This week, I went to Quantum Theatre's production of Cymbeline, a Shakespeare play I had never heard of. It was quite the enjoyable evening. The relation to this blog, however, is that they had an interactive portion of the performance, whereby they sent text messages to my phone with questions to answer. I shared the questions with my companions, and we sent back answers. One of the questions was "What's worth fighting for?"

Our response? Cupcakes.

The backstory: My office-mate and I had been left along with about 50 mini-cupcakes from Dozen all day long. (Only about 30 cupcakes survived the ordeal.) We were mildly euphoric from all the sugar, and could speak of little but cupcakes to our male companions over dinner, prompting more than a little eye-rolling (a.k.a. jealousy). So the cupcake response fit the evening, but let's face it: it's also the truth.

Case in point: if you take too few of these cupcakes to a party, fights could very well break out. These beauties combine two of my favorite ideas, cake and the tangy, assertive blend of ripe summer strawberries and sweet balsamic vinegar. I don't think there's any better way to bring out the flavor of the berry than this particular combination, and these cupcakes - which I found a few months ago thanks to the recently-resurrected tastespotting.com - marry the flavors beautifully.

The syrup that you make for this recipe has a myriad of other uses, including one I'll share in part two of this post (look for that in a few days). It's crimson, scarlet, claret-bright, and as beautiful as it is delicious. Mix a tablespoon or two with some extra balsamic and olive oil, and you have a smashing salad dressing. Drizzle it over ice cream, French toast, pancakes... or use it to flavor a heck of a girly drink.

Just remember your brass knuckles, because you might not want to share.

Strawberry-Balsamic Syrup
One pound strawberries, hulled and halved
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

In a medium sauce pan, mix the strawberries and sugar and let stand for 15 minutes unheated.  Add the balsamic and turn on the heat to medium. Cook for about 15 minutes, then puree in a blender or food processor. For ultra-silky sauce, push through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds. It takes some extra time, but I really think it's worth the result.

Store in refridge for a week or two, or freeze. Or use in cupcakes, below. Or just eat it by itself - it is that good.

Strawberry-Balsamic Cupcakes
adapted from A Good Appetite, where you can find perfect proportions for a batch of just 4 cakes

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup strawberry-balsamic syrup, divided
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, divided
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 oz cream cheese
3-4 cups powdered sugar**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a muffin tin with 12 cupcake papers. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup strawberry-balsamic syrup and milk.

In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, up to 3 minutes, then add eggs and beat some more. (All this beating leads to a super-lofty batter.) Lower speed to medium. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture and mix until combined, then add 1/2 of the strawberry mixture. Repeat until all the flour mixture has been incorporated. Spoon batter evenly into prepared cups. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Meanwhile... make the icing. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup strawberry syrup with the balsamic vinegar in a small dish. Beat the remaining butter and the cream cheese together until creamy. Add a cup of powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add in 2/3 of the strawberry-balsamic mixture, then another cup of sugar. Keep adding syrup and sugar until you reach the consistency and flavor you desire.*** Frost cooled cupcakes, and if you feel fancy, top each with a sliced strawberry. Keep these babies in the fridge until an hour before serving - the icing can get a little floppy, particularly in summer heat.

*Oh yes, there's a part two on the way!
**So when I made these for a party, I forgot to check my supply of powdered sugar. I ended up using regular sugar, which rendered the icing gritty... but stlll completely edible.
***This icing is riDONKulous. I had some left over and was compelled to dunk strawberries in it and eat until it was gone.