Ultimate Black Bottom Cupcakes

Modified: Jan 1, 2025 · Published: Mar 10, 2010 by Anna · This post may contain affiliate links · 31 Comments

Black Bottom Cupcakes are one of the most underrated desserts of all time. Think about it. They are cupcakes, brownies, cheesecake and chocolate bombs all in one. Yet how many Black Bottom Cupcakes have you eaten in the past year? When did you have one last and was it amazing? If you don't remember, it's time to make some.

Jump to Recipe

The old recipe for the ultimate black bottom cupcake with a cream cheese topping and a moisty and cakey bottom.

I first tried these when I was 10. We were at a party at a swim club and all I could think about afterwards was the deliciousness of this cupcake. This was before I'd ever tried cheesecake (that came a year later) and didn't really know what cream cheese was. So the cupcakes made an impression but I didn't know how to make them until I stumbled upon a recipe 2 years later.

Since then I've made Black Bottom Cupcakes tons of different ways and have dealt with bottoms that come out too dry, tops that crack, tops that sink, or are too brown and ones that sink but still taste really good. Actually, it's hard to ruin these which makes them fun to experiment with.

At some point I decided the most important thing about my black bottom cupcakes was they needed to have a really white top. I was just determined to to get rid of any signs of pesky yolk. This was because of Cook's Country, which published a recipe that had a topping of cream cheese, egg whites only, sour cream and sugar which looked much prettier. So my old ones used that topping and a different chocolate cupcake base.

That recipe was good for a while, and then all of a sudden it just stopped working. The cake part was coming out dry and the cream cheese topping was sinking. I kept trying to fix it, but couldn't get back to that original ultimate. So then I made the old recipe again. It's pretty much the same as I tried at the swim party, it's the same as I made as a teenager and I think it was the "ultimate" all along. As a bonus, and to me this is huge since butter is so expensive, there's no butter in the recipe. With all of the cream cheese and chocolate, no one will miss it.

Black Bottom Cupcake Times

Since I've made these so many times I have a few more tips that might be helpful. Things can go wrong, even with an easy recipe like this one.

First, try to use a good name brand cream cheese like Philadelphia or Tillamook. I was surprised that my cheesecake was thinner and not as rich when I used store brand cream cheese. Maybe it was a fluke, but it's probably worth buying the more expensive one.
For the cream cheese filling, get the cream cheese nice and soft. You can microwave it if you need to. It's better that it be too soft then too firm or it will lump up.
With ⅓ cup of sugar, the filling is pretty loose, so expect that.
Try to bring your egg to room temperature before adding it to the cream cheese mixture. I do this by dunking it in very warm water.
Miniature chocolate chips are ideal because they don't sink, but I am almost always out of mini chips and end up using regular size chips which sink slightly but still taste great. If using regular size chips, try sprinkling them on top rather than mixing them in with the cream cheese filling.
The cake batter is pretty straightforward. This is the original old recipe that has a teaspoon of baking soda, so it gets a lift from the acid in natural cocoa powder. If you use Dutch processed cocoa powder, your cakes may sink.
Try to resist the temptation to make the cupcakes bigger. To get just the right ratio of chocolate to topping, you need only fill the cupcake cup barely a third of the way.
And speaking of temptation, let them cool before eating. Chill a little if you can. They are better slightly chilled or at least not warm.

Recipe