Cheesecake brownie cupcakes combine three of my favourite things. I found the brownie cupcakes in my Leila Lindholm book I was given recently and wondered how I could add my own touch. I’ve been making these Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies by Baking Bites for a good long while and thought I could adapt the recipe. Here’s the resulting baby!

You’re going to need to check these cupcakes regularly. My gas oven is wild and untamed – something that drives me mad because the temperature difference from top to bottom is mad and makes it impossible to cook two sandwich cake layer at once. The cupcakes sink a bit in the middle once they come of the oven, this is completely normal! You haven’t done anything wrong…

I popped some blueberries into the topping for a touch of healthy fruity flavour, but you can leave them out if you want! You could also try mixing up the jam flavours too.

Ingredients

For the brownie cupcakes (adapted from Leila Lindholm’s brownie cupcakes)

• 2 large eggs
• 180g caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 50g butter
• 50ml olive oil
• 80ml golden syrup
• 120g plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped into pieces

For the cheesecake topping (adapted from Baking Bites Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies)

• 225g full fat cream cheese (like Philadelphia)
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½tsp vanilla essence
• 3tbsp strawberry jam
• 24 blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Line a muffin tin with paper/foil cupcake cakes. I used British style extra large muffin cases (they’s be smaller than American ones but bigger than your normal cupcake cases, but if you’re using smaller ones then you will make more than 12 so you’ll need an extra tin.
2. Make the cheesecake by whisking the cream cheese, egg, sugar with the paddle in your stand mixer (or you can use a hand mixer or by hand too) on a medium speed until creamy and smooth. Set aside.
3. In a seperate bowl beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy and pale.
4. Melt the butter and mix with the oil and golden syrup in a large mixing bowl then stir into the egg mixture.
5. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, then fold into the butter mix.
6. Melt the chocolate pieces in a bowl over bubbling water. Don’t let the bowl touch the water.
7. Fold the chocolate into mixture.
8. Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin cases, and even the surfaces out with a spoon. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the cheesecake mixture on the top.
9. Using a kebab skewer, swirl jam through the cream cheese, then push two blueberries into the top.
10. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then check to see if they’re done by placing a skewer into the middle of one of the cupcakes. The skewer should come out clean. If not, check it every 5 minutes or so until done.
11. Remove from the oven, leave in the muffin tray for 5 minutes then leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Had to upload this wonderful and inspired take on cake design! Made by Chris Kemm (and kindly printed with his permission) this was a sponge cake baked in a normal tray using my basic cupake recipe (with extra flour to ensure it held properly), Chris cut out printed letters, laid them on top of the sponge and then cut around around them. Looks like he’s decorated the top with some jam and almonds too.

I have to say I’m very impressed (and just a tiny bit jealous). I’m definitely going to use this idea in future!