Sunday, 12 June 2011

Cherry Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes

 

Phew! What a mouthful! These are probably one of my most requested cupcakes and with good reason. They’re delish. A tiny bit fiddly but ultimately worth it. Maraschino cherries can be quite hard to find here but I found them next to the cocktail onions, mini gherkins and lemon slices but these cherries are worth much more than a cocktail garnish! I don’t, cos of my own stupidity, have a photo of the finished cupcakes because I accidently deleted it! But next time I make these, I’ll update with a photo.

Cherry Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes

Brownie Batter:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cherry Filling:
  • 1 8oz package of cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup maraschino cherries (chopped)
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 lb icing sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa
  • 4 Tbsp milk
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1. To make the brownie batter, first melt the butter. Add ingredients in the order listed, mixing until combined after each addition. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a separate bowl before adding to the liquid mixture.

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2. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 egg with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about three minutes). Add sugar and flour and stir until combined. Mix in cherries.

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3. To assemble cupcakes, first put a small spoonful of brownie batter into each cup. The batter will raise while baking, so you only need enough to cover the bottom of the cups. Use a small spatula to spread the batter out to the edges of the bottom of the cup.

4. Spoon a generous tablespoon of cherry filling into each cup. If you have any left over filling, you can fill any empty spots in your muffin tin with it. Its not exactly a cupcake, but it tastes good.

5. Top with another spoonful of brownie batter. Using a spatula, gently spread brownie batter out to the edges of the cupcake cup so that the cherry filling is completely covered (add more batter if required). The cups should be about 3/4 full. (I find the best way to assemble these is to drop a tablespoon of batter, which gets really stiff and hard to work with v quickly, into each liner then use a teaspoon to spread it gently over the bottom of the liner. I never worry about making sure it goes round the sides of the liners. Then just top with a spoonful of cherry filling and finally a dollop of brownie batter. I find it nigh on impossible to spread it over the top of the filling without making a huge mess so I don’t bother! As long as the batter dollop is big enough, the batter will spread and cover the filling all by itself!)

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6. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes. Cupcakes are done when the top center of each cupcake is cooked.

7. To make frosting, melt butter and chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.
Place icing sugar, cocoa and 2 Tbsp of milk in a large bowl. Add melted butter and chocolate and mix until smooth and uniform. Add remaining milk until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. Lightly frost the cupcakes using a smooth spatula or butter knife.
(The frosting here may seem like overkill but it really does complete the cupcakes. I have used this original frosting recipe on occasion and once I used the frosting from the marshmallow brownie bites recipe I previously posted. On this occasion I made a chocolate ganache by melting chocolate in hot cream then chilling to a spreadable consistency.)

These are pretty tasty little cupcakes that seem to be a favourite of my samplers. They simple and well worth the effort!

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