Sometimes you don't need to go out to find a treat!

It has been a while, and many restaurants (and calories) since last I posted.. but I shall resume this project. To be honest, I forgot I was doing it! ;)

Alas, no fine dining out recently. I've been cooking at home, getting back into the kitchen has been fun and I may share some of those stories too, but in the meantime, many of the holiday treats have made their way into our office. Today was no exception with a co-worker's BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKES courtesy of The Joy of Cooking. I am by no means a cupcake connoisseur, and can not therefore claim to know a good vs. bad recipe. That being said, I am a chocoholic and can tell you a good chocolate dessert from a bad one. And these Black Bottom Cupcakes are sin in a cup. Yum, delicious, sinful and chocolately cheesecake goodness .. divine and heavenly. Yep, I liked them.

I know there are FAR too many blogs detailing recipes but how I not share??

Black Bottom Cupcakes
From the book The All-New, All-Purpose Joy of Cooking by Ethan Becker, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Irma S. Rombauer

Yield 16 cupcakes

Introduction

This children’s classic is very easy to make; its moist topping of cream cheese essentially functions as frosting.

Ingredients

Filling

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cupcakes

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
¼ cup unsweetened non-alkalized baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil, such as canola
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease (or line with paper baking cups) two muffin trays.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add the water, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla; stir just until smooth.
4. Fill the muffin cups about half full with the cake batter, then dollop each with a heaping tablespoon of the cream-cheese mixture.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cakey part of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving.

Chocolate Satin Frosting

1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, cut into chunks
3 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla.

Bring the cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Scrape into a food processor and add the confectioners' sugar, butter and vanilla. Process until smooth, then 1 minute more. Set aside at room temperature until thickened into a spreadable consistency. Makes about 3 cups. Adapted from "Joy of Cooking."

***NOTE: You don't have to frost or decorate these cupcakes as they are supremely rich all on their own. It was a nice, festive touch though. Just remember, recipe above makes a LOT of frosting.

Enjoy!!