Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling: A Fall Treat

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 0.33 cup white sugar
• 1 egg egg
• 2 tablespoons 100% pure pumpkin
• 6 drops yellow food coloring
• 3 drops red food coloring
• 0.13 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 cup semisweet chocolate chips, or more to taste
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 0.25 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 0.33 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by lining it with paper liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, ⅓ cup sugar, egg, pumpkin purée, yellow food coloring, red food coloring, and ⅛ teaspoon salt with an electric mixer until smooth and lump-free. Gently fold in ½ cup chocolate chips. Set the pumpkin cheesecake filling aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt until well combined. Gradually add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla extract, stirring until a smooth batter forms.
4. Divide the chocolate batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ½ full. Top each cupcake with approximately 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin cheesecake filling, then sprinkle a few chocolate chips over the top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Nutrition

• Calories: 306 kcal
• Fat Content: 16 g
• Fiber Content: 1 g
• Sugar Content: 26 g
• Sodium Content: 289 mg
• Protein Content: 4 g
• Cholesterol Content: 36 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 40 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 7 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g