved the chocolate cake but the gooey center tasted a little like uncooked dough. Probably wont make these again. The taste is really good though, we didn't throw them out!

OMG!!! I haven't made these yet, but I loved them as a kid. This was my favorite to take to school for my birthday, many years ago. Thanks for sharing!!! I'll be trying them very soon!!!

I really love these. So moist, rich, and super easy. Here's a great tip; I used a large cookie scoop to transfer the batter to the cupcake liners and it came out to exactly 24, evenly filled cupcakes. Then I used a small cookie scoop to top the batter with the cream cheese mixture right in the center. They came out perfectly and the cream cheese mixture sunk into the batter as intended. Happy baking!

This is a wonderfull recipie! Some pointers though, the cream cheese mixter will set up perfectly within the cupcake if you whip it well first. Also, it is a moist cupkcake, make sure you use a paper liner and spra PAM within the paper liner for best results. yummy!!!

I followed the recipe exactly, (except I cheated and used a cake mix, betty crocker devils food I think) and they were delicious. I wouldnt compare them to cupcakes with icing in the middle, they were more like a cake with a cheesecake centre. YUMMY! I did have to double my cream cheese filling though as I had alot more cake batter from the mix, but, then I had lots of chream cheese filling left over. I frooze it though for next time, and Ill see how it makes out after being frozen.

My teachers loved it. My friend loved it. My family loved it. I loved it. Enough said. =D

Simple and delicious! Barely got them out of the oven before my brothers had their hands on them! Moist and tastey and just sweet enough! I didnt have cider vinegar so I just used regular. Other than that didnt change a thing. A+++ Will def make again and again!

Amazing! Addictive! Delish!

Edible, but I thought lacked flavor and interest.

Followed recipe exactly as written. These are out of this world good !!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone who uses a box cake mix is just not doing justice to this recipe. These are worth the little bit of extra work. THANK YOU FOR SHARING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent cupcake! I followed other people's modifications: use milk instead of water, increase the cocoa to about 1/3-1/2 cup. I also added 1/4 cup of walnut. The cupcake is done after 20 min, and I didn't have any cream mix leftover. Definately will make this again.

Everyone loves this, they disappear so fast! I make them as mini, and I always double the cream cheese mixture because that's the best part. This is an awesome recipe for social events or for just snacks at home.

This recipe was really good! If you want to make it even fast, I found out that you could use a chocolate cake mix or a devil's food cake mix. If you chose to use the cake mix,try using a cake mix that has pudding in it. This makes the cupcakes really fluffy and good.

These are AWESOME!!!! they are really pretty easy too. After reading many of the reviews, I doubled the chocolate batter. It worked out great. I made 24 regular sized cupcakes, and a small cake too!

These were a hit. I only got 18 cupcakes, and I substituted coffee for the water. Will definitely make again.

These are pretty good- definately one to make again. I used white vinegar- instead of the apple cider vinegar and tasted fine. I also added more chocolate chips (that never hurt a thing!)Also, mine only made 18 instead of the 24.

I used regular chocolate chips, increased the cocoa by one TB. and lowered the sugar to 3/4 cup. Excellent. 1 cup of sugar would not be too sweet though!

I was so excited to make these because they sound delicious. But for me it ended there. They sounded good but didn't taste like I wanted them to. I made the recipe as is with no changes and found the cream cheese mixture came out a bit too tangy and just not sweet enough. All in all, I will not be making these again :(

These are delicious! I use about a tablespoon of batter on the bottom, then a tablespoon of the cheese filling, then fill the rest with more batter. These don't rise as high as most cupcakes, so I fill them a bit more (about 3/4 as opposed to 2/3 full) I've also added all kinds of fun things to the cheese filing (nuts, toffee chips, etc), as well as used different cake mixes. Red Velvet is my favorite. I am now known as the "cupcake lady" at work, and everyone requests me to make these for their birthdays. Thanks so much for the recipe!

Very yummy! I've made these before and alternate between the cake recipe and boxed cake mix, depending on how much time I want to spend measuring and mixing. I also have no cream cheese mix peaking out and frost with vanilla or chocolate frosting. Wonderful recipe!

my suggestion is to cut the amount of filling because then you'll have a lot of left over. also cut the sugar, using this recipe without elimination is way too sweet.

These where really good! I made them for Mother's Day, and my mom loved them! I would use cupcake liners, because the cupcakes stuck to the cupped pan. And I made them without the cider vinegar. I will use this recipe again!! :D :D :D

Hmmm, these were great! I made them for work and I should have done at least double batch... I cannot stand the smell of vinegar, so I did not use it at all. I used one egg and filled to 1 cup with water instead. It worked great. I was a bit concerned about filling the moulds only to 1/3, but they rose perfectly just to the rim! The ratio of dough and filling was perfect for me. I think they need refrigerating and are better the next day. This was great, because I had to bake them the evening before. Thanks for the recipe!

Wonderful recipe! Very moist. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 only because I think these cupcakes are even better with frosting on top. Try a raspberry cream cheese frosting....that was my favorite on them.

