Coffee & Treats in Madison

Tracy Rice has a lot of words for her gourmet cupcakes: whimsical, elegant, rustic, high-end. She isn't wrong, but these one-of-a-kind treats fall under the umbrella of Cowgirl's most defining aspect: its creativity. It hasn't gone unnoticed, either.

Cowgirl's creations have wowed audiences of CMT and Food Network, and are regularly consumed by celebrities such as Miranda Lambert and Bret Michaels. Small batches emerge from ovens every day, with 27 unique flavors donning top hats of frosting made of rich vanilla-bean buttercream, vanilla-bourbon custard, and chocolate-espresso ganache.

Some treats crown themselves in signature garnishes, such as golden Buddhas on cupcakes, colorful flags that billow above moon pies, and cloaks of chocolate that cover Oreos. Cowgirl's confectionary artists can also create custom sugar work to celebrate occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and a baby's first thumbs-up.

Gleaning her baking skills from her mother and grandmother, Gigi's Cupcakes' eponymous owner opened her first cupcake hub in 2008, drawing upon her entrepreneurial spirit and gift for crafting beautifully topped cupcakes. The franchised cupcakery now has 50 locations, each of which churns out 12 daily-rotating flavors that are made fresh every morning. The shop's selection of more than 40 flavors includes Canadian Maple, Southern Comfort, and Champagne—a bubbly-flavored base topped with an edible pearl. Patrons can pick out sweet treats from the daily selection or preorder them at least one day in advance online, by phone, or via singing telegram.