Dulce Vida Cakes & Pastries

I love their Bacon Jalapeño Biscuits and the Bear Claw, its worth the pit stop before work and sometimes not always open on the day you have enough time to visit, but worth the gander to look.
A bit expensive but the flavor and the fullness it gives is better.
It is a must try for those wanting something other than krispy kremes and other pastry chains.

Stopped by to do some studying and grab some lunch with my partner. There were plenty of seats to choose from. The couch and coffee table worked great for us. The owner was very polite and made sure we had everything we needed. April suggested that I try the meat-​lovers quiche and the cheesecake. Both of which were delicious. The coffe, the food, and the people were awesome. I will definitely spread the word about this place!

We always drive past this bakery and never thought to stop in. One day we did, and we were pleasantly surprised! The interior is cosy, and the person behind the desk was so friendly. The pastries were amazing — very light, with just the right amount of flavor. I would definitely go back for more — its a pleasant change from the chains in Killeen.

10% off discount on breakfast pastry item with Unilocal Check-​in. She even has a Happy Hour Special for buy one get one free between 3 – 5 pm on certain days. The pastries were creative and really good! There is a coffee bar with a decent selection that is handy for take-​out as well as a nice seating area both indoors and out. The interior is very cutely decorated. She also boasts a nice lunch deal, so you’re definitely not limited to desserts/​pastries — I thought that was a pretty creative touch to add to the bakery. Nice little place in Florence!

They were Three Stars Nice and Five Stats Apologetic, but some rotation of inventory is de rigueur in the Bakery biz.
Cupcakes probably were good at the «Romney Wins» party for which they were made.
Cute place. hoped for better.

The wraps were so good. We had the southwestern and it was the best wrap I’ve ever had. The salted caramel cupcake was delish! The tea was horrible and they were out of soup at 1 pm. The man working was very friendly and helpful but the woman was not.

I REALLY wanted to like this place… really really did.
First let’s start with the building… they repainted over very old sign for a plumbing company that was in Florence ages ago… wish they wouldn’t have… gave the building some character. They did paint it very professionally on the front of the building and though not my taste it looks great… but then they decided to paint the side of the building facing the street with garish/​cartoonish drawings of cupcakes and writing. Looks HORRIBLE! Wish they would repaint over it!
My husband and I decided to surprise our daughter with a cupcake one Saturday afternoon. This was our first trip there and I was SO disappointed.
Here are some of my observations:
*The service was so so… not many people there and they were out of bottled water? And then they couldn’t get me a glass of tap water?
*The cupcake was no better than the one’s I can make from a mix at home. Super small, super tasteless… and the frosting… well it was also tasteless and almost tasted like sugared flour.
*The ambience inside is nice, and it is very clean.
*the prices were reasonable
I have not tried their other baked items and I could be completely wrong about this place.
I wish them well, as I do any small business in a small town, but I don’t think we will be going back.

One of my clients came in for a hair appointment this morning with two delicious boxes of goodies from DV. Pistachio cupcakes and chocolate muffins! They were a hit :) Will definitely be picking up some sweets for a few parties I have coming up! :-)

I just thought I would update my review of my favorite bakery!
Wow, their double chocolate muffin is divine! Pop it in the microwave for a few seconds so the chocolate chips are all melty… with a cuppa coffee, perfect! (it’s so rich, I can only eat half, great for a treat later!) I also had a bite of their caramel pecan scone this morning… It reminded me of a pecan sandie, but better of course. It was crumbly but moist with little pieces of pecan inside and the perfect amount of sweetness, and the caramel drizzled on top added a nice touch…
I tried their Italian cream cupcake last week… Pretty darn good, but what can I say, I’m a sucker for cream cheese icing and anything coconut!
I also wanted to say their confections are so pretty! I will have to take a pic of some things and upload it for all to see… I bought a blue Hawaiian cupcake (I haven’t tried it yet) yesterday and it is so pretty! A work of art.
I get so much pleasure out of a 5 minute stop to Dulce Vida. Not only are all their treats tasty and nice to look at too, it’s so nice to talk to Angela. I feel very welcome at their cozy place and feel like I have gained a friend in these last few months of knowing her! I am so happy I decided to stop in to this little bakery in Florence.

We went in to investigate the new location. The old bakery had been in a tiny house next door to the north. With the new spacious location they now have several tables to use to linger over breakfast and treats. We ordered quiches and jalepeno biscuits. They did NOT serve regular coffee and only had some type of pecan vanilla smelling brew so definite points off for that. I just made myself a cup of earl gray tea. Still not a bad cup to go with breakfast. There is a little self service drink station with a selection of cups on the wall that you can pick for a «for here» order, and the usual coffee condiments to dress it up. She has a self server for unsweetened tea if you prefer. A cooler with chilled sodas and water is next to it. There should definitely be a juice and a milk option though for folks who bring in their little ones. And, those who prefer milk with their cookies.
The bakery case was full of a nice looking assortment of goodies: cupcakes, cookies, mini cakes and quiches. A few different types of scones too. We tried two types of quiches: the southwestern and the spinach bacon feta. The problem with them is that she warmed them in a microwave and quiche is much better warmed in an oven. My spinach quiche was just ok, with nice huge bits of bacon chunks in it but not a very good flavor. The southwestern quiche was delicious. The cheese jalapeño biscuits were really terrific. We did not try the sweets yet. We will try them another time. They look gorgeous.
Some observations I have are that the bakery is newly opened and she is still working out what she should serve and what folks like. She wants to get the local crowd in since the Florence overpass will eliminate one-​off drive bys and any Killeen commuters who don’t realize that she’s there. If people do know about the bakery and her offerings suit them then I believe they will find it is worth pulling off the highway for. The prices are extremely reasonable. The quality of the baked items seems fine. There is no annoying television or blaring radio to chase you off if you want to relax with a newspaper or book. I do not know if she has wi-​fi or is planning on offering it.
She has a good basic bakery case setup. From my viewpoint I think she needs a GOOD basic coffee selection and it would not hurt to add an espresso machine. I would also add fresh fruit options. And, there are many small town Texas bakeries that also have tortillarias. People will enjoy having the bakery to go to in this small town as an alternative from the mexican food restaurants and gas station fare if she can widen her drink selection a bit and improve the quiche or the equivalent breakfast sandwich offering.
Regardless, we will be back to try out the sweets another time…

My husband, my 2 kids and I went in one Saturday a few months back and each of us got a different kind of cupcake… we were pretty disappointed. They were all very dry and heavy… almost like a corn bread texture. The icing was good but that was about it. I have heard wonderful things about their cinammon rolls and quiche so I will def. go back and give them a try. I always believe in giving places a second chance!!!