• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Baker's Almanac

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Baking Tips
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Baking Tips
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Pastry School

    Pastry School Recap #5: Chocolate 1, Individual Desserts 1, & Sugar 1

    Published: Apr 18, 2019 · Last Modified: Oct 10, 2021 by Leslie Jeon · 2 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Welcome back to another addition in my pastry school recap series! I recently graduated from pastry school at The International Culinary Center, and I am sharing all about my experience here on The Baker’s Almanac. If you missed the first few recaps, make sure to check out the links below to get caught up.

    Chocolate 1

    After wrapping up the exhausting midterm, we moved on to our first chocolate unit. For the first time in pastry school, the pace slowed down a bit as we weren't churning out numerous baked goods a day.

    Before we could go any further, we first had to learn how to temper chocolate. Tempering chocolate is a process in which you melt, cool, and then handle chocolate to allow beta crystals to form. Tempered chocolate is shiny, snaps easily, and has a smooth design, making it ideal for use in pastry.

    There are a few different methods to temper chocolate, but we mostly focused on the seeding method at ICC. To do this method, you first melt the chocolate entirely, then cool it down to a particular temperature (the temperature varies depending on the type of chocolate). Then, you add in small pieces of chocolate (called seed) to the melted chocolate. Once you reach the desired temperature, you have to test the chocolate to ensure that it is in temper.

    To be honest, I found this entire process a bit challenging. A few times, I would do this entire process only to realize I didn't temper the chocolate correctly. Frustrated, I would have to start all over again. However, I felt like I had at least a base-level understanding of tempering chocolate by the end of the unit.

    Throughout this chocolate unit, we made several delicious confections such as mendiants (chocolate disks topped with nuts and dried fruits) and chocolate-covered nuts.

    Mendiants this post

    Mendiants

    Chocolate covered almonds

    Chocolate covered almonds

    We also even learned how to use tempered chocolate to build structures! One class, we used a template to construct a box out of tempered chocolate, and we topped the boxes with chocolate bows. Once finished, we displayed chocolate truffles in the box (do you think that's enough chocolate for one person?).

    Chocolate box

    Chocolate box

    Chocolate box filled with chocolate truffles

    Chocolate box filled with chocolate truffles

    Towards the end of the unit, we had to make our first (out of many) showpieces. We were instructed to build a chocolate candy stand that could support itself, as well as hold various chocolate candies. This showpiece took two days to make, and it was quite a stressful experience. In the end, though, I loved how mine turned out! It even sat in the display case at school for a week or two, so it was neat to look at as I walked by.

    Chocolate candy stand

    Chocolate candy stand

    Before moving onto the next unit, we had practical and written exams