Each morning, Evanston’s Cake Pop and Roll bakery prepares a fresh batch of handcrafted cake pops with custom designs and unique flavors. 

Evanston resident Mayra Jackson launched Cake Pop and Roll in 2018. She began baking in her home on Chicago’s West Side, creating faces and mimicking different characters in her food like dinosaurs or Harry Potter crests. When Jackson moved to Evanston in 2019, she brought her business alongside her to its storefront at 1808 Dempster St. 

About a year later, she fell ill and found herself hospitalized and unable to continue working regularly. 

Ivette Camarano, Jackson’s sister, was able to continue the family business. While Camarano still refers to her sister as “the cake pop queen,” she has practiced to perfect her own cake pop-making skills.  

“I can make a cake pop taste like a caramel apple. Different characters, different shapes, different flavors,” Camarano said. “We have everything.”

Cake Pop and Roll specializes in customized cake pops and offers a variety of flavors including chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, pineapple, red velvet, lemon and pumpkin spice. The menu also includes other handcrafted baked goods like cinnamon rolls and chocolate cookies. 

Camarano is known for her cake designs and said she likes to demonstrate that what can be done on canvas can also be done with icing and batter. Her designs range from Japanese cherry blossoms to pigs to Christmas presents. 

“They’re like art,” customer Jill Miller said. “Mayra is an artist and Ivette has her own creativity.”

Cake Pop and Roll has worked on dozens of community events over the past couple of years, including one where it presented unique cake pop designs that included custom characters and special messages. Camarano said the bakery was even able to custom-create a bacon-wrapped cake pop for Chicago’s Beer and Bacon Walk.

“It’s cool to see how small businesses are able to execute such creative, large-scale ideas,” Weinberg sophomore Leanne Shabtai said.   

Cake Pop and Roll is currently only fulfilling orders over the phone or via Grubhub for delivery. 

Shabtai said that stopping in the local storefront is a positive experience. Not only are the employees super friendly, but she always leaves content with her purpose and excited for her decadent treat. 

“They’re the perfect little pop of sweet after any meal,” Shabtai said. “I had no idea that dessert in such small sizes could taste so good.” 

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