Our lives occurrences take place in a fan of departments. Picture life as one big department store, and we’re roaming around the men’s, women’s, shoes, lingerie, sports, and home areas except our real life’s departments aren’t necessarily that simple. Deep down I think we all know the love department always takes precedence. Isn’t that the first thing someone asks you when they haven’t seen you in a while? “Sooooo…are you seeing anyone? How’s it going with fulanito? When’s the ring coming?” Things happen in the our personal home department, you might be getting a total new update or a new kitchen or are bulldozing things all by yourself or you might have just bought a cute little throw pillow or a lazy Susan. All equally worthy updates. The job department. Eek. Things are always-a-changing on that horizon, especially now with the workings of our world. These departments are normal and expected. But my favorite department of all, is the department of you-never-know.

You never know what will come at you, what direction it will come from or how hard or soft that blow will be. It comes with a resounding “duh” that we want these departments of you-never-knows to have a positive effect on our lives. And the positivity potential can be stupefying. You could be lost in confusion, broke-ness looming on the horizon, sitting in your dentist’s chair with tools in your mouth, unable to speak properly when the opportunity you’ve been waiting for is presented to you. As if the universe is making it rain little life gifts. You could be on a jog and meet the man of your dreams. You could bring a cake to a party, have that crucial person love it, and have your life changed. You could have gone out on the night your body and Netflix Instant ached for you to stay home, and met someone who gave your your dream job or dream life, just like that. Boom. It happens all the time, but only if you take that chance.

When you take that chance and when it does happen because the universe and the department of you-never-know favors those who do, make sure to make these cupcakes for that person that helped you. Because when you make them, they’ll love the fact that they are chocolate cupcake cups that lovingly enrobe and hug a cheesecake filling with more chocolatey bits. With each bite, you get intense chocolate flavor softened by the creamy tang of cheesecake. They bring closed-eyed happiness, crush your chocolate craving, and as always, the possibility of you-never-know. And that’s the most wonderful part.

Black bottom cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Adapted from David Lebovitz via Leite’s Culinaria

Note: if you want to get in touch with your inner Virgo like I always do, use a ziplock bag to pipe the cheesecake filling into the chocolate cupcakes. Simply fill a ziplock bag and snip the end off, inserting it into the chocolate cupcake batter and squeezing just a bit. This will ensure it stays contained within the cupcake and not spill over when it bakes, stealing the beautiful look of the chocolate cheesecake combination from your grasp. I’m being dramatic, but, ziplock or no ziplock, these will totally tumble you over in taste.

Ingredients

For the cheesecake filling

8 ounces regular or reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the chocolate cupcake

1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil

1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside.

Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and set the oven at 350 degrees F. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until just smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep well unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.