Bake It in a Cake

Sure, I could put cheesecake IN a cupcake (and have!) but these cupcakes have the cheesecake on the outside! The chocolate cupcakes have a graham cracker crust, are filled with cherry pie filling, topped with a pile of No-Bake cheesecake filling, and finished off with some chocolate chips, cherry sauce, and graham cracker crumbs. Since the recipe takes advantage of some pre-made ingredients, it’s really easy to make, with still super impressive (and delicious) results. This recipe will make about 22-24 cupcakes. 

For the cupcakes you’ll need:

2 boxes of Jell-O’s No Bake Cheesecake mix
1 stick and 2 T. unsalted butter, melted
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/3 c. whole milk
2 1/2 c. flour
1 21 oz. can of cherry pie filling

Directions: 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (F). 

Empty the contents of the graham cracker packages from the boxes of the No Bake Cheesecake mix into a bowl. Pour over the melted butter, stirring until all the graham cracker crumbs are moist. 

Press a heaping teaspoon of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of paper-lined cupcake tins, so the bottom of each tin is completely covered. Set them in the fridge while you make the cupcake batter.

For the cupcake batter, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then add vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on med-high for about 60 seconds until everything is creamy and well combined. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the melted chocolate until it’s been completely incorporated into the batter. Then add the flour and milk, alternating between the two ingredients—I do about a half cup of each at a time. 

Mix for another 45 seconds or so until the batter is smooth and creamy. Put a heaping tablespoon of batter on top of the graham cracker crusts and spread out in an even layer. Put a heaping teaspoon of the cherry pie filling in the center of the tin and then cover with another heaping tablespoon of batter (it’s okay if the pie filling ends up going to the edges of the tin, but try to make sure all of it is covered by cupcake batter). 

Bake for about 25 minutes, until the cake is set and it bounces back after you gently press your finger into it. 

Allow to cool, then mix up the cheesecake mixture! Empty both packets of the cheesecake mix into a medium bowl and whisk together with 2 1/2 cups cold whole milk. The mixture should start thickening. Set in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, until it’s completely set. 

Stir the mixture with a spoon, to get a smooth texture, and then frost or pipe a generous amount of it over the top of the cupcakes. If you’d like, sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, some graham cracker crumbs, and/or any of the sauce left over from the cherry pie filling.

Ta-da!

This recipe was created by Megan Seling for Bakeitinacake.com. Click here to see all the other things I’ve baked into cakes!