Superheroes come in many shapes and sizes. From a cape crusader to a mighty mouse, they share having extraordinary abilities and doing extraordinary deeds. (Plus, they’re privy to some very cool gadgets). I remember, as a little girl, I used to wonder when my Dad would make a guest appearance on one of these shows. You see, I was convinced he was a superhero who walked the earth disguised as my father. He was bigger than life to me. Whether it was fixing the car, mowing the lawn or playing Skee Ball in order to win a prize for me at the local summer carnival, I marveled at his skills and looked at him as though he and I were the only ones in the universe to share his superhero secret.
Years and years later, as an adult, my Mom told me a story I had never heard before. It had to do with the winter our family came to America. We had a layover before arriving in Chicago and 3 US dollars to our name. 3 US dollars to start our new life in America. During the layover, apparently, I wanted, like the typical hungry and restless three-year-old that I was, an ice cream cone. The problem was, the ice cream cone cost $1. It was at this point in the story when I interrupted and said to my Mom, “No, no no….don’t tell me…”. I didn’t even get the chance to finish my sentence before she replied, “Of course, of course your Dad got the ice cream cone for you”.
I told you my Dad was a superhero. He has extraordinary abilities and he does extraordinary deeds.
These lawnmower coconut cupcakes are dedicated to superhero fathers everywhere. Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! I love you. (Oh, you don’t have worry about mowing the lawn today, I got it covered for ya).
Lawnmower Coconut Cupcakes
Tweaked from Martha Stewart and Disney Family Fun, yields 12 lawnmower coconut cupcakes
These coconut cupcakes are light, moist, scrumptious and make you savor every precious bite of your little creation. They can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Music Pairing: In My Life, The Beatles
Ingredients
for cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self rising), or all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/8 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 4 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
for frosting:
- 3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk (optional)
for toppings:
- Flaked coconut
- Green food coloring
- Hershey’s Nuggets
- M&M’s
- Red or black licorice laces
Method
for cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/8 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not over-beat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture; stir in shredded coconut.
Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each with a heaping 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Invert cupcakes onto rack; then re-invert and let cool completely, top sides up.
for frosting:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar; beat until smooth. If too thick to spread, beat in up to 1 tablespoon of milk, 1 tsp at a time.
Assembly
For each cupcake, mix a handful of flaked coconut with a few drops of green food coloring. Press a frosted cupcake into the coconut to cover.
The mower is made with a dark chocolate Hershey’s Nuggets body, brown M&M’s wheels, and a red M&M’s engine, held in place with dabs of frosting.
Shape the handle from a piece of red licorice lace, then insert the ends into the cupcake.
Wow! There is no doubt your dad is a hero. I love that story!
hi kev – he most certainly is! :)
Those are just adorable!
That is just the cutest thing! Very clever of you.
Good dads are worth the weight in gold :D
These are so cute!!!
What a sweet story….and your cupcakes are adorable!
Those look too good to eat!
Adorable! ahem I mean manly ;)
HA! yes…um, very manly.
Isn’t this a great country! My parents came over when I was 6 yrs old with my brother and sister in 1975. All we had was the clothes on our back and the kindness of strangers that open their hearts and homes to us. What a great tribute to your parents. -Tien :)
hi tien – thank you for sharing your story. 30+ years goes by in an instant, doesn’t it?
What a sweet story 8) and such a freakin’ adoreable cupcake!!
You are such a good writer and a very good Daughter! Love these CC! so creative and arty. Thanks, s
awwh, you are so sweet. thank you!
That is so creative!!! I love the colors and all the candies you used. Wish I could have one right now.
A very touching story… and there are just no words for the cuteness of those cupcakes.
They look gorgeous! Love the story too!
Very nice story…my families first winters were in the chilly midwest too! always remember my dad running into the house with frozen pair of jeans from the clothesline! he didn’t realize it was going to get that cold in Michigan.
what a funny story – i can totally picture that! growing up in the midwest, we know a thing or two about survival. :)
Adorable cupcakes and a wonderful story!
What an adorable idea!! I love it!
I loved the stories you shared and of course the cupcakes are incredibly cute.
BTW, forgot to mention, I was in your old neighborhood a few weeks back and saw the icecream shop, and thought ah ha – I now know exactly the area in question.
oh oh oh….swensen’s??? did you stop in for a cone?
