Choc-Banana Cheesecake Cupcakes

So I like seriously love chocolate. I can’t even deny it. If I can’t decide what I feel like baking, it usually ends up involving cocoa powder or a block of 70%...the other day was no exception.

I haven’t baked for ages, and for someone who used to do so minimum weekly, it’s rather shameful to admit my falling-out with the mix-master. But, in that time I have gotten surprisingly fitter, which is probably a tell-tale sign of my inability to stop at one piece/slice/square…

So I decided it was time to get my baking-on, admittedly ‘cus I had cravings, but I wanted to make something I haven’t made before…So I tried these, and it turned out that they tasted pretty awesome. So awesome, that I decided straight-away that I wanted to share the baking love (thus why the photos aren’t exactly artistic, as it was a spur of the moment decision!)

So enjoy some chocolate-baking-love today…it is lifting for both the spirit and the waistline!

Recipe lovingly adapted from Bakerella’s Black-Bottom Cupcakes.

Ingredients

Cheesecake Mixture

250g Light Cream Cheese (room temperature)

½ cup Sugar

1 Egg

½ cup Cream

100g 70% Chocolate (or chocolate chips)

Chocolate Mixture

1 ½ cups Plain Flour

1/3 cup Cocoa (unsweetened)

½ tsp Bicarbonate Soda

1 cup Brown Sugar

3 Medium Over-ripe Banana’s

1/3 cup Rice-Bran Oil

Method

Pre-heat fan-forced oven to 160°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin-papers.

Cheesecake Mixture

Beat cream cheese until smooth.

Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and beat in well. Add cream, and beat in well.

Roughly chop chocolate, add to cheese mixture and mix well. Set aside.

Chocolate Mixture

Into a bowl sift in flour, cocoa and bi-carb. Add sugar and combine well.

Beat banana’s until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix on low, whilst adding the oil in a stream.

Once well combined, evenly spoon into muffin-papers and press to fill the bottom. 

Then top evenly with the cheesecake mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes, until cheesecake top is just set.

Notes

Will give a scrumptiously moist cupcake, cooking for longer will dry it out, so don't fear it being wobbly when you remove it from the oven :)

They taste great straight form the oven when the choc bits are all melty-gooey goodness, but equally delish straight from the fridge, no re-heating required! So you get the best of both worlds with these, a yummy fresh one now and a yummy cold one for later =D

Happy Baking :D

Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies

Lovingly adapted from Taste.com

For a while now I’ve been on an indoor pilgrimage to find the perfect cheesecake brownie. One where the textures compliment each other, with a lovely and smooth cheesecake, and an extra-fudgy brownie.

Some were disappointing, where the brownie was not brownie but more akin to a chocolate sponge cake. But this recipe delivers. Whilst there is no crisp brownie edge, there are no dried out bits, and the raspberries add that little something extra. One piece is not enough, which depending on the way you look at it could be a good or a bad thing….

Ingredients

Brownie:

200g 70% Cocoa Chocolate

200g Butter

250g Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

110g Plain Flour

Cheesecake:

400g Cream Cheese

150g Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Frozen Raspberries

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C (fan forced). Grease and Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin.

Brownie:

Melt chocolate in a heat safe jug and set aside to cool.

Cream butter and sugar until pale, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Stir in the melted chocolate, then fold in the sifted flour.

Spread mixture into the pan.

Cheesecake:

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

Spread mixture over the brownie layer.

Push desired number of raspberries into the surface (next time I would squish in a few more than shown).

Bake for 45 minutes (centre will still be quite wobbly). Leave to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Do not be tempted to eat before, as these are so much better once they are set and cold, trust me! When ready for a brownie-feast the next day, cut into 16 and enjoy!

Notes

The beaten brownie batter was rather pale, which at first caused me concern due to my love of ultra-chocolate-ness. Upon serving the next day however, the revealed brownie layer was a deep chocolate colour and decadent in its flavour, phew!

You could even place raspberries between the brownie and cheesecake layers as well as on the top, for an extra raspberry hit.

The images show a ¼ of the brownie mixture reserved and swirled into the cheesecake, I would skip this as it is a mere visual which is a bit messy. By doing two distinct layers, the lovely red raspberries are more visible on the surface.