Black-Bottom Cupcakes were perfect for dessert on a cold January night, rich, delicious chocolate and cream-cheesy filling melding happily together. They were surprisingly not at all too much—the chocolate and cream cheese balanced each other, and the result was rich, but not cloyingly so. For those not generally interested in cake for dessert, consider these. They held interest through to the last bite, in part because of the variety of textures—the chocolate cake followed by the cream cheese filling and then the chocolate chunks mixed into the filling, happily better than the current cake plus too much frosting cupcake trend.

As a final note, I’d add that these are ideal for anyone feeling a little cupcake-fatigued. They take standard chocolate cake and chocolate chunk cheesecake flavors, bring them together for a classic combination that will stand the test of time, far more than some of the trendier variations being created and marketed en masse at present. They were not the prettiest cupcakes ever—mine looked much like the accompanying photograph, and, to me, part of their charm was this charming homemade look coupled with their undeniably yummy taste.