I made these for my sister's birthday and they were a big hit! I added some vanilla to the cream cheese mixture, filled the cups about half way with the chocolate batter, and added a very generous dollop of the cream cheese. They were beautiful and delicious, I would definitely make this again.

These are easy AND delicious...my two favorite things in a recipe!! The chocolate portion is so moist and just the right amount of chocolate. I only had regular size chocolate chips on hand, so I decreased the amount to 1/2 a cup..however, next time I will only decrease the amount to 3/4 cup if I use reguale size chips again. So yummy and rich no frosting is needed!!

i thought these cupcakes were really GOOD! some things that i changed about it were that i added white vinegar and i put milk chocolate chips. TO me the pictures that i looked at of people that have made the Cupcakes seem to look better! but anyways i am glad that i made these because they were really good! but one thing is that i followed the recipe thinking that it was going to be 24 cupcakes but it was actually 15 cupcakes. but oh well. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Easy, pretty and delicious! Definitely no frosting!

I made these for my daughters snack day, we made these as miniature cupcakes, instead of the regular size ones. I thought they were really good, and they were a big hit at school. My husband liked them too, but he said he would like to try them as regular size, because a dollop of cream cheese wasn't quite enough on a mini cupcake. He also thought that you should cut down the vanilla to a 1/2 tsp, I didn't find the vanilla taste to overwhelming, so it is just a matter of taste. I will definitely make these again, as they disappeared as quickly as we made them. Side note: We got about 60 cupcakes doing it the mini way. It was also a Valentine's Day snack so I added little conversation hearts on top of the cupcake before sticking them in the oven. I also baked them for only 23 minutes at 350*, and that seemed to do the trick! Awesome dessert Laura, thanks for posting!

These are really delicious. I brought them to work and everybody loved them. I didn't have cider vinegar, and it didn't seem to make a difference. I also had to use regular sized chocolate chips and they were fine. YUMMMM.

Excellent!

These were kind of bland to me...the chocolate flavor wasnt very strong and the filling needs some vanilla or something. Also, there wasnt nearly enough chocolate batter, but too much filling. these arent terrible, but there's got to be a better recipe out there...

Great! I've made these twice now, and I recommend substituting coffee for water - I didn't do this the first time and the chocolate flavor was lacking. I followed the directions otherwise, including filling my cupcake wrappers 1/3 full, and they made short little cupcakes that didn't rise above the rim. Next time I will either double the recipe or make fewer, but in either case I will fill the cups to at least 1/2 full. One more tip: use a toothpick to gently swirl the filling with the batter to make a pretty pattern. This greatly improves the look of the cupcakes. I will certainly return to this recipe again and again - so good!!

Three words: Om nom nom. I used dark chocolate chunks instead of mini chips because the only brand of mini chips available was Nestle (booooo). They gave the cupcake a more sophisticated and less sugary taste. I also used a skewer to swirl the two batters a bit before baking, giving the top a pretty marble finish. Delish!

The recipe made 18 cupcakes with a few slight changes. I added 1/2 tsp. vanilla to cream cheese mixture and a small spoonful of raspberry jam to top the cupcakes before putting in the oven. Stir with a toothpick to distribute the jam. When they cooled there was an indentation on the top, so I filled it with a ganache made with 1/4 c. chocolate chips, 1/6 c. scaled heavy cream, and 1/8 tsp. vanilla. Taking them to school tomorrow....see what the other teachers say.

Very good. Nice and rich. I'll make these again. Thanks for a great change!

Delicious and easy. A big hit!

My mom used to make these for us when we were kids. I am happy to carry on this tradition now that I've found the recipe online. I made these this evening and they turned out just like they did when I was a kid. LOVE these. They also freeze really well. We always made these around Christmas time.

Have made these for years at Halloween! Just add orange food coloring to the cream cheese mixture and you have a quick fun halloween cupcake!

These are delicious (and I mean delicious), but there were a few problems for me: 1. I ended up with more chocolate batter than the cream cheese mixture. I ended up swirling whatever remains of the cream cheese I could scrape from the bowl into the chocolate mixture and baking it. The small cake tasted awesome dusted with powdered sugar. 2. I used silicone cupcake cups, which might have caused the problem, because my cake batter ended up cooking very slowly, so the cream cheese was turning golden brown when the cake finally turned into a brownie-like texture. 3. I used 3 tablespoons of batter and 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese. 4. I used regular chocolate chips. They tasted awesome after refrigerating, there were chunks of chocolate in them (yum!). 5. Use light cream cheese. Each cupcake is a whopping 171 calories. There's no taste difference. Everyone loved these cupcakes. I couldn't stop eating them either. Time to hit the gym.

Great recipe. If you want to dress them up with frosting, try Rick's Buttercream, (using half the recipe). Follow reader's suggestions and use half butter, half shortening. Beat at least 10 minutes on high. Makes a light, not to sweet, perfect compliment to these. Springle some colored sugar or springles on them and they look beautiful.