There’s nothing more scary for a car owner. You’re traveling down the road and you hear an ambiguous noise. You know the one.
The noise that happens intermittently as your driving blissfully along, the one that strikes fear in your heart and then you don’t hear it for days. And just as your lulled into a sense of complacency, it happens again.
You start to think you are hearing things. You ask your daughter, “Did you hear that weird “pinking” noise?!”
She did, so you know you’re not losing your mind. At least in this case.
You ask her to climb around in the back of the car in the parking lot, just to make sure there isn’t some strange animal in the car…you do live in the country after all. Nothing.
Days later you hop in your freezing cold car and while warming up and sitting at the light, there it is again!
You turn off your heat, you turn off the car stereo and strain to catch it…knowing you are going to have to drop the car off to your mechanic with a vague, “It’s making a strange “ping” noise but only once and awhile and very randomly. good luck!”
After a week of “pinging” and “pinking” you drive cautiously waiting for your axle to fall off or a stray squirrel to make it’s way out from under the back seat.
Then a snowstorm comes and you decide, on this snowy day, it’s a good time to make those Bird’s Nest Cupcakes in Mason Jars you’ve been envisioning. So you ask your daughter to grab that flat of mason jars you’ve had in the back of the car for a week.
She treks out through the mounds of cold snow and plops the flat of jars down on the warm kitchen counter….and as you turn to put the cupcakes in the oven…
…you hear it.
The distinctive “ping. pink. ping” of a dozen mason jars lids sealing….the sound of you saving $1,000 in car repairs and a whole lot of embarrassment.
Here’s how to make your own Bird’s Nest Cupcakes in Mason Jars layered with white cake, lemon curd, apricot-pineapple preserves and cream cheese frosting. Topped with toasted coconut…it’s a true spring treat!
Bird's Nest Cupcakes in Mason Jars! A perfect way to celebrate spring!
Ingredients
- (18.25-ounce) package white cake mix
- 3 egg whites
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 (16-ounce) jar apricot-pineapple preserves
- 1/2 cup lemon curd (2.12)*
- 1 (16-ounce) container cream cheese frosting
- 1 (6-ounce) package flaked coconut, toasted
- Hershey candy coated eggs, blue
- 1/2 pint mason jars
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Beat first 5 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 30 seconds or just until moistened; beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Pour batter into cupcake liners in muffin pans. Will make approximately 24 cupcakes
- Bake for 16-18 minutes. Cupcakes are done when center springs back. Do not overbak
- Allow to cool on wire rack
- While cupcakes are cooling, spread coconut in even layer on cookie sheet or baking pan and toast for about 10 minutes until light brown. Stir occasionally while toasting. Cool
- Place one cupcake upside down in each mason jar. Top with a Tablespoon of lemon curd and spread to cover cupcake. Pipe frosting to cover lemon curd. Top with Tablespoon of toasted coconut
- Add another cupcake right side up. Top with Tablespoon of preserves and spread to cover. Pipe frosting on top to cover completely and form a slight mound. Press in toasted coconut to make "nest" using thumb to gently press in indentation. Place three candy eggs in middle
- Repeat for each jar. Will make approximately 8 servings.
This post is part of the fabulous “It’s A Spring Thing” Blog Hop and Party!
Have you seen the other amazing projects this week?! Cupcakes & Crinoline served us up some of her beautiful lemon blueberry cake, Dear Lillie showed off her fabulous spring dining room, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia shared a darling painted scrapwood sign and Simply Klassic Home taught us how to create an easy spring centerpiece!
Be sure to hop over to visit Shannon from Fox Hollow Cottage tomorrow for the next stop on our fabulous It’s a Spring Party!
We’re also excited to be joining these other amazing bloggers later in the hop!
Debbie from Debbiedoo’s, Heather from Setting for Four, Angelina from JoJo & Eloise, Vanessa from At the Picket Fence, Maryann from Domestically Speaking, KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms, Courtney from French Country Cottage, and Jennifer from Jennifer Rizzo.
Be sure to follow along and on March 18 we’ll all be hosting one HUGE It’s a Spring Thing! Linky Party where you can link up your spring and Easter posts. Hope you’ll join us!
See you back here soon…at the picket fence.
Sharing over at JoJo and Eloise
These look delicious! 🙂 Pictures look great!
