The Font Feast Presents Mallowmint Cupcakes

So, I cheated a little bit this month. I swore to myself when I started this series that I would find the font first, and the recipe second, that I would wait until a beautiful font inspired me to make something tasty, that I’d let it all happen very naturally and organically. And that method has gone swimmingly for me so far, and in fact, a font did inspire this month’s recipe. The problem is that the font that inspired Mallowmint Cupcakes–a gorgeous, fluffy font named “Swirl”–isn’t actually developed yet. I saw a prototype of it on Pinterest and became obsessed with it! And I tried to find something exactly like it for this post, but there just isn’t anything like “Swirl.” Hopefully someday. For today, I found a fat, happy font that looks like marshmallows. It’s called “Cream Puff,” and reminds me of old-fashioned tins full of chocolate-covered Christmas delights–the perfect companion for sweet, peppermint cupcakes topped with gooey, marshmallow frosting, and topped with crushed peppermint and sparkling glitter!

Mallowmint Cupcakes Inspired by Cream Puff Font

for the cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

for the mallowmint frosting:
2 7-oz jars marshmallow fluff
2 sticks butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons peppermint extract
crushed candy canes
Disco Dust in Rainbow

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 30 muffin tins with cupcake papers. In a medium bowl, combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large measuring cup, add egg whites to whole milk and whisk to combine; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat sugar, butter, and peppermint until light and fluffy. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until combined, then beat in 1/2 of the milk mixture. Repeat until all flour and all milk has been added, then beat 2 minutes on medium speed to mix thoroughly. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18-23 minutes. Remove from oven, place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

While cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer (clean, of course!), combine marshmallow fluff and butter. Beat until combined. Add powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, and beat until frosting is smooth. Taste the frosting, and add up to 1 more teaspoon of peppermint extract if desired. Spoon frosting into a large pastry bag fitted with just the big, round coupler–no tip needed. When the cupcakes are cool, pipe a modest swirl of frosting onto the top of each cupcake. Avoid piping a huge pile of frosting on the cupcakes; it tends to “relax” as it sits, and you don’t want to have to scoop up the droopy bits! Just before serving, sprinkle generously with crush candy cane pieces and a pinch of Disco Dust! You might think the Disco Dust is unnecessary, but it takes these cupcakes from Ah! to AAAHHH!!!

About the author: Melissa writes about her adventures in food, family, and farming at Lulu the Baker. She develops recipes, cooks, and photographs for The Font Feast column.