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