This is an old-fashioned recipe for classic Black Bottom Cupcakes! This is my grandmother’s recipe that I’ve been making and enjoying since I was a kid! It has a fudgy chocolate base and a rich cheesecake center loaded with mini chocolate chips! A chocolate-lover’s dream!
Black Bottom Cupcakes
A few weekends ago I spent the afternoon at my grandmother’s house rooting through a giant shoebox of old recipes, as well as half a dozen of her favorite old cookbooks.
It. Was. HEAVEN.
Yellowed page after yellowed page of well-loved, butter-stained recipes, some hand-written and some typed. Favorite recipes I grew up enjoying and still love when she has a Sunday dinner from time to time. I left with dozens of recipes that I am so excited to share with you throughout the rest of the year.
First up is these Black Bottom Cupcakes. I don’t know about you, but I lived for Black bottom cupcakes (or “black bottoms”, as we usually called them) as a kid. They’re surprisingly simple to make with an egg-free cupcake base. They’re low-maintenance (no frosting required) and humble in appearance, but so rich, decadent, and packed with flavor. With their fudgy cupcake bottoms and creamy cheesecake tops, they’re one of my favorite simple treats (like a cross between a chocolate cupcake and a mini cheesecake!)
How to Make Black Bottoms
- Make your cheesecake topping first. Stir the cream cheese and sugar together until well-combined and smooth (if you have softened the cream cheese enough you might be able to do this by hand, otherwise use an electric mixer). Add an egg, salt, and vanilla extract and stir everything together again. Finally, fold in mini chocolate chips.
- Prepare your cupcake batter! Whisk together dry ingredients, then stir in the remaining wet ingredients.
- Portion out your batters. Scoop some chocolate cupcake batter into a cupcake tin that’s been lined with paper or foil liners. Fill each liner only ⅓ of the way full. Dollop 1 ½ Tablespoons of cheesecake filling into the top center of each cupcake.
- Bake until cheesecake is set and cupcakes are cooked through. Don’t over-bake or the cupcake portion will be dry and the cheesecake texture will deteriorate. Allow black bottoms to cool completely before enjoying. Personally I prefer mine when they have cooled completely and have been chilled in the refrigerator.
Be Careful How Much You Fill Your Cupcake Liners
Typically, black bottoms should have black bottoms (shocking, right?) and slightly sunken, decadent cheesecake tops. These were the black bottoms of my childhood and every church potluck.
In order to achieve this, make sure that you do not over-fill your cupcake liners with chocolate cupcake batter. A third of the way full is sufficient, and if you fill the liners any further, the chocolate cupcake batter will swell up over the cheesecake filling and swallow it up completely (Please see example cupcakes below: the top one was filled halfway and the bottom one was filled properly, or ⅓ full).
Also, you want a nice ratio of cupcake to cheesecake. If you have too much cupcake batter it overwhelms the flavor of the cheesecake.
That being said!
Don’t panic if your cupcakes come out looking like the first cupcake! That cheesecake topping is still in there, it’s just a filling now instead of a topping. All is not lost, they just don’t look as traditional as they ought too.
Also, Zach thought that my black bottom “successes” were actually the fails. Since he’s usually allowed to eat as many recipe fails as he wants, I had almost had a heart attack when I caught him chowing down on one of my most perfect successful cupcakes. In his opinion, the fails were the pretty ones!
Pretty easy to see he didn’t grow up eating black bottom cupcakes! 🤦🏼♀️
Enjoy!
More Recipes You Might Like:
- Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Chocolate Muffins
- Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Muffins
- Brownie Cookies
Let’s bake together! Be sure to check out my video at the bottom of the recipe where I’ll show you exactly how I make these Black Bottom Cupcakes in my own kitchen! If you enjoy watching, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel where I’ve already uploaded over 150 recipe videos that you can watch for free!
Black Bottom Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
- 1 large egg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips (170g)
Bottoms:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (190g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ⅓ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (31g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk¹
- ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil (80ml)
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line two 12-count muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
- Prepare cream cheese filling first by stirring together cream cheese and sugar until well-combined and not lumpy. Stir in egg, salt, and vanilla extract until completely combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.
To prepare chocolate batter:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract and stir until batter is smooth and well combined.
- Evenly divide chocolate batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each liner only ⅓ full with batter.
- Dollop 1 ½ Tablespoons of cheesecake batter onto the top of the chocolate batter in the center.
