Black Bottom Cupcakes

Okay, you've not experienced delicious until you've tried these decadent Black Bottom Cupcakes. They are a divine combination of chocolate cupcake and cheesecake married in a paper case. You could just leave it there, trust me they're that good but what is a cupcake without frosting... namely cream cheese and chocolate cream cheese frosting!

I nabbed this recipe from cupcake goddess Cupcake Jemma, she of Crumbs & Doilies bakery in Soho and it's a goodie!

Recipe

For the Cheesecake mix:

285g cream cheese 60g caster or white granulated sugar 1 large egg 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 25g chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl and either with the whisk attachment on a stand mixer or a handheld mixer, whisk for about 5 minutes until pale and thick. Fold through the chocolate chips, cover with cling film and set aside.

For the Chocolate Sponge:

220g caster or white granulated sugar 200ml boiling water 80ml vegetable oil 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract 220g plain flour 35g cocoa powder (Dutch Processed) 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp salt

Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Then sieve the dry ingredients in and with a beater attachment on a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, mix together the wet and dry ingredients until smooth. Fill your cupcake cases halfway and then add a dollop of the cheesecake mixture onto each cupcake. This recipe makes anywhere up to 15-18 cupcakes so prepare two cupcake trays at the start.

Bake at 170˚C for 20 minutes. If your skewer comes out basically clean but with a little bit of mixture on it and the top looks set you're good to go! Leave to cool while you make your creamcheese frostings. Note both of the following can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cream Cheese Frosting

100g unsalted butter (soft and slightly squidgy) 560g icing sugar (sifted) 160g cream cheese

Beat together the butter and sugar until well combined and then add the cream cheese in one go. Beat until light and fluffy.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

150g dark chocolate (melted and slightly cooled) 70g unsalted butter 330g icing sugar 200g cream cheese

Let the melted chocolate cool enough that it won't melt the other ingredients but you want it still to be liquidy. Once it's melted beat together the butter and sugar until well combined, then add the cream cheese and beat until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate and beat until well combined.

Now the key here is not to overfill your piping bag so with that in mind. Dollop some of each frosting onto a piece of clingfilm and roll it up. Insert it into a prepared piping bag with a nozzle tip of your choice. I opted to use the Wilton 1M for these cupcakes but a regular open star nozzle will create as lovely an effect. You can test to make sure that both colours of frosting are coming through by piping some onto a piece of baking paper first.

For the chocolate shards:

Melt 100g each of white chocolate and dark chocolate. I pop mine into mugs which I sit in little saucepans of boiling water and allow the water to continue boiling until all the chocolate is completely melted.

Meanwhile set a silicone mat onto a large flat baking tray. Once the chocolate has melted choose which you want for the base and spread it onto the mat until it's relatively flat. Next dollop the other chocolate randomly onto it. Take a skewer and swirl it around into the chocolate to create the marbled effect. Pop it into the fridge for no more than 2 minutes and bring out to score with a sharp knife. Now would be the time to add any additional decoration like sprinkles, glitter or gold leaf. Then back into the fridge to set. If you've scored it correctly it should break apart at the lines you created earlier ready to be inserted into your cakes for the final decorative element!