Cheesecake Stuffed Halloween Cupcakes

In my last post (published back in 2013), I promised you I'd share a surprising way to use the Mini Cheesecake Pumpkins that I made using silicone molds. Did you have any idea I would stuff these creamy little bites of Halloween goodness into a cupcake? I just know you are going to love these chocolate cheesecakes stuffed with cheesecake.

What's not to love?

Each cupcake is rich and chocolatey and has a cheesecake pumpkin inside.

As soon as I popped the tiny cheesecakes out of the pumpkin molds, their size and shape made me think of all the surprise Halloween cupcakes that you cut into to reveal bats, ghosts, and pumpkins.

All of those Halloween cupcakes are created by making a cake, cutting it into slices, then cutting it into the shape of a ghost, bat, or pumpkin. Then those shapes are arranged in a cupcake tin and cake batter is poured around them. Once baked, the shape inside remains intact and surprisingly also remains moist and tender.

I used that same technique to make these cheesecake-stuffed cupcakes. So, let's get baking!

Ingredients

cheesecake-stuffed chocolate cupcakes:

Mini Cheesecake Pumpkins (recipe, here)
semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
Dutch-processed cocoa - Darker cocoa will give your cupcakes a deeper black color.
hot coffee - The coffee enhances the chocolate flavor. Use weak coffee if you do not want to taste the coffee at all. Use strong coffee to give your cupcakes a mild coffee flavor.
vegetable oil
eggs - It is always best to use room-temperature eggs when making cake batter.
white vinegar
vanilla extract
granulated sugar
bread flour - Definitely use bread flour. If you use all-purpose flour, the cupcakes won't hold together as well. You need the extra gluten in the bread flour to keep the structure of the cupcake.
baking soda
table salt

ganache frosting and decorations:
semi-sweet chocolate
heavy whipping cream
optional: Halloween sprinkles or candy

Make Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

• Make Mini Cheesecake Pumpkins (click here for the recipe) and keep them frozen until needed.
• When you paint in the green filling, be sure to fill the entire stem area, so that when you cut into the cupcakes you have a nice pumpkin shape.

Make the chocolate cupcake batter.

• Pour finely chopped chocolate and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl.
• Add hot coffee and stir until the chocolate melts.
• Place in the refrigerator to cool for about 20 minutes.
• Once cooled, whisk in oil, eggs, white vinegar, and vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Add it to the chocolate bowl and whisk until smooth.

Fill the cupcake liners.

• Place cupcake liners in the cupcake pan.
• Pour a thin layer of batter into each of the cupcake liners.
• Remove the Mini Cheesecake Pumpkins from the freezer.
• Un-mold them, and stick 2 cheesecakes together (put their backsides together) then place them in the center of each cupcake liner.

It is very important that you know which way your cheesecake pumpkins are facing. Later when you cut into a cupcake to reveal the pumpkin, you want to cut across the front, not the side.

Bake Cheesecake Stuffed Cupcakes

• Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes until they are set around the edges and puffed in the middle.
• As the cupcakes cool, they will sink a bit in the center.
• Allow them to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache frosting.

Make chocolate ganache frosting.

• Place chopped chocolate in the bowl of a food processor.
• Pulse until the chocolate is fine crumbs.
• Heat heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Stir often until it just comes to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, put the lid on the food processor bowl, and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
• Pulse for 3 seconds.
• Remove the lid and scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor bowl.
• Return the lid and pulse for 5 more seconds or until the mixture, which is called ganache, is smooth.
• Don't over-mix your ganache or it will turn grainy as it sets up.

No food processor? Use this microwave method.

A food processor makes easy work of creating a chocolate ganache. If you don't have one there is another way to make your chocolate ganache frosting.

• Finely chop your chocolate and put it in a microwave-safe mixing bowl.
• Boil cream as above and pour over chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
• Use a whisk to create an emulsion.
• Begin by stirring just in the center of the bowl, then slowly bring the whisk out to the edge of the bowl.
• Stir just until combined and the ganache is smooth.
• If you have chunks of chocolate remaining, place the entire bowl in the microwave and heat on high for 10 seconds.
• Stir until melted.

Whipping your Ganache Frosting

• Pour ganache into a mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then remove and stir.
• Refrigerate for 15 more minutes.
• Then use an electric mixer to beat the ganache until it's lighter in color.

• The frosting will not hold stiff peaks at this point, it should fall off the beaters.
• Allow it to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, but no more.
• Beat for 5 more seconds and it should now hold stiff peaks (right photo.)

If you have more time and patience, you can simply allow your chocolate ganache to cool at room temperature. Keep an eye on it so that you can whip it just as it starts to thicken.

Pipe Frosting onto Cupcakes

• Immediately spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
• Pipe big swirls over cooled cupcakes.

This frosting is rather stiff and will actually harden slightly much like a chocolate truffle. You can easily bite into it and it has an intense chocolate flavor, but it is not soft like a buttercream-style frosting.

Decorate your cupcakes.

• Decorate with Halloween sprinkles or candy, if desired.
  • I found it helpful to just sprinkle the front side of each cupcake. That way when I went to cut into them, I knew which direction the pumpkin would be facing.

When you cut into them, use a sharp knife to cut across the front of the cupcake about ¼th of the way into the cupcake for the best results.

These pumpkin-stuffed cupcakes would also make a wonderful Thanksgiving dessert. Just decorated them with fall-colored sprinkles or candies instead.

Variations

You can make green Christmas tree cheesecakes and stuff then inside chocolate cupcakes. Add a swirl of green frosting and decorate the frosting to look like a Christmas tree using nonpareils and a gold star sprinkle.

Related Recipes

Check out my Vampire Cupcakes, Werewolf Cupcakes, and Black Cat Cupcakes.

Be sure to check out all the Halloween recipes here on Hungry Happenings.