Course Synopsis:

The Diploma in Patisserie and Baking is a comprehensive hands-on programme designed to equip aspiring pastry chefs and bakers with practical skills and creative techniques required in the modern pastry and baking industry. This course blends classic pastry foundations with contemporary dessert artistry, giving students a solid grounding in breads, tarts, French pâtisserie, chocolate confections, high-tea creations, and cake design.

Learners will be trained to meet the expectations of upscale patisseries, hotels, cafés, and dessert establishments. From artisan breads to plated desserts, students will learn essential techniques through practice-focused modules led by industry professionals.

Course Objectives:

On completion of the course, learners will be able to:

1. Apply international food safety and sanitation standards in professional baking environments.
2. Demonstrate proficiency in preparing a wide variety of breads, pastries, and plated desserts.
3. Produce laminated, shortcrust, and enriched dough products with precision and consistency.
4. Create high-tea pastries and miniature desserts with refined finishing techniques.
5. Execute decorative and finishing methods such as piping, glazing, frosting, and garnishing.
6. Prepare confections and jelly-based desserts with a focus on texture, flavour, and design.
7. Construct classic and modern French pâtisserie with layered elements and decorative presentation.
8. Design and assemble plated desserts suitable for fine dining and boutique service.
9. Work confidently with chocolate to produce bonbons, ganache, and creative chocolate décor.
10. Design, build, and decorate celebration cakes using fondant, buttercream, and structural techniques.

Modules:

1. Food Safety and Sanitation in Baking

Introduces the principles of food safety and hygiene as applied in professional baking settings. Covers international standards and practices, including personal hygiene, allergen control, cleaning protocols, and contamination prevention. Frameworks such as HACCP are referenced as part of commonly used industry approaches.

2. Artisan and World Breads

Explores traditional and contemporary bread-making techniques from various cultures. Students learn to prepare a wide range of breads, including sourdough, ciabatta, baguettes, flatbreads, and enriched doughs, with emphasis on fermentation, shaping, and baking processes.

3. Tart, Pie & Viennoiserie Mastery

Focuses on mastering laminated and shortcrust doughs for products such as croissants, Danish pastries, tarts, and pies. Emphasizes dough handling, fermentation control, layering techniques, and precision in shaping and finishing.

4. High Tea and Miniature Pastry Creations

Covers the preparation of elegant miniature pastries and savoury items suitable for high-tea settings. Students will learn to craft tartlets, éclairs, scones, petit fours, and finger sandwiches, with attention to balance, flavour, and visual appeal.

5. Decorative Finishing and Garnishing Techniques

Develops advanced skills in finishing and presentation using techniques such as piping, glazing, frosting, and garnishing. Students apply these techniques across various pastry items to enhance aesthetics and product quality.

6. Creative Confectionery and Jelly Techniques

Introduces students to the world of confectionery and gelled desserts. Includes techniques for making candies, jellies, nougats, fruit gels, and sugar-based fillings, with a focus on flavour pairing, texture control, and visual design.

7. French Pâtisserie: Classic to Contemporary

Explores both traditional and modern French desserts such as entremets, mille-feuille, petit gâteaux, and opera cake. Emphasizes layered construction, mousse work, glazing, and decorative styling rooted in pâtisserie techniques.

8. Plated Desserts for Fine Dining

Teaches the art of modern plated desserts designed for restaurant and boutique service. Covers composition, balance of textures and flavours, temperature contrast, and techniques such as quenelles, tuilles, and sauce work.

9. Chocolate Confections and Decorative Techniques

Introduces the fundamentals of working with chocolate in pastry and dessert preparation. Students will learn how to temper chocolate, make ganache and bonbons, and create simple decorations like shards, curls, and piping. The focus is on proper handling, creative presentation, and practical uses of chocolate in baking and dessert work.

10. Celebration Cakes and Fondant Design

Covers the planning, design, and execution of customised cakes for weddings, birthdays, and events. Students learn stacking, carving, and working with fondant, buttercream, and structural supports to produce creative and stable cakes.

11. Project Work *

Students’ participation in industrial attachment (IA) is mandatory and forms an essential component of the course. In the event that a student is unable to secure an internship due to circumstances beyond the college’s control, the alternative requirement for these exceptional cases would be to undertake project work.

Course Structure:

Entry Requirement