Line a 12-cup large muffin tin with paper baking cups, lightly coat them with vegetable spray, and set aside.
In a microwavable bowl, add chocolate chips and butter and cook at 50% power in 1 minute intervals until smooth.
In another bowl whisk together cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla and eggs until well combined, then whisk in melted chocolate mixture.
In another bowl stir together flour, salt and artichokes until well combined, then gently fold into chocolate-egg mixture until just combined.
Spoon batter into baking cups two-thirds full and bake on middle rack of a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven (180 degrees Celsius) until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until well combined, then beat in remaining ingredients until smooth.
Working with 1 artichoke at a time, cut off stem, two-thirds from the top, and all of the leaves so only the artichoke bottom remains and brush exposed areas with lemon juice.
Set a medium saucepan of lightly salted water over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add artichoke bottoms and cook until barely fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry, remove choke and very thinly slice.
Meanwhile, set another medium saucepan over high heat, add sugar and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and reduce mixture by half, about 15 minutes.
Gently fold sliced artichokes into sugar mixture and cook for 2 minutes, then lay slices flat on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain and cool.
Set a high sided medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add oil to a 2-inch depth and fry candied artichoke slices until crisp and golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer cooked slices to paper toweling and salt very lightly.
To Plate: Frost each of 4 cupcakes generously with mocha frosting, top with a few candied artichoke slices and, if desired, sprinkle with grated white chocolate and serve immediately.
