The Place: Gigi's Cupcakes, 3810 Neptune St, B-2
The Flavors: Amaretto Amore, Banana Cream Pie, Champagne, Carrot Cake, Miss Princess and White Midnight Magic Choc. Chip.
The Conclusion: This place has mountains of icing and beautiful, crazy-flavored cupcakes. Try the Amaretto Amore. Buy the Banana Cream Pie ones in bulk.
The Drawback: Gigi's is a chain, a franchise. I prefer to support mom and pop shops like Frostings, just a couple miles over.
You might go to Gigi's Cupcakes if you are on a Girls Day Out. Or if you're running with a pack of bridesmaids. Or if you're a princess. Definitely if you're a princess. Gigi's is very girly.
On a recent trip to Tampa, two girlfriends and I came right up to the edge of a sugar coma and teetered there for a minute. One step further was the point of no return; one more cupcake test, we'd be in shock.
Leaving St. Pete on 275-N, bound for the midlands of SC, we exited on Kennedy and flew down Dale Mabry , hitting the brakes for a hard right on Neptune. And there she was – Gigi's Cupcakes. In all her Girly Girl splendor. Cute mugs, cute T's, cute necklaces. Sparkly cupcakes, pink ruffly icing, a pearly white cupcake with the word “wedding” in the title. The stuff that ends with "and they lived happily ever after."
I plopped my debit card down and ordered
Next we sampled Connie's Amaretto Amore (Pictured below with most of the cake cut off). Creamy amaretto cream cheese icing littered with slivered almonds. I don't like crunchy and creamy together, so I wasn't fond, but the girls loved this cupcake. Connie took two bites, slammed her hands down with a long moan and went back to order 4 more to take home, three of which survived the drive.
Jennifer let us sample her champagne cupcake. White champagne cake with cream cheese icing, edible pearls (insert girly squeal here), and white chocolate. Moist and creamy, but still... not our favorite. She returned to buy a Banana Cream Pie cupcake to take home. Home, by the way, was an 8.5 hour drive away. We kept the car chilled to a nipper 62 degrees and covered up with wraps, scarves and blankets. Anything to preserve the cupcakes. Below? Yeah, our "to-go" order.
Around hour #5 of driving, we dipped our fingers in the Banana Cream Pie cupcake icing (a buttercream frosting) and nearly fainted. “Why the heck didn't I get that one?” I screamed. That icing tasted exactly like banana pudding. Note to self: Get the Banana Cream Pie cupcake no matter how stuffed you are.
Also around hour 5 of driving, we decided to eat Connie's Carrot Cake cupcake. I gagged. Lumps and chunks throughout, ugh. Strings of coconut hanging out, stings of carrot and chunks of pecan. I let the girls finish it. Connie said it's OK, but the icing was the best part. Jenn shook her head, “No, the cake is better than the icing.” Neither one would order it again.
We managed to get home without touching the Princess' cupcake. Miss Princess is a white cake with strawberries baked in, cream cheese frosting with pink sparkly sugar on top and a fondant crown. My Princess said it was wonderful, she loved it and I did not get a sample, not even a crumb.
I wish I had tried the Strawberry Shortcake and I wish they had served their Raspberries & Cream cupcake – white cake with a raspberry filling, raspberry buttercream frosting sprinkled with white nonperils and topped with a white chocolate heart. That's scheduled for Wednesdays, I was there on a Monday. Road trip, anyone?
Click here to see Gigi's full flavor menu.
Click here to find a Gigi's near you.
Www.GigisCupcakesUSA.com
You can find a location near you on Facebook, as well.
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