- Transfer to 350F (175C) oven and bake for 16-18 minutes.
- Allow to cool and then enjoy.
Notes
Storing
I prefer these black bottoms when they are stored in the refrigerator (something about liking my cheesecake cold!). Make sure you store them in an airtight container so they don’t dry out!Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Jackie
Hi there! I usually add boiling water to my chocolate cupcakes to help keep them moist. Could I add 1/2 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup milk?
Sam
That should work just fine, Jackie! 🙂
Trish
Have these in the oven right now! They smell delish! I know these black bottoms are going to be awesome!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hope you love them, Trish ❤️
Dee
My mom made these when I was young-delicious!! We made them the “falied” way-to allow the cake to balance the sweet a bit. I made these for a bake sale in highschool and NO ONE bought them-scare of them😂except…my boyfriend. He knew what was on the inside and bought every one of them!! This recipe brings back so many memories. I just found mom’s old yellowed/stained recipe the other day. Making again in the near future! Thanks for sharing!!
Sam
I’m so glad this recipe brought back such sweet memories, Dee! Thank you for commenting! <3
Augusta
Can I just bake it in a cake pan?
Sam
Unfortunately I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how it would turn out. It may not be as easy as just baking it in a cake pan. It may need some alteration.
Lenora
I lost this recipe years ago and this recipe tastes the same as I remembered. 5 stars my grandson’s love them.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you found our recipe, Lenora! Enjoy ❤
Sonia O
This recipe is excellent and perfectly balanced. I did not find it overly sweet at all. Everyone who has tried them loved them! One question, can this be made with the extra dark cocoa or the Dutch process?
I did fill my cups too much and ran out of batter at 22 cups but they still turned out great, about 2/3 of them looked more chocolate than black bottomed but the flavor is the same so it doesn’t matter!
Sam
Hi Sonia! I haven’t tried either here, but I think either one will work here. 🙂
Deb
I have a recipe from 1981 and it specifically states: use natural cocoa powder; not raw or Dutch. FYI.
Jeanette
Found these overly sweet and quite surprised there is no egg in the cake batter. More fudgy than cake like.
Dee
If it’s too sweet then fill half way and the cake will balance it out a little more.
Kara
Do you think I could use melted butter in place of the oil? I find I usually like my cakes better when I use melted butter
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kara! You can, but the cupcakes could turn out a little dry.
Linda Thistle - Kenney
Hi there, can these be frozen?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We don’t see why not! Just make sure to wrap them tightly and store in an airtight container/freezer bag. 😊
Betty
Hi there, in your recipe it calls for 1/3 cup of oil
But your video say 1/2 cup of oil. What is the correct
amount of oil. Thanks😊
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Betty! The written recipe will be correct here. 🙂
Brandi
Can you use a boxed chocolate cake for the brownies portion of this recipe?
Sam
While i haven’t tried it, I think that should be fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Meg
Would these work well as mini cupcakes?
Sam
Hi Meg! Yes they would, I provide instructions on how to make them mini in the recipe notes. Enjoy! 🙂
Patti Walsdorf
This was my mom’s favorite to make us. We always called them surprised filled cupcakes. The fails truly are if you can see the filling. The best are when the filling is all inside. I say this with how about family always make them. It’s really up to your family as to how you like them.
Jodi
You talked about this being your grandmother’s recipe and her using 1 cup of water but you prefer 1 cup of milk yet I don’t see this ingredient anywhere in the recipe? Thanks
Sam
Hi Jodi! It is there, below the salt in the “Bottoms” portion of the black bottoms recipe 🙂
Blessie
Tried this today and my cupcakes were a bit dry. I made sure that the cupcakes were taken out of the oven before they were done. Btw, i reduced the sweetness because my family doesn’t like overly sweet desserts. Any tips? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Blessie! I’m so sorry to hear this. The sugar helps with the moisture of these cupcakes so that could potentially be the issue here.
Debbie
These are the best ever! A friend (she’s 83) shared this same recipe with me years ago and she too uses milk instead of water. I am going to experiment with this recipe in a Bundt pan. I haven’t tried this yet but I’m sure it will be wonderful!
Sam
I can never get enough of these! I hope you love them. 🙂
Brittany
Im wondering if they should be cooked longer? I followed it and it still seemed like after 18 maybe need more time? What are your thoughts? Taste is good though.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Brittany! If your oven runs cool, your cupcakes may take a little longer. Just keep an eye on them 😊