What a cute idea! The car problem would so happen to me. The first trip I really took on my own without my parents at the age of nineteen, we’re in Vermont, long way from Maryland where Mom and Dad are and we heard a noise, and it was everytime you went up a mountain, scare to death that my car’s going to break down so far from home. It was something that was rolling around in the ashtray, when ashtrays were still included in cars and were metal, while relieved felt so stupid. Love the idea, I think I’ll use it for Easter, but I think I might make individual coconut cream pies since I’ve already had a request for them.
What beautiful cupcakes. I love that they are contained in little mason jars and the nest on top is perfection!
Mary Beth
Hahahaha. You and Kari write the best posts! I love the story about the plinking mason jars. And I definitely have to make these!
Very clever Heather to layer the cupcakes like that! This looks so delish in every way! The little eggs just take this recipe over the top in a gourmet way!
These are beautiful, I love them!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I have had that experience with the car years ago and it is scary, frustrating and you truly wonder if you are hearing things.
Cynthia
These are so cute! They really make me excited for spring to come.
That is totally something I would do!! I freak out over the littlest sounds and I’me sure my car is falling apart! LOL
This recipe looks delicious. Wish I’d seen it yesterday – I would have added it to my cake mix features (which I did add your carrot cake shots to btw) 🙂
These are BEYOND Adorable and Fun!! Love everything about them. Now if only I could TASTE them {*Wink*}. Lovely pictures as always!
xo
Angelina
Yum! These look amazing! Perfect for Easter! Hope you have a blessed weekend,
Kathy
OMGoodness!!! My comment made it!!! YIPEE, YAHOO!! 🙂
HAHA! I just was going to say something to you…it’s a blogging miracle! 😉
Heather
Love the adorable cupcakes! Wish we could be together for Easter.
Mom XX00
P.S So glad your car is OK!
I LOVE these!!! Featured them in a Spring Craft round-up on my blog today! SO cute!!
xo, Claire
Hello Heather
WOOW……Thanks for sharing this……
I just SMILE 🙂
and do not miss…
SATURDAY SHOW OFF
it is FUN
Welcome
Håkan ( The Roseman)
Oh Heather! These are the cutest, most darling things EVER!!!!!! LOVE, LOVE THEM!!! 😀
Oh my goodness! These are the cutest things! My girls would LOVE them!
yummy AND adorable!!! pinning these cuties!
These are adorable! Hmmm…..now what would the repair guy said if you actually went in, good thing it didn’t have to go there.
XO
Kristin
Very very cute and sound delicious too! So glad the car didn’t have a problem!!
BEAUTIFUL photos!!! I want to try this…so cute!!
Blessings~
Ok..can we talk…about how INCREDIBLY CUTE these are!! LOVE!!! 😉 Bonnie
These are too stinkin’ cute! And they look delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
First, I LOVE the photography in this post. My favorite picture is the one that is included in the printable recipe.
Now, I could empathize with every ping and pink. We went out of town this weekend and just as we got to our destination, we started hearing a “something rubbing something” kind of sound. The brakes maybe? We started to stress at the idea of a new brake job or something more expensive. Once we parked at the hotel, my husband got out and checked. It was just the fender (where it’s loose from my husband running into a fire hydrant..that’s another story) hanging a little low and rubbing against the tire. He was able to move it out of the way. I’m sure you can relate to the sense of relief that washed over us.
Oh my goodness…did someone say coconut!~ These are the most delicious, darling treats ever seen!~ I just shared them on my facebook wall for breakfast. As they say in Ireland, this is Brilliant!~ We leave tomorrow, can you tell I am a bit excited.
These look AMAZING! Love the colors and the little eggs on top. Coconut is a personal fav of mine, so I’ll definitely be trying these! 🙂
That is a funny story — only funny because it wasn’t a serious car issue, however! The cupcakes in a jar are so darn cute and sound delicious! Mason jars just make everything more wonderful!
Carol
What a sweet idea! Very cute!
These birds nest coconut cupcakes are so cute! I hope you both are doing GREAT! XO, Aimee
Those are absolutely adorable … the perfect spring dessert!
This the most adorable dessert and your photos are beautiful. I discovered your site through the blog hop. You have a new follower on bloglovin.
Wow! Thank you Dawn! So glad you found us, appreciate your sweet words. 🙂 ~Heather
was laughing so hard at your story, my husband had to read it! He thought it was hysterical too! Looks like great cupcakes, was looking for something fun for Easter.