Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• Decorators Icing
• White Fondant
• Red Fondant
• Fondant Roller
• Lollipop Sticks
• Black Food Coloring Gel

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Decorating Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour and 33 minutes

How to make the cupcakes

1. Mix the cake mix, flour, sugar, salt, water, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, sour cream, and eggs until well blended.
2. Line a cupcake tin with liners and fill 3/4 of the way with batter.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes.
4. Allow cooling before decorating.

How to Ice the cupcakes:

1. Mix up some decorator’s icing with the black food coloring gel. Make sure to have enough coloring gel on hand since it does take a good amount of the gel to make black icing. Or, just buy black icing.
2. Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes using a 1M decorating tip (or a tip of your choice).

How to create the Fondant Red Balloons:

1. Using powdered sugar to cover your surface, roll a small chunk of red fondant into a ball shape. Then roll it so that it is a bit oblong. Taper one end of the balloon. Then add the balloon to a lollipop stick. 

How to create the Fondant Clown Arm:

1. Cover your surface with powdered sugar to prevent the fondant from sticking.
2. Roll out a long thin snake-like shape the size of the arm you would like.
3. Gently flatten one end to create a hand.
4. Take a knife and cut slivers for 5 fingers. The thumb you will need to shorten. Gently roll the fingers back and forth to help make them rounded. Take an end of the lollipop stick and create fingernails by stamping the ends of the fingers. Watch this video on how to create fondant arms to help.
5. To help bend the arm at the elbow, you can use the knife to guide it.
6. Roll out a long thin shape and cut to the size that will roll around the forearm. This will create the bottom of the sleeve. Use water to help adhere it together.
7. To create a couple of ruffles right above the elbow, cut some long thin pieces of fondant and kind of roll it to give it a puffy feel and wrap around the arm. Use water to help adhere it to the arm.
8. Cut out a shape to make the sleeve. This will be the large puffy sleeve of the clown.
9. Place it over the top part of the arm. Make it puffy and pinch in areas to make creases in the sleeve.
10. For the lacy cuff, cut out another shape. (See images for shapes) Then adhere it to the cuff area of the sleeve. Shape it how you like.
11. Cut about an inch or so off a lollipop stick and use it to place the arm onto the cupcake.

Placing the Arm and Balloon onto the cupcake:

1. Make sure the sticks are not too close to the edge of the cupcakes. If you do, eventually they will fall over.
2. Keeping that in mind, place the arms where they look like they are holding the balloon. If possible, curl the fingers around the lollipop stick.