Black Bottom Cupcakes

Made this for fellow postgrad students a few weeks ago. It was one of those slum weeks that needed abit of pick me up! hehehe. I also decided to post this today after such a depressing self-focused post in the previous one!

I took this recipe from William Sonoma. I have never heard of this before and was intrigued. It was messy making this however, as I don't have a good piping bag. And I think I need more practice handling one because the cream cheese was dripping all over the kitchen beach top! I realised quickly to put the muffin tray NEXT to the batter.

So it didn't turn out beautifully but it did taste great! I was abit sceptical about chocolate and cheese. "Choc and cheese" sounds so much like "Chalk and Cheese" ;p

Anyway, the picture below is a little yellow-yikes! [EDIT-and the above picture looks too dark. Sorry guys...i did try brightening it up but didn't work too well. Next time next time!] blame it on yellow lighting in the house. Don't think it will happen again- using another camera next time!

WILLIAM S-SONOMA
Black Bottom Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the filling
1 egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room
temperature
2 1/4 cups cold water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

METHOD

Position the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180 degrees C.
Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.

Make the filling
1) In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the egg, sugar and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
2) Prop up a pastry bag in a sturdy glass or mug with the bags wide opening at the top. Fold the top of the pastry bag down over the glass. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the filling mixture into the pastry bag. Set the filled pastry bag aside.
3) In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the water, oil, vanilla and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
4) Make the batter: In a large bowl, using a whisk, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar and salt until evenly blended. Slowly pour the water mixture into the flour mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
5) Pour in the batter. The cupcake batter will be quite runny. Fill each lined muffin cup three-fourths full. Dont fill them any fuller than that or there wont be anywhere for the filling to go when the batter rises!
6) Pick up the pastry bag. Plugging the tip with one hand, twist the top of the bag to close it. Using one hand to guide the tip and the other to squeeze the top of the bag, insert the tip into the center of one of the cupcakes. Gently squeeze a small amount of the cream cheese filling into the batter. You will see the chocolate batter rise as the filling fills the middle.
7) Keeping in mind that you need to fill 24 cupcakes, squeeze a small amount into each one.
8) Sprinkle the top of each cupcake with the chocolate chips.
9) Put the muffin pans in the oven and bake until a thin skewer inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean for about 26 to 28 minutes.

10) Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then lift out the cupcakes and put them directly on the racks. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Sweet Treats, by Carolyn Beth Weil (Simon & Schuster,
2006).