Since moving back to school, starting classes and then catching a terrible cold that originated in Georgia (the state, not the country), I've had little to blog about. I did have a previous blog from the end of August when I made the most delicious and moist vegan mini-cupcakes ever but before I could write the blog post my memory card deleted all the photos and then the memory card was lost forever (karma's a bitch and it doesn't distinguish between people and memory devices). But today I took all my baking supplies on the long trek to the campus ghetto to bake at my friends' house. Carrying my cupcake carrier, camera bag and a massive bag filled with canisters, a mixer and every other ingredient for half an hour resulted in quite a few rests along the way and my friend saying, "You look like you're about to cry." So we went to McDonald's to cheer me up.
For the recipe this week I returned to The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook for their Black-Bottom Cupcake recipe. The final product was delicious but not quite a cupcake and I wish it had been better described in the recipe especially the consistencies, none of which seemed accurate while mixing. The "black-bottom" was called a cake filling but never reached a consistency of cake batter (actually the thickest 'goop' I've ever come across) and tasted more like a brownie after being backed. Alternatively, the cheesecake batter was a liquid mess.
Black-Bottom Cupcakes (makes a dozen)
Ingredients:
Cake Base (Brownie)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 + tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sunflower oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
4 1/2 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips
Directions for chocolate base:
Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda in a large bowl.
In a glass, whisk the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and half a cup of water. Gradually add to dry ingredients.
Continue to mix until all ingredients are fully combined.
Dived into cupcake liners.
Directions for the cheesecake filling:
Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla and salt on medium-slow until smooth and fluffy (or in my case, not at all).
Stir chocolate chips by hand.
Spoon a tablespoon of the filling into the cupcake liners.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. A good indicator is when the cheesecake filling turns golden on the edges. Decorate with cream cheese frosting and cocoa powder.
