After working in bakeries since age 16 and studying baking and pastry arts throughout high school and college, Ryan Mason has finally opened a bakery of his own in downtown Easton. Cake & Corolla, located at 125 N. 3rd St., opened over the summer in July. 

Mason opened his sit-down bakery café after realizing that working as a pastry chef in the restaurant industry wasn’t his passion.

“I wanted to express myself on a plate,” Mason said, rather than doing book work and ordering ingredients.

“It’s always been my passion since I was younger,” he said, “so I finally took the plunge and did it.”

Cake & Corolla offers a variety of baked goods as well as gluten-intolerant items, although he warned that his gluten-intolerant options weren’t made in a gluten free kitchen. The bakery also offers both ready-made and custom flower bouquets.

The bakery’s enormous cinnamon buns, which measure around six inches in diameter and are almost four inches thick, are made fresh daily.

“They’re pretty intense and very popular,” he said. “We’ve had people come in their first day and come back for seconds.”

With Valentine’s Day fast-approaching, Mason is offering chocolate-covered strawberries, sugar cookies that reveal heart-felt messages when broken open, and a signature chocolate box filled with homemade chocolates. Bakery treats like brownie bites, chocolate truffles, and chocolate-covered pretzels are also available for customers.

“We try to have fun,” he said, “we don’t keep the vibe too serious around here: just promote positive energy.”

The bakery-café is entirely geared toward the Easton community. Mason wants to “provide a comfortable atmosphere, a very relaxed, very at-home, especially geared toward college students.”

To attract this audience, he keeps flexible opening hours which draws in a large night crowd and adds to the uniqueness of Cake & Corolla.

“We definitely want the college students to utilize that time. We’ll be here, we’re open if you have to study and cram or do whatever you want to do,” Mason said. 

He said the bakery is “geared towards the every-day person no matter their goal.” The bakery-café is equipped with USB ports, WiFi, and even a room for meetings or study groups.

“It’s more of a hang out area. I’m not one to push people to buy… I just want it to be a very positive atmosphere,” said Mason. 

“It’s my dream and what-not, but I geared this towards the college students,” he said. “We have a fun latte corner, which we purchased for the students. You can send photos or text messages and print it right on the foam of your latte. We do have the Lafayette logo and the Easton logo ready to go to be printed, just fun things,” he added.

With his dreams finally recognized, Mason also aims to give Lafayette students and the Easton community the opportunity to pursue their passions just as he did.

“I’m looking to eventually have art students come in and do art shows and things like that because my goal is to inspire people to chase their dreams just like I’m living my dream,” Mason said. 

According to Mason, he has already been asked about hosting a calligraphy class at Cake & Corolla.

“I’m all about helping people succeed at their dreams and doing what they’re passionate about because the world is crazy, the world is toxic, and it’s not always that easy, but if I can be that platform to open a new door for someone, that’d be awesome,” he said. 

Mason encourages any students in the arts program or who are interested in sculpting to visit Cake & Corolla and explore any interest in creating fondant flowers. Mason is also willing to create internships around this.

According to Mason, he hopes to one day open more bakery locations.

“I’d like to keep this location as the brick and mortar, like this is where it began, this is where it was born,” he said.