Restaurant review: Pure DeLite Guilt-Free Cupcakery packs all the sexy with just half the calories

by Jayme Campbell of Confection Confessions

Don't expect a sugar bomb; Pure DeLite's sweet treats are light and subtle.

Photo by Jayme Campbell

Top: Monkey Business cupcake, Chocolate Cream Pie cupcake; Center: Pumpkin cake ball; Bottom: Caramel Latte macaron, Cherry Almond Jubilee cupcake

CARROLLTON — A few weeks ago, I was driving down Park/Hebron and saw a sign for cupcakes. You know my brain is classically trained to spot all things sweet. I saw that the sign said “Guilt Free Cupcakery.” I laughed a little and mumbled something about my large thighs, and immediately pulled up their website on my phone. I was amazed at the array of flavors they have, and even offer Vegan and Gluten Free Options. When I saw that they even had their calories posted, I was ecstatic. But one very important question remained, do they taste good?

Due to my incessant love of sweets, I have to forfeit all refined sugar and simple carbs 6 days a week. Unless I’m traveling, I have that one gloriously indulgent day. So, needless to say, I was excited about finding something that I could possibly allow myself to indulge in any day of the week.

I couldn’t wait to see what these guilt free cupcakes tasted like, but I was also wondering if I was setting myself up for disappointment. I stopped by last Thursday and selected a Monkey Business Cupcake, Chocolate Cream Pie Cupcake, Cherry Almond Jubilee Cupcake, a pumpkin cakeball, and caramel latte macaron.

Each cupcake is about half the calories, fat and sugar of most bakery cupcakes. Not to mention, they use all natural ingredients. Each of the cupcakes I bought clocked in at less than 240 calories.

With my love of macaroons, I hardly got out of the parking lot before devouring this guilt free treat. The macaron was huge and rivaled the over-sized Bouchon Macarons you can find at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery. The filling was ample and I was delighted by the subtle sweetness. The filling is pretty much on par with the frosting on the cupcakes. It is lighter, almost like a whip cream frosting, but tastes every bit of butter-cream. Once you get used to the new texture on your treats, it is a delightful difference.

Photo by Jayme Campbell

The huge Caramel Latte Macaron is a dream come true.

The cake ball was huge as well. Inside was a spicy pumpkin cake that tasted every bit as indulgent as a regular cake ball. The outside was dipped in milk chocolate.

As far as the cupcakes go, my favorite was the Monkey Business. This cupcake was a banana cake that was slightly denser, making it almost like banana bread; and I happen to like that. It was topped with vanilla frosting.

The Chocolate Cream Pie was my next favorite. For me, the only sweet I can overdo it with and get burnt out on is chocolate. Meaning, if you put 10 cupcakes in front of me that are chocolate based, and 10 that are anything else, I will easily get through the non-chocolate cupcakes with room to spare. However, one chocolate cupcake and I am usually at my limit. This chocolate cupcake was on the lighter side and I enjoyed that. It was a smooth chocolate cake with a lighter chocolate mousse filling, vanilla frosting and pie crust topping.

Lastly we had the Cherry Almond Jubilee, which is an almond cake with dark cherries baked in, vanilla frosting, and slivered almonds on top. For someone who is a lover of all things almond flavored, I was most looking forward to this one. It was a delicious cupcake, and the tart fresh cherries, made for an excellent surprise. However, it just did not have the punch of almond flavor I had hoped for.

Overall, I was beyond thrilled with Pure DeLite. I already have plans to go back tomorrow with a friend who has celiac and must eat Gluten Free. Don’t go in to Pure DeLite expecting to have a sugar bomb of a cupcake go off in your mouth. The frosting is lighter, and certainly less sweet. The cake has a way of slightly sticking to the wrapper due to the lack of preservatives and natural sweeteners. However, I did not have the slightest problem eating the remaining cake off of the wrapper.

All I have to say is that the Holidays are in full swing, and you know you’re going to put on a few lbs of turkey and pie next week. Just remember when you’re trying to eat healthy to fit into that holiday dress, Pure DeLite is a must.