Did you ever go through any phases growing up? Looking back, I had a couple funny ones! In grade six, I had a phase when I wore a pair of Gap blue fuzzy velvet pants to school religiously (I think I liked how soft and comfy they were. Makes sense, right?). Another summer at my cabin I had an obsession with baking gooey, rich chocolate fudge. Today, the thought of fudge makes my mother swoon. (The 11 yr old in me still loves it!)
It’s always amusing to reflect on the past and laugh a little with some new-found perspective. Do you have any childhood memories that make you giggle? Sometimes at family dinners my siblings and I like to walk down memory lane and tease each other a bit, just so we never forget our favourite stories. “Remember when so-and-so watched Disney’s Cinderellaon repeat? Or that time when we found la-de-da’s huge Cherry Blaster bedroom drawer candy stash?” These memories are absolutely golden, and with the help of family and friends we will never forget them (or let anyone live them down!) ;)
Today’s creamy, chocolatey cupcake recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks “Nuts About Chocolate. “ These cupcakes are a huge hit in my family. I’ll tell you why: They comprise a layering of smooth vanilla cheesecake swirled into a dark, spongey cake, topped with a sprinkling of rich chocolate chips. Decadent! My little sister recently begged me to send her some back east as a uni exam treat and one of my cousins went through a phase of asking me to bake them for the family each Thanksgiving (ha!). With no icing and only 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, this cupcake recipe is low in fat yet still offers a rich palette of delectable treat-worthy indulgence. Who needs icing anyway? Rich and über chocolatey, these cupcakes are perfectly divine as is!
Cheesecake Swirl Cupcakes
yield: 1 dozen cupcakes bake time: 25 mins bake temp: 350 deg.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup cocoa 1 cup sugar 1 tsp soda 1 1/2 cups flour 1 cup water 1/4 cup light vegetable oil 2 tbsp white vinegar 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup soft, light cream cheese 1 egg 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup high quality chocolate chips Fun, fancy cupcake/muffin tin liners
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fit muffin tin with your decorative liners. 2. Combine first four ingredients (dries) in a medium sized bowl and whisk together until sifted. 3. Mix water, oil, vanilla and vinegar together in a separate bowl until blended. 4. Slowly add wets to dries until mixture is combined into one chocolatey blend. 5. Pour chocolate mixture into cupcake tin liners until 2/3 full. Set aside. 6. Mix cheesecake ingredients (cream cheese, egg, sugar) in a small bowl until there are no cream cheese lumps left. 7. Gently drop spoonfuls of cheesecake mixture ontop of chocolate layer. No chocolate batter should be seen. 8. Delicately sprinkle chocolate chips over white chocolate layer until all used. 9. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 mins or until wooden skewer comes out clean when stuck into centre. PS: You don’t need to worry about carefully swirling the cheesecake into the chocolate layer at all! The swirl magically forms when the cakes puff up to their fluffy heights in the oven, creating stunning black and white marbled cupcakes.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and that at some point you have the chance to take a break and perhaps enjoy something chocolatey :) I hope I’ve tempted you! You deserve it.
Love,
Blue Owl
Blue Owl Treats 
Reblogged this on Decadent Delights and commented:
Cake with cheesecake….looks like a winning combination!
Thanks for the reblog Decadent Delights!
isnt la-de-da with the cherry blaster stash the same person as cinderella-watcher-on-repeat?? haha :)
She who must not be named AKA la-de-da and so-and-so may be very much the same… haha .
im seriously craving one of these right now!
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