Grandma Shirley's Black Bottom Cups

Growing up, this, and normal chocolate cake, are one of the few desserts that I remember my grandma Shirley baking. Back in the day, I hated cheesecake (and still won't eat it unless there is a ton of stuff in it...) but these cupcakes with the chocolate and cream cheese mixture are divine. I made these for my dad for fathers day because my grandma Shirley passed away a few years ago and I thought it would be more special to have these (since we haven't had them in forever!) than buying him something from the store. The picture above is the recipe written down in her handwriting on a recipe card, on her orange serving tray, with her teacups. (Gram you would be proud, because you know how much I hate tea, and I actually drank the tea when I was done with pictures!) I hope everyone enjoys this blast from the past as much as my family does! 

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chips (I used mini Hershey's Kisses)
1 1/2 c. unsifted flour
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. oil
1 c. water
1 Tbs. vinegar

In a bowl (either with an electric mixer or hand held mixer) combine the first four ingredients. Beat until smooth. If you are using the chocolate chips, this is where you stir them into the cream cheese mixture. If you want them to look like the picture shown above or below, wait to add the kisses at this point. Set the cream cheese mixture aside.

In an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt oil, water and vinegar. Mix for at least 2-3 minutes until everything is well combined. Fill cupcake tins, lined with cupcake liners, 1/2 of the way full. Add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the middle (as shown above). Add one Hershey's mini kiss pointy side down in the middle of the cream cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes. When I made them, they made 14 cupcakes (that ended up huge). If you want to make them spread to 24, add less of the chocolate mixture to each cup and you could probably stretch to at least 20-24 normal size cupcakes.

Below, starting from the left, is a picture of my grandpa, grandma and I after I was adopted,  my sister, grandma and I at Christmas time over 7 years back, and a picture of my high school graduation.