Some childhood pleasures die hard, even if you’re the one who has to slave away making mac ‘n cheese, fruit loop late night snacks, and PB& J  with the crusts cut off.  

Time to step away from artificial “food” and dine more sophisticatedly – and by that we mean Hokulani Bake Shop’s newly unveiled gourmet cupcake flavor: vanilla lilikoi cake topped with dreamy lemon cream cheese frosting. Like all of Hokulani’s 11 sweet varieties, it’s made with no artificial flavoring, hydrogenated oils, margarine, shortening, corn syrup or trans-fats – just 100 percent real cakes for you to snarf down guilt-free (well, almost).

Inspired by conversations with master sommelier Chuck Furuya, this is the first new flavor husband and wife team Tushar and Ana Dubey have created since last fall’s organic peanut butter frosting began topping scrumptious Guittard chocolate cake bases. Best of all, vanilla lilikoi launched as part of last month’s Hawai‘i Food Bank Great Chefs Fight Hunger benefit.

Cupcakes await for daily in-store pick up, but stop kidding yourself. Order a dozen, and mix and match with other varieties, like vanilla with chocolate cream cheese frosting, ginger, carrot spice, red velvet, or even Madagascar bourbon vanilla with Chantilly frosting. Delivery is free in 96813, but for a fee they’ll come out, come out, to wherever you are.

They make it effortless to eat like a kid again. 

Hokulani Bake Shop, Restaurant Row, 500 Ala Moana Blvd. #4-B , 808.587.7098