• the217
• Food + Drink
• Ace of cakes: Rosie Trimble combines artistry and baking

Related Media

• See Slideshow (2 images)

Food is often at the center of any celebration, and nowhere does this ring truer than at a wedding. Second only to the bride herself, the wedding cake is the topic of discussion at the reception. How it looks, and more importantly how it tastes, will leave a lasting impression on guests, and therefore can either make or break a reception. So when CU brides-to-be want a wedding cake with pristine presentation and a great taste, they go to Rosie Trimble.

With 27 years of experience and passion for creating, Trimble’s mission is to make each and every one of her clients’ dreams come true. Though there is nothing understated about the cakes she makes, Trimble’s inspiration to begin baking has rather humble roots. She was not drawn into the artistry of cake decorating by watching hours of the Food Network, nor was it passed down from previous generations of cake bakers. Rather, she said she began baking out of boredom when her kids started school full time.

“That’s when I started tinkering around, not sure where I was headed with it,” said Trimble. “I started out making cookies and painting those .... The kids liked them so that encouraged me to go on.”

Trimble eventually took a job at Jerry’s IGA in Champaign. There, her interest in cake decorating flourished as she watched a friend construct cakes in the bakery. Trimble slowly began learning the skills of cake construction with her friend’s help, and eventually started making them herself.

“I just was in awe of what [my friend] could do,” said Trimble. “So I started bordering cakes and icing them for her. Next thing you know, I was making them.”

In 1992, Trimble opened her own business, Wedding Cakes by Rosie. She took a short break after moving, but has since re-opened her business in the basement of her house.

Trimble said her skills in baking, icing and decorating come from a combination of attending numerous workshops and self-teaching. She said part of the key to her knowledge of different techniques was acquired by attending every workshop in the area she could, even if she already knew the techniques being taught.

“I would go whether I needed to know it or not just to see what different peoples’ techniques were,” she said. “Everyone has different techniques.”

However, while Trimble credits some of her skill to workshops, the recipes for the cakes and fillings are all her own.

“I just play around with the recipes until I get what I like. That’s how I go about doing it,” said Trimble.

Trimble has over 20 unique recipes for cake, with flavors ranging from standard vanilla and milk chocolate to black walnut and strawberry poppy seed. She also has eight unique filling flavors, also all her own recipes as well. Trimble holds taste-testings every third Friday of the month in order to ensure her clients are getting exactly what they want. It’s that personal, one-of-a-kind touch is what keeps clients coming back for more.

“My sister used her when she got married ... so when I was getting married my mom said let’s use her again,” said Rebecca Eller, a previous client of Trimble’s. “The cakes were great. I had a white cake with a raspberry filling and that was fabulous. I had some left over and I brought it home and was still eating it the week after.

Nancy Brombaugh, the mother of one of Trimble’s clients, said that Trimble’s attention to detail and professional demeanor helped make her daughter’s wedding reception memorable.

“When people came into the reception area, the cake was the first thing they saw,” said Brombaugh. “I just think [the cake] was nicely done, elaborate. The bride was very pleased.”

However, though Trimble said she does get joy out of pleasing her clients, she said her true delight comes at a more personal level.

“I get the satisfaction of seeing how pretty the cakes turn out,” said Trimble. “It’s just fun.”