Table Talk a look at Christmas Confections
Gigi’s Cupcakes
7918 Vaughn Road • Montgomery, AL 36116 334.356.3737
On Montgomery’s eastside you’ll find Gigi’s Cupcakes, a nationally franchised company, owned and operated by an energetic and enthusiastic Auburn-graduate couple. Jennifer and Patrick Cooper started with their first Gigi’s location in Auburn, quickly adding a second there, then a third in Montgomery, and a fourth location in Colombus, Ga. This holiday season, some of Gigi’s offerings, which change daily, will include these delicious cupcakes that I sampled: “Blackberry Cobbler,” “Coconut Macaroon,” “Pumpkin White Chocolate” and “Orange Cranberry Walnut.” Then there’s the “Kentucky Bourbon Pie Cupcake”—a decadent offering of a pecan pie cupcake, with chocolate chips and a Bourbonflavored frosting. This is a “Run for the Roses” winner. The “Blackberry Cobbler”, made with a blackberry sour cream cake and topped by a streuseled, blackberry buttercream frosting, keeps the berry flavor of summer moving right through the holidays, while the “Orange Cranberry Walnut” cupcake combines the holiday flavors of citrus for a simple and clean taste. 60
RSVP NOV/DEC 2012
And in case you can’t get through the holidays without some pumpkin lavishness, Gigi’s “Pumpkin White Chocolate” cupcake begins with a pumpkin spice cake base, white chocolate chips, and is topped with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. A Jack-O-Lantern never had it this good! Though the term “franchise” may give you the impression that the cupcake options are limited, Jennifer and her husband Patrick have more than 300 cupcake variations that are possible by changing the frosting and cake combinations. The popular “Snickderdoodle” cupcake became a menu regular after Jennifer combined the cinnamon swirl cake with cookie dough frosting. Festive decorations make Gigi’s Cupcakes a gift that needs no wrapping or fancy bow around its box—one peek inside will have the lucky recipient pondering which gem of a flavor to open first!