Who can resist cupcakes? My family has fondness for chocolate and cream cheese, so this recipe combines both in a tasty little cupcake. When I made it for our book club members they gobbled up. It uses a prepared cake mix, so it’s easy to make, but it tastes as though it was a lot of work. Serve it to your book club or as a family treat for Valentine’s Day.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes
Makes 2 dozen
- One box devil’s food cake mix
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place paper liners in two, 12-cup muffin pans.
In a large bowl, place the cake mix, cream cheese, water, vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat by hand or on low speed with an electric mixer until smooth, about two minutes.
Fill the muffin cups two thirds full. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
While the cupcakes cool, place the granulated sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan and stir while bringing to a boil over medium high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in chocolate chips until they are melted. Move frosting to a bowl and let it cool until it is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Spread cooked frosting over cupcakes and let them cool until frosting is set, about 30 minutes.
