Yes, I am one of those people who, as a rule, hates clowns. Let me rephrase that: I am afraid of clowns. I think that Stephen King was absolutely right when he depicted them as sporting fangs, living in sewers, and having a fondness for killing. Shudder.
However, I do have a soft spot for all things nostalgic. So when I was at "Sugar and Spice", the odd & wonderful baking-supplies store near my house, and I spotted these old-timey clown decorations straight out of my childhood in the 70's, I had to get them! There is something about these clowns that seems benign to me - I think it is because their eyes look dead, like the eyes of cartoon animals that in death become little "X"'s.
I had 2 events to attend, and the clowns would be perfect for both. First was Book Club at Amy's, to discuss "Water for Elephants", a book set in the world of an independent traveling circus in the 1930's. For this event, I made Red Velvet cupcakes (made with natural food coloring) with cream cheese frosting.
The next event was Kristina's birthday party at Sugar Cafe. I knew that she would appreciate the sweet/scary combination of the clowns & cupcakes. And she did! They were a big hit. For this event, I made chocolate sour cream cupcakes from my "Cupcakes" book, by Elinor Klivans. Fabulous recipe, even if a looks a little time-consuming for every day. The fluffy batter yielded 18 flat-top cakes, wonderfully easy to frost. This is by far the tastiest cupcake recipe I have come across. I used Guittard bittersweet chocolate, which is much easier to work with and less expensive than Scharfen Berger. Right out of the oven they are a little delicate, but they cool to a moist, dense cake.
Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes
- 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup water
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and creamy, about 2 min. Scrape the bowl as needed.
- On low speed, mix in the melted chocolate.
- On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is blended into the batter.
- Add the vanilla and beat until the mixture looks creamy and the color has lightened slightly, about 1 minute.
- Mix in the sour cream until no white streaks remain.
- On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it.
- Mix in the water
- Mix in the remaining flour mix until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth.
- Fill 18 muffin cups (or 60 mini muffin cups) and bake for about 20 minutes, at 350 degrees.
