Whiz Biz: Frosting on Top

Whiz Biz: Frosting on Top

Owner: Tina Trisler

Website: frostingontop.net

E-mail:tina@frostingontop.net

Phone: 949-433-8895

What Makes it So Awesome: From cupcakes to Bundt cakes, there’s no order too big or small for this local baker. Her delicious goods are truly one of a kind, and word is spreading faster than frosting.

What’s the Scoop: Tina Trisler grew up in Indiana, where baking was a huge part of her family’s life. After her husband Terry’s job with the Marines brought them to California years ago, Tina found work at California Coast University. She spent 25 years in the corporate world before quitting to pursue the love of her childhood: baking. And just 1 1/2 year ago, she made her dream a reality when she started Frosting on Top. Since then, business has boomed, and she hasn’t looked back. “I used to work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. I just love the flexibility I have now,” says Tina. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

When it came to choosing a name for the business, Tina gathered her friends and asked them for help. “We came up with about ten names and then narrowed it down to Frosting on Top," she says. "It just stuck.” Tina’s cupcakes are her specialty, but she also offers cookies, Bundt cakes and homemade candies.

Tina operates out of a local health department-approved kitchen and has no intentions of opening a store front. “A store front really ties you down,” Tina explains. But that hasn’t deterred her success. Tina does little advertising, relying on referrals from her loyal customers. She recently set up a booth at the Taste of Ladera event and gained tremendous exposure there. “We brought 1,000 cupcakes and sold them all,” she says. She also joined several local Chambers of Commerce and has relied on the exposure she receives through them, too.

Uncorked, a wine bar in Rancho Santa Margarita, learned about Frosting on Top and now serves her cupcakes in their store. “The owner had tried other cupcakes but they weren’t quite what she was looking for,” says Tina. Uncorked offers her mini cupcakes as the dessert portion of their wine and appetizer menu.

Tina’s orders vary from personal ones to corporate offices to large weddings. “I sometimes make Bundt cakes for corporate attorneys,” she says. “It’s a nice way for them to thank their clients.”  As for weddings, Tina agrees that cupcakes have become increasingly popular over the past several years. Many clients set up a dessert bar, where a variety of sweets, including Tina’s mini-cupcakes, are served. She recently did a wedding reception in Dove Canyon Courtyard, where her cupcakes were a hit. Though most of Tina’s customers are local, she has customers all over the Southland.

In her spare time, Tina and her husband love to travel; their favorite spot is the Caribbean. They also enjoy playing Texas Hold ‘Em on Saturday nights with their friends. “I get to try out my new recipes on my friends when they come over,” she says. Tina and her husband have been married for 28 years and have two sons, Cory and Jordan. They make their home in Robinson Ranch. “I love living out there,” she says. “We were lucky to have purchased a nice sized property several years ago, and the rural feel of our street reminds me somewhat of the open land back in Indiana.”

What’s Unique:

Tina’s baked goods are reminiscent of your grandmother’s treats; one bite of moist deliciousness and there’s no turning back. Her cupcakes are reasonably priced: $12 for a dozen minis and $24 per dozen large sized. “I try to keep my prices affordable,” she says. Cupcake flavors are unique and include red velvet, strawberry lemonade, peanut butter and jelly, raspberry cheesecake, pumpkin cream cheese, banana cream pie and double chocolate cream cheese. When asked what the most popular flavors are, Tina quickly says, “Double chocolate cream cheese, and vanilla.” The cupcakes include either a delicious butter cream frosting or a cream cheese frosting. “Most people know immediately what they want,” she adds. “They’re either the butter cream type or the cream cheese type.”

Tina’s Bundt cakes are also popular with her customers. Her mini Bundt cakes include a beautiful flower on top and come in lemon and vanilla flavors; they run just $5. She also offers a variety of cookies, including customized sports cookies with kids’ names on them. Her donut holes are unlike any in the store; they’re whipped up with a light creamy center and include mouth watering flavors like banana cream, chocolate mousse and orange cream. They run $8 a dozen. Candies include candy bar brownies and Buckeyes, a perfect blend of peanut butter and chocolate goodness.

What’s New:  Frosting on Top now offers kids birthday parties. Kids of all ages can decorate several mini and larger size cupcakes, all the while learning special icing techniques and having fun. The parties require a minimum of eight kids; the cost is $25 per person. “I bring the party into your home,” says Tina. “I provide aprons for each person, and the birthday child gets their own larger cake.  It’s a lot of fun. We decorated Father’s Day cupcakes a while back, and even the older girls got into it.”

Tina  is currently working on getting her unique frosting into grocery stores. “My butter cream frosting is a mixture between sweet butter cream and light whipped frosting,” she says. She believes there is a real niche for tasty frosting and hopes this idea will someday become a reality.

Tina also recently sent in a video to The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars on TV. “We’ll see what happens with that,” she says with a smile. But Tina is already a local star with her unique treats at Frosting on Top; one bite and you’ll quickly see what all the fuss is about.