Chocolate Balsamic Strawberry Cupcakes

Ok, so I'm not very good at coming up with names for my recipes, maybe I'll get better as time goes on...

I wanted to make cupcakes for a neighborhood get together and since I don't have the time to make a lot from scratch since having Connor, I resort to using box mixes. There's nothing wrong with this, except that I typically get the urge to make it into a little more than your basic baked good. I pulled out a gluten-free chocolate cake mix and decided I would use the strawberries that needed eating. At first I was just going to add strawberries to the mix and bake them in the cupcake, but then I decided that a balsamic strawberry filling would be way better! So here's my recipe for chocolate cupcakes filled with balsamic strawberries and topped with vanilla frosting and a little decoration.

Ingredients

chocolate cake mix (I used Betty Crocker's Gluten-Free mix) and ingredients called for (substitute coconut oil for the butter)

Filling:
2 cups chopped strawberries
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp cornstarch

your favorite vanilla frosting (I used Betty Crocker's Rich & Creamy Vanilla as I have yet to try making dairy-free frosting)
6 strawberries, halved
melted chocolate

Directions

1. Bake cupcakes according to the package directions. Allow to cool completely.

2. While cupcakes are baking, combine the filling ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat. You will want to dissolve the cornstarch in to water before adding it to the mix to prevent lumping.

3. Stir frequently and cook until the mixture starts to bubble and thicken, then simmer about 5-10 minutes and it should thicken even more. Remove from heat and cool (it should continue to thicken as it cools).

4. Using an apple corer, create a hole in the middle of each cupcake for the filling.

5. Fill each cupcake with the cooled strawberry filling. It's ok to slightly overfill as you will be covering them with frosting.

6. Frost the cupcakes, top each with a strawberry half, and drizzle with melted chocolate. Enjoy!