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Decadent chocolate cream cheese cupcakes (also known as black bottom cupcakes) are a fudgy, moist chocolate cake base filled with a chocolate chip cream cheese filling. Every bite is filled with chocolatey and creamy, tangy delight!
Celebrate with Me: Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
I made and posted this chocolate cream cheese cupcake recipe on my 25th birthday 12 years ago. I feel like that was a lifetime ago, and it honestly was. It had just been a year of starting the blog and I was recalling a specific black bottom cupcake recipe my friend had given me a few years back. These were it! They are very memorable because of the chocolate cake base that’s extremely tender and moist. When you take a bite of the cupcake, the center of it with the chocolate chip cream cheese just has this creamy, tangy bite that balances out the sweetness of the chocolate cupcake.
Chocolate cream cheese cupcakes are so simple to make and they’re the best of both worlds with chocolate and cream cheese all in one! The chocolate cake base is light, fluffy, and airy while the center where the cream cheese filling sits is dense and luscious. Trust me when I say everyone will love these black bottom cupcakes with cream cheese filling!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- In cupcake and muffin making world, it is usually suggested to fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. In the case of black bottom cupcakes, you’ll want to make sure you fill it 1/3 of the way full and then add the cream cheese filling in the center. If you fill it too much, the chocolate batter will “swallow” the cream cheese filling and you won’t get that nice cream cheese topping that you typically see in black bottom cupcakes.
- Use muffin/cupcake liners and lightly spray them with cooking oil just to make doubly sure that they’ll release easily. I don’t suggest baking these cupcakes without liners.
- Use dark cocoa powder if you want a dark chocolate cake base. It will be slightly richer and not as sweet, but still so good.
- Add a splash of espresso to the batter to really bring out the chocolate.
Storage Instructions
Since these cupcakes have a cream cheese filling, I would recommend allowing them to cool to room temperature then storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you want to eat one, bring it to room temperature then enjoy!
Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes (Black Bottom)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 8 ounces (227 g) plain cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup (236 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips
For the cupcakes:
- 3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (400 g) sugar
- ⅔ cup (57 g) cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (473 ml) water
- ⅔ cup (158 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Prepare muffin pan by lining with muffin liners and lightly spraying the liners with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the ingredients for the filling (cream cheese, sugar, egg, and salt) until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add in the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. With a spatula or wooden spoon, mix together the dry with the wet ingredients until well combined, but not overmixed.
- Fill muffin cups with ⅓ full of the chocolate cupcake batter then spoon 1 generous tablespoon of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake. Repeat until all batter and filling have been used up.
- Bake 20-25 minutes or until cake portion comes out clean with a toothpick. Let cupcakes cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to wire rack to cool completely. They will sink a little and it's okay!
Nutrition
Photographs by Meg McKeehan Photography
Happy Birthday, Julie! Those cupcakes look like the absolutely perfect way to celebrate. Now, if only I had a similar excuse…
Thanks, Skye :) hehe, you don’t need an excuse to make these :) or if you want one, your excuse could be it’s the first day of February so you must bake!
Happy Birthday Julie, I hope u enjoyed ur day and enjoy ur whole year. Those cupcakes look amazing and I’m totally going to try them my girls will looooove them. By the way I’m aquarius too my birthday was the 29th.
Thanks! And happy belated to you :)
Happy, happy birthday!! I hope you’ve had a wonderful day! These cupcakes look so good – they remind me of a cupcake my mom would make growing up. Yum!
Thanks, Deborah :) those dishes/desserts are always the best when they remind you of childhood!
Happy Birthday Julie! I hope you had a great day :) Your cupcakes look like the perfect way to celebrate!
Thanks, Tracey!!
These look absolutely fabulous! Happy birthday—25 was a great year for me, hope you have an awesome one :)
Thanks, Tiffany! I hope it’s an awesome one too :)
Love the cupcakes! Happy Birthday!
Thanks, Maria!!
Perfect cupcakes! Enjoy your special day…I am bookmarking this recipe because this will have to be the next birthday cupcakes I will have. Thanks for sharing. Hugs!
Thank you!
Happy Birthday Julie!!!!! I will definitely make these cupcakes, thats for sure :)
Thanks, Krissy! I hope you make them and enjoy them as much as I did :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORGEOUS!! 25 huh?? When I hit 25 (only 3 years ago) I had a slight mental breakdown. Scared for what 30 brings! *Yikes!* ;-) These cupcakes look phenomenal! Can I come by to celebrate and eat with you??
Thanks, Katie! I hope to see you at FBF Orlando in March! Embrace 30 :) but I know what you mean, I’ll probably freak out too lol..and yes, I’d LOVE for you to come by and celebrate & eat with me :) door’s open!
Happy birthday!!! These are one of my fave cupcakes too. They look delicious!
Thanks, Maggie! These cupcakes are definitely my top favs :)