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    Home » Desserts » Black Bottom Cupcakes Recipe from Scratch

    Black Bottom Cupcakes Recipe from Scratch

    October 2, 2014 , Updated January 6, 2025 Maria 13 Comments

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    Chocolate Surprise Cupcake placed on a red heart.

    Treat yourself to the classic dessert of black bottom cupcakes. This recipe is a chocoholic’s dream come true! Indulge in a chocolate base with a luscious cream cheese center studded with chocolate chips. Satisfaction guaranteed!

    Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes on a white serving dish.

    How to make black bottom cupcakes

    To make the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, use a hand held mixer beat 250 grams of room temperature cream cheese until light and fluffy. A stand mixer with a paddle attachment also works. Beat in 1 egg, and ¼ cup of granulated sugar until well blended and smooth. Use a spatula to stir in ¾ cup chocolate chips (130g) until evenly distributed. Set aside.

     

    Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners as this recipe yields 18 cupcakes.

     

    In another bowl, whisk together the melted unsweetened chocolate and vegetable oil until well combined.

    Add the water and granulated sugar to the chocolate mixture. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.

    Beat in 1 egg until fully incorporated.

    In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

    Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.

    Stir in the vanilla extract until evenly distributed.

    Fill each cupcake liner about halfway with the chocolate batter.

    Spoon a dollop of the cheese mixture on top of the chocolate batter in each cupcake liner, spreading it slightly.

    Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

    Allow the cupcakes to cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Once cooled, you can enjoy your delicious black bottom cupcakes!

    The interior of the Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes.Essentially, this is a chocolate cupcake, but the center is a mixture of cream cheese and chocolate chips. It’s like biting into a piece of chocolate cheesecake but in a cupcake form. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I’ve made these surprise cupcakes and for so many different occasions.

    A few Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes on red doilies.

    You can dress up these Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes with a ganache frosting and they become a decadent dessert for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas. Leave them plain and these surprise cupcakes become the best seller for fundraising activities or a simple Sunday dessert. They are so good that everyone will be asking you for the recipe. Yes, these little surprise cupcakes are really that good! 

    If you prefer your cupcakes without any surprise, these espresso cupcakes are for you! 

    A top view of a ganache topped Chocolate Surprise Cupcake.

    Recipe inspiration

    In 1983, General Foods published a collection of recipes called: “Baker’s Chocolate Celebration Cookbook”. And, of course, you know who had to have it.

    So I sent away my 2.99$ (or whatever ridiculous amount) for postage and handling and 4-6 weeks later I got the cookbook. Good times!!!!chocolate surprise cupcakes

    The recipe for these surprise cupcakes caught my attention right away. I have made a couple of changes to suit my preferences.

    I decreased the amount of sugar and chocolate chips, and I like to use a mixture of mint and dark chocolate chips. Mint and dark chocolate…no explanation required!

    Go ahead and try this recipe for Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes. What changes will you make to call it your own?

    Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes

    Recipe

    Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes on a white serving tray.

    Black Bottom Cupcakes Recipe from Scratch

    Treat yourself to the classic dessert of black bottom cupcakes, a chocoholic's dream come true. Indulge in a chocolate base with a luscious cream cheese center studded with chocolate chips.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Save RecipeSaved! Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 18 servings
    Calories: 228kcal
    Author: Maria Vannelli RD
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    Ingredients

    Cheese mixture:

    • 250 grams cream cheese room temperature, softened
    • 1 egg room temperature
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • ¾ cup chocolate chips 130g

    Cupcake:

    • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled
    • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
    • ¾ cup water
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 egg room temperature
    • 1¼ cup flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    To make the cream cheese mixture:

    • In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until light and fluffy.
    • Beat in the egg and sugar until well blended and smooth.
    • Use a rubber spatula to stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
    • Set aside.

    To make the cupcake:

    • Place cupcake liners in muffin tins.
    • In a medium bowl,combine the rest of the ingredients.
    • Beat together with a whisk or fork until smooth (2-3 minutes).
    • Separate ½ of the batter equally among the muffin tins.
    • Place 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture over the batter.
    • Top with the remaining cupcake batter.
    • Bake at 350 F for 30 - 35 minutes.
    Enhance Your Cooking Experience!SCROLL UP for essential step-by-step photos embedded in the article above. When available, videos can be found in the next section. These visuals are designed to help you achieve perfect results every time. Happy cooking!

    Notes

    Any kind of chocolate chips can be used.
    Once cooled, you can sprinkle icing sugar over the top or frost with your favorite icing. I have iced these cupcakes with the ganache frosting recipe found in this recipe for chocolate banana cake.
    Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 
    *recipe lightly adapted from Baker's Chocolate Celebration Cookbook

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 61mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.2mg
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    2016.01.18 This post has been updated.

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    Filed Under: Desserts

    About Maria

    Maria Vannelli is a retired dietitian who lives in a suburb just outside Montreal, Canada. She's the founder of the food blog She Loves Biscotti. Maria hopes to inspire you and bring you and your loved ones closer together at meal times enabling you to create some memorable moments.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jo Vanderwolf

      January 22, 2018 at 10:23 am

      5 stars
      So, yeah, I’m going to need about a billion of these. They look so decadent!

      Reply
      • Maria

        January 22, 2018 at 1:44 pm

        The ultimate surprise cupcakes!!! Appreciate your comment, thanks Jo ♥♥♥

        Reply
    2. Ann

      January 22, 2018 at 8:54 am

      5 stars
      Growing up, one of the five or so cookbooks my family had was the Baker’s Book of Chocolate Riches. Some of my all-time favorite desserts come from there. Maybe I’ll try and track this one down too. So nostalgic!
      These cupcakes are perfect for Valentine’s Day. The cream cheese chocolate chip center is brilliant!

      Reply
      • Maria

        January 22, 2018 at 9:00 am

        Yes, these surprise cupcakes are very nostalgic ♥ An oldie but a goodie. Appreciate your comment. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

        Reply
    3. Marisa

      January 22, 2018 at 8:24 am

      I’ve made these a few times and know they are quite delicious! It’s a recipe that you can turn to time and time again….a classic! Yours are the prettiest I’ve seen Maria!

      Reply
      • Maria

        January 22, 2018 at 9:01 am

        Thanks so much Marisa ♥ These surprise cupcakes was one of my favorite recipes to make for fund-raisers. Appreciate you stopping by 🙂

        Reply
    4. Dawn - Girl Heart Food

      January 22, 2018 at 8:18 am

      5 stars
      They definitely do look THAT good! I love that cream cheese centre and the frosting looks super rich and chocolatey! One (or two) of these would be the BEST kind of way to start Monday 😉 Have a great week, Maria 🙂

      Reply
      • Maria

        January 22, 2018 at 9:03 am

        Thanks Dawn! These chocolate surprise cupcakes are our yearly “indulgent” Valentine treat… always requested by family members. Thanks for stopping by ♥♥♥

        Reply
    5. Joyce

      January 22, 2018 at 8:09 am

      This looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Maria

        January 23, 2018 at 5:34 pm

        I agree, these surprise cupcakes look and taste amazing 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Joyce 🙂

        Reply
    6. Nancy

      October 28, 2014 at 7:53 pm

      Hi, these cupcakes look delicious, I should make them for my grand-children.

      Reply
      • Maria

        October 28, 2014 at 8:29 pm

        Hi Nancy,
        These surprise cupcakes are a favorite in my household. Let me know how they turn out.
        Enjoy! 🙂

        Reply

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