Faculty Syllabus

PSTR-2350 Wedding Cakes


Ellen Sternau


Credit Spring 2024


Section(s)

PSTR-2350-001 (77392)
LEC F 9:00am - 9:50am HLC HLC2 1318

LAB F 10:00am - 1:20pm HLC HLC2 1318

Course Information

Section Information

Course Name, Number, Section & Synonym PSTR-2350-001-77392
Course Description Skills, concepts, and techniques for preparing wedding cakes. Includes marzipan, plastic chocolate-rolled fondant, chocolate garnish, flower making, and royal icing piping work.
Instructional Method LEC
Location Highland Campus - HLC - HLC2 - 1318
Course Days & Times F 9:00am - 9:50am
Credits & Contact Hours 3 Credit Hours / 16 Contact Hours
Prerequisites Minimum grade of C in each course: CHEF 1205, CHEF 1301 (can be taken concurrently), IFWA 1317, PSTR 1301.
Instructional Method LAB
Location Highland Campus - HLC - HLC2 - 1318
Course Days & Times F 10:00am - 1:20pm
Credits & Contact Hours 3 Credit Hours / 64 Contact Hours
Prerequisites Minimum grade of C in each course: CHEF 1205, CHEF 1301 (can be taken concurrently), IFWA 1317, PSTR 1301.

Instructor Information

Name Ellen Sternau
ACC E-Mail Address ellen.sternau@austincc.edu
Office Location Highland Campus - building 2000 Room 1317.04
Office Phone Number 5122235185
Office Hours M 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Other Information Tuesday; 2:15pm-3:15pm, Wednesday; 3pm-5:00pm or by appointment
Course Requirements
  • Course Requirements

    COURSE DESCRIPTION:

    Skills, concepts, and techniques for preparing wedding cakes. Includes marzipan, molding chocolate-rolled fondant, chocolate garnish, flower making, and royal icing piping work.

     


Readings
  • Readings

    Reading Material:

    Professional Cake Decorating

    Edition: 2nd

    Publisher: Wiley

    ISBN: 9780470380093

     


Course Subjects
  • Course Subjects

     

    Date

    Class

    Lecture

    Lab

    Reading Homework

    Lab

    Recipe

    Day 1

    1/19

    Introduction to class/review

    Overview of class outline/ Cake Competition

     

    Safety/Sanitation

     

    Pick Shapes for Wedding Cake

    No Lab

    Start to think of shapes for Styrofoam Wedding Cake

     No Recipe

    Day 2

    1/26

    Business of designing the cake

     

    Fondant enrobing/ Royal Icing Piping

    Understanding how to design and create a cake with a customer

     

    Design Technology

     

    How to calculate size and cost

    Royal Icing Piping Techniques

     

    Rolled Fondant -

    Save for Next Week

     

    Textbook:

    Basic Piping Skills p.38-51, Royal Icing Design Skills p. 133-145

     

    https://chelsweets.com/cake-pricing-guide-how-to-price-a-cake/

    Lab #1

    Recipes:

    p. 347 Royal icing (full recipe)

     

    Recipes:

    p. 350- 1 1/2x Rolled Fondant - by hand - individual

    Day 3

    2/2

    Royal icing advanced decor

     

     

    no Lecture

     

    Demonstrate Rolled Fondant Technique for covering dummy cake

     

    Continue royal icing piping techniques/ flooding/feathering/string work/flowers

    Textbook:

    Covering a cake with rolled fondant p.16-32

    Advanced Piping Skills p.78-105, 191-213

     

     

    Lab #2

    Recipes:

    Royal icing (full recipe) all teams p. 347

    Gumpaste - posted in Module 2 - 1x recipe

     

     

    Day 4

    2/9

    Gumpaste Flowers/decor

    for wedding cake

    Roses from buds to full bloom, filler flowers

    Gumpaste Flowers

    Gumpaste flowers p.237-281

     

    Cake Designs due for Styrofoam Wedding Cakes

    Lab #3

    Recipes:

    Gum Glue recipe- module 2

    Day 5

    2/16

    Gumpaste Flower /Decor for Wedding Cakes

     

    Modeling Chocolate & Modeling Marzipan Decor

    (Optional)

     

    Learn proper ways to handle, work with and store Paste and finished products

     

    Learn How to Create Figures, Flowers and other decor pieces with modeling paste

     

     

    Lab #4

    Recipes: provided

     

    Modeling Chocolate - 1x  -if needed

     

    Marzipan Modeling Paste 1x -if needed

     

    Gumpaste (full recipe) if needed

     

    Day 6

    2/23

    Gumpaste Flower

    Styrofoam cake decor and practice

    No Lecture

    Begin making flowers for cakes

     

    Lab #5

    Recipes:

    no recipes

    Day 7

    3/1

    Gumpaste flower & Modeling Chocolate/

    Marzipan Decor

    No Lecture

    Continue cake decor and practice piping-individual help if needed 

    Make Rolled Fondant for Cakes

     

    Lab #6

    Recipes:

    p. 350  Rolled fondant - work individually - amount to be determined for your cake

     

    Day 8

    3/8

    Enrobe and begin decor on Cakes

     

    No Lecture

    Assess what is necessary to practice for your individual cake designs

     *****History of the Wedding Cake Paper Due/Trends in Wedding Cakes

    Lab #7

    Recipes:

    p. 347 Royal icing (full recipe) if needed

    3/15

    NO CLASS

    SPRING BREAK

     

     

     

    Day 9

    3/22

    Continue Working on Wedding Cakes

    No Lecture

     

    ****Design Project for 3 Tier Buttercream Cake Due

    Lab #8

    Recipes:

    p. 347 Royal icing (full recipe) all teams - if needed

    Day 10

    3/29

    Wedding Cakes - Final Day - Finish Decor

    No Lecture

     

    ******Completed Styrofoam cakes due

    Lab #9

    Recipes:

    p. 347 Royal icing (full recipe) all teams - if needed

    Day 11

    4/5

    Production for Practice Cakes

     

     

    Textbook:

    Review method for high ratio mixing method and muffin method for cakes

    Lab #10

    Recipes:

    hand out - High Yield Yellow Cake (full recipe) Teams of 2 - 1 cake each

    Day 12

    4/12

    Buttercream Cake Practice

    Understand the various techniques used to ice and finish a cake with buttercream

    Learn how to cut, fill, crumb coat and ice a buttercream cake

     

    Buttercream flowers

    Textbook:

    p. 6-15 - Review

    Lab #11

    Recipes:

    p. 333 Swiss Meringue Buttercream (1x recipe) - work individually

    Day 13

    4/19

    Buttercream Cakes & Buttercream

     

    Pastillage Plaques

     

    Learn what Pastillage is and how it is used in Pastry for design

     

    Basic recipe for pastillage

    Begin Buttercream Cake Production

     

    Cut Pastillage Plaques

    Textbook:

    p. 232-233 Pastillage

     

     

     

    Lab #12

    Recipes:

    p. 351 Pastillage -1/2x recipe

    Student Recs:

    Bring your recipes for your Cakes

    Day 14

    4/6

    Continue working on Buttercream Cakes

    No Lecture

    Work On Cakes

     

    Finish Pastillage Plaques

     

    Lab #13

    Recipes:

    Bring your recipes

    Day 15

    5/3

    Finish Buttercream Cakes

    No Lecture

    Work on Cakes

    ***Completed Cake Due

     

     

    Lab #14

    Recipes:

    Bring your recipes

    Day 16

    5/10

    Final Written/

    Cleaning

    No Lecture

    No Lab

     

     

     

     


Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives
  • Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

    Course Learning Objectives

     

    Prepare a variety of cakes to be masked; prepare a variety of specialty castings; mask wedding cakes with a variety of castings; demonstrate the construction/assembly of various wedding cakes.

     

    By the end of the course, students should be able to:

    • Set up a station for working with the various decor mediums and properly maintain the equipment used
    • Demonstrate critical safety and sanitation measures used for decor work
    • Identify ingredients and equipment used for decor work
    • Demonstrate improvement on piping skills through varies homework assignments
    • Assemble, ice, properly construct, and decorate a three tier wedding cake for service using the materials and techniques taught in class
    • Produce and demonstrate the proper technique for handling a variety of rolled decor media such as pastillage, gumpaste, marzipan, modeling chocolate, and rolled fondant
    • Use templates to make royal icing decor
    • Apply proper storage procedures for rolled decor materials
    • Produce and display a special occasion cake utilizing concepts covered and applied in precious course work

    Course Outcomes 

     

    • Use baker’s scales and specialized pastry tools and ingredients.
    • Work with various forms of chocolate in making desserts, candy and decorations.
    • Properly utilize pastry bags, paper cornets, and decorative tips.
    • Produce a range of European style custards, creams, tarts and pastries.
    • Bake various sponge cakes, assemble and decorate tortes, gateau & cake pastries.
    • Create individual and multi-portion European pastries using laminated & short dough.
    • Prepare ice creams, ices, and frozen or gelatin based refrigerated desserts.
    • Produce and work with buttercream, glazes, ganache, and fondants.
    • Create decorations using sugars, chocolate transfer sheets.
    • Develop professional skills and safe work habits.
    • Students will develop skills of accomplishing products in a timed matter.
    • Apply pastry shop techniques including recipe modifications; prepare laminated dough's, choux, pastries, meringues, creams, custards, puddings, and related sauces; and prepare a variety of hot soufflés, fritters, crepes, cobblers, crisps and assorted inlays to include sugars and chocolates.

College Policies

Office Hours

M 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Highland Campus - building 2000 Room 1317.04

NOTE Tuesday; 2:15pm-3:15pm, Wednesday; 3pm-5:00pm or by appointment

Published: 01/19/2024 08:30:06