The Baking and Pastry Arts Program is a 10-month certificate program covering 450 hours of classroom and kitchen work, plus 300 hours of practicum.  The program is designed to prepare PSCA students to enter the pastry profession as trained pastry chefs or to set up their own bake shop operations.  The curriculum starts with fundamental baking classes and progresses to advanced pastry methods, chocolate and sugar works, plated desserts and celebration cake decorating.

The first level of the program provides an introduction to the fundamentals of baking and pastry . This covers subjects such as baking safety and sanitation, baking ingredients, tools and equipment,  baking  vocabulary,  and baker’s math and measurements.  The students also learn the basic procedures in the production of breads and other yeasted doughs.

The second level covers cakes, cake decorating and assembly, syrups, creams, dessert sauces, custards and puddings, mousse and soufflés, pies and pastries, tarts and cookies, fruit desserts, and frozen desserts.  The final project includes a wedding cake presentation.

The third level focuses on chocolate work and dessert presentation. Under the chocolate work module, the students learn the techniques of tempering and preparation of various types of chocolate confections.  Under the dessert presentation module, discussions, demonstrations and practical exercises on the techniques and trends in plated desserts are taken up.  The last stage of this level  requires the students to apply their acquired baking and pastry techniques through a presentation of decorative works and individual projects.

 PSCA has special arrangements with 5-star hotels and specialty restaurants where the students can do their industry practicum.