Cheesecake in a Cupcake (aka, Flavor Bomb)

What is better than a cheesecake?  How about a mini cheesecake covered in strawberries?  How about a mini cheesecake covered in strawberries then baked into a chocolate cupcake?! Now we are talking!  This cupcake is the food equivalent to the Russian Doll, only this is way more awesomer.

Most of us have seen the famous "Pumpkin Pie in a Cupcake"  This cupcake was inspired from that and turns out, is pretty simple to make. Think of all the  fun combinations to make the ultimate pie in a cupcake combo. 

Step 1: Ingredients

Cake:
Use your favorite cake recipe, or hell, you can even use a box cake mix. 

Cheesecake:
I posted my Instructable for Mini Cheesecake Nibblers.  These too are really simple to make and taste fantastic!

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8ox package of softened cream cheese
1 stick of softened butter
2-3 cups of sifted powdered sugar
splash of vanilla

Step 2: Cake Mix

Make your favorite cupcake recipe, or boxed cake mix per the instructions.

Once mixed, pour mix into lined cupcake tins about 1/3 full.

Then place your mini cheesecake in the center. 

Take the remainder of your cake mix, and use just enough cake batter to cover your cheesecake.  Don't fill the mix to the top of the liner, otherwise your flavor bomb cupcake will turn into an explosive mess in your oven.  For an extra precise cake, I placed all the cake batter into a pastry bag (giant zip lock will do the same trick) and just cover your little nibblers.

Step 3: Bake!

Bake as per your normal cake recipe instructions.  For these, I baked them for about 20 min at 350F using a skewer to check when they were ready.  Be sure to skewer the sides and not just the center of the cake.  The center is baked cheesecake, so it will already come out pretty clean.

Step 4: Cream Cheese Frosting

The best part about a cupcake is the frosting.  Without frosting, its just a muffin.  Cream cheese is one of my all time favorites.  It is rich, velvety, sort of dense, and has just the right amount of sweetness.

To make the cream cheese frosting, place softened cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl, and mix on med-high until combined, light, and fluffy.

Then incorporate the sifted powdered sugar in bouts of thirds.  Mix evenly, and add more sugar.  Do this until all the sugar is used, and evenly mixed.

Add vanilla and mix.  Some recipes ask for a tablespoon or two of heavy cream.  That is really up to you! 

Then either with a icing spatula, or pastry bag, put on a nice generous bit of cream cheese frosting.   and enjoy!