Tissue, please. Sweet, sweet post and I enjoyed the music pairing. :)
awwh, here you go – i have a tissue for you. thank you! it’s one of my favorite songs…though how can one really have a favorite beatles song when there’s so many to choose from.
Aww, what a sweet story, your Dad truly is a superhero!
LOVE the cupcakes, they are beyond adorable!
thanks, kerstin! he is indeed! :)
These are adorable! What a great Father’s Day idea!!!
thank you, honeyb and to everyone who took the time to read about the great man i know as a superhero and my father.
hope you all have a lovely father’s day weekend!
Happy Father Day ! To all the Fathers~
What a Beautiful story . Such lovely recipe.
Thanks for sharing :)
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These are so unique and fun! You have a beautiful blog as well. Good job.
omg they are so cute!!!!!! love them, love them love them… will make them next year for father’s day :) And what a wonderful story… such a nice & loving papa! Hope you are doing great and keep it up in the kitchen mama :)
jackie o!! hope the you and the family had a wonderful father’s day! thanks for popping by!
Very cute! I love the story about your dad “the super hero” too! Love your blog.
~Lynette
So sweet! I love the story and the cupcakes. I won’t be able to be with my dad this father’s day, but if I were, I would love to make these for him! He always seems to be out cutting the grass in the summer :)
Thank you for sharing your family history with us. It gave me goose bumps. Your dad is a true super hero! Cute cupcakes.
Thanks for sharing your story – I wish more people realized just how important dad’s really are to the well-being of children. Given that the daddy to my little guys just spent the past 2 days laying sod for our new house (and he is currently spending father’s day hanging flower baskets with his little helpers…) I am inspired to whip up these appropriate little concoctions. Just one question: does anyone know why men are so obsessed with their lawns??
lisaloo – most excellent question! though the daddy to your little guys who obviously has a gifted green thumb may hold the answer to solve this mysterious behavior.
awww…. I can’t believe it; that’s such an amazing story! LOVE this post =) And such sweet cupcakes. lol. I don’t want to eat it! Wait, I do! No! Ahh…. happy family =)
What a great story!!
I love those cupcakes, so cute!!
Happy Father’s day to your dad too!
Those are darling!
what a sweet story, those cupcakes are cute too :)
Oh my goodness – these are too cute!!
Now this looks like something I should give my Big Bear.
Susan
Over at “RaisinToast“
So cute….and a great story to go along with the great photo and recipe! Will be passing this one along to my sister.
aww that’s so sweet! the cupcakes are soo cute!
how cute are those?!
Omgosh!! These are incredible! Your work is amazing!!!
This is a GREAT idea..I first saw these on familyfun and was going to make them for my kiddie cooker class for fathers day but ended up getting sick and my sub doesnt like to do anything too hard, this is not I know but to her is! Anyhow I am going to make these with the kids tonight in honor of summer instead! GREAT story btw…I too am the same way. I am a newly engaged single mom and my kids always come first. I spoil them as much as I possibly can before I even do anything for myself. I have not bought me a SINGLE item of clothing brand new since my divorce a few yrs ago. I used to get pedis and manis all the time and I dont anymore. Though my new MIL treated me to one when she came to visit. Anyhow the point is…I always take care of my children before I take care of myself. Sometimes a little too much but the smiles on their faces and the way they look at me is all worth it. They are my angels that got me through a terrible time and a rough divorce.
Parents sacrifice alot for us and I know mine did…I do the same for mine making sure they have a GREAT childhood!
hi chrissy – thank you for sharing your story. your children are very lucky to have a such a caring and loving mother. you can be sure you are shaping their childhood memories with joy and happiness. i think it’s a great idea to make the cupcakes in honor of summer (YAY!) and i hope you and your kids have as much fun making them as i did!
Here’s to all to all the daddies – lovely story and AWESOME cupcakes!
Omg…that is so cute!
[…] Lawnmower cupcakes: by Kiss My Spatula […]
[…] the cupcake loving dads! Do you need a last minute Father’s Day cupcake idea? How about these lawnmower coconut cupcakes that Kiss My Spatula tweeked from Martha Stewart. Made from died coconut and a variety of candy […]