Black Bottom Cupcakes

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

For the Cream Cheese Filling: With a mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy and smooth. Set aside while you make the Chocolate Cupcake batter.

For the Chocolate Cupcakes: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl mix the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until nice and smooth.

Evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Then spoon a few tablespoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each cupcake.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the cream cheese filling is a little brown and the cupcakes feel springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the chocolate part of the cupcake will come out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

A special note about this chocolate cupcake recipe is that it is also vegan because it contains no butter, milk, or eggs! However, the vegan-ness is totally negated by the addition of the cream cheese. Despite this strange lack of certain expected ingredients, these cupcakes are really moist, chocolatey, and light. They can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for a 2-3 weeks.

*Recipe from Joy of Baking