Black-Bottom Cupcakes

While both moist and fudgy, black-bottom cupcakes are best known—and loved—for their creamy centers of cheesecake. When we tried out recipes for this bakery favorite in our test kitchen, we ended up with greasy cupcakes devoid of rich chocolate flavor and cheesecake that was dry, chalky, and completely separated from the cake in sunken craters. Here’s what we discovered while perfecting this recipe:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• For color and flavor, our tasters preferred the rounded flavor of Dutch-processed cocoa to natural cocoa. Our cupcake batter also got a boost from sour cream, which accentuated the chocolate flavor and added richness.
• Black-bottom cupcakes are usually made with oil, which is great for creating a fudgy texture, but can also cause greasiness. We used melted butter instead—our cupcakes turned out dense and fudgy, but not greasy. Best of all, they were sturdy enough to support the cheesecake filling.
• We omitted the egg yolk from our cheesecake filling—it lent an unappealing yellow hue and mealy texture when baked. Using two egg whites added moisture and helped the filling look better, and a few tablespoons of sour cream gave the filling the perfect tang.