These Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes are soft and fudgy, topped with a creamy cheesecake frosting, and finished with a decadent sprinkle of cocoa powder.
These cupcakes are perfect for when you can't decide if you want to bake cupcakes, brownies, or cheesecake! You can have all 3 favorite desserts in one with these wonderful cupcakes! The brownies are rich with a deep cocoa flavor that is amplified by the addition of instant coffee. The cheesecake frosting is fluffy and lightly sweetened so it is not too sweet, even with plenty of frosting swirled on top.
If you love cheesecake, be sure to check out this decadent triple chocolate cheesecake or my no-bake raspberry jello cheesecake!
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Texture - These cupcakes have the butter, rich, and dense texture of a classic brownie which contrasts the light and fluffy cheesecake frosting wonderfully.
- Flavor - The deep coffee-enhanced chocolate flavor goes well with the light vanilla cheesecake frosting.
- Serving - Cupcakes are always so easy to serve at events or parties!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these brownie cupcakes with cheesecake frosting.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter - This recipe calls for salted butter but read the notes below the recipe for instructions on substituting unsalted butter.
- Instant Coffee - Just a little instant coffee dissolved in 1 teaspoon of hot water added to the batter really helps to amp up the rich chocolate flavor. You may omit this if you don't have it!
- Cream Cheese - I always have the best success with Philadelphia brand cream cheese for all of my cheesecake recipes. This is not sponsored at all, I just truly believe it is the best!
- Whipping Cream - Be sure to use heavy whipping cream that is at least 33% milk fat to ensure it whips up well into a fluffy and stable frosting.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, and instant coffee dissolved in 1 teaspoon of hot water and whisk until smooth.
Step 2: Add the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 3: Fill each cupcake liner half full, distributing all the batter between all 12 cupcake liners. Bake in a preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool fully before topping with the frosting.
Step 4: Make the frosting by creaming together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the cold heavy cream and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form.
Step 5: Pipe a generous amount of the frosting onto the fully-cooled cupcakes using your desired piping tip. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour for the frosting to set before serving.
Right before serving, top with a sprinkle of cocoa powder through a sieve or with chocolate shaving or curls.
💡 Top Tip
For a smooth cheesecake frosting, be sure to take your cream cheese out of the refrigerator a few hours in advance to make sure it is softened enough to blend smoothly.
🧁 More Cupcake Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried these Brownie Cheesecake Cupcakes or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Cheesecake Brownie Cupcakes
Equipment
- 12-count muffin tin
- cupcake liners
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- electric handheld mixer
- piping bag fitted with large open star tip (I used a Wilton 1M for the cupcakes pictured)
Ingredients
For the Brownie Cupcakes:
- ½ cup salted butter * melted
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 1 teaspoon hot water
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the Cheesecake Topping:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature *
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
Instructions
To make the Brownie Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Prepare a 12-count muffin tin with cupcake liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Dissolve the instant coffee in the hot water and add to the bowl. Add the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk just until smooth and incorporated.½ cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated white sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon instant coffee, 1 teaspoon hot water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup cocoa powder, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Distribute the batter equally between all 12 cupcake liners, filling each liner about ½ full. Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
To make the Cheesecake Frosting:
- Add the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric handheld mixer, starting on low speed and increasing to high speed as the mixture comes together, beat the mixture until smooth and creamy. Add the cold whipping cream and beat on high speed until thick and fluffy.8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup cold heavy cream
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your desired tip (I used a Wilton 1M for the cupcakes pictured). Generously pipe frosting onto the completely cooled cupcakes, distributing all the frosting evenly between all 12 cupcakes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the frosting to set up more before serving. Top cupcakes with a dusting of cocoa powder right before serving, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Or you may use unsalted butter with an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt added to the recipe.
- For a smooth cheesecake frosting, be sure to take your cream cheese out of the refrigerator a few hours in advance to make sure it is softened enough to blend smoothly.
Holly Poulsen
all of my favorite sweet treats combined into one delicious bite!
Naomi Andres
Thank you so much, Holly!