Pumpkin Muffins with Cheesecake Filling

So... I figured I'd start off with this recipe since it seemed to be the one most people were interested in.

My husband likes all things pumpkin, including the squash itself, the seeds and all forms of baked goods.  I generally try to keep canned pumpkin puree on hand.  I had the idea to make a filled muffin/cupcake with cheesecake because it just sounded delicious.  I've tried this twice and the taste is there, but I'm having some trouble with getting the filling to do what I want it to.

Pumpkin Muffins with Cheesecake Filling (Makes 24):

Muffin Batter:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups oil
• 1 3/4 cups pureed pumpkin (1 small can)
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Filling:

• 1-8oz package of cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar

Top with a sprinkle of brown sugar (optional, but my husband prefers them this way).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease or line 24 muffin wells.

Cream together cream cheese and sugar for filling until light and fluffy.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly (medium speed if using a mixer).  Add 2 cups of sugar, the oil, and the pumpkin puree.  Beat well (again on medium).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  (sometimes I also add a little nutmeg and clove to this.)  Add to flour mixture and blend well.

To assemble the muffins, fill muffin wells halfway with batter.  Add a dollop of filling to the center of each well and top with the remaining batter.  Sprinkle brown sugar lightly over the top of the muffins.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and muffins are springy to the touch.

Here was a picture of the first batch that I made.  They were yummy and they looked good from the outside.  I wasn't happy with the big air pocket on the inside when the cream cheese "deflated" though.  I tried this recipe a second time and added an egg to the filling, hoping that would help it keep it's shape.  The second round appeared to do better at first, but as they cooled, the filling still deflated.  The only difference was that it deflated the muffin as well.  So my second batch didn't look as pretty since on most of the muffins, the middle had sunk in.

It's still a work in progress for the look of them, but they really do taste good (the batter recipe would probably make a pretty good pumpkin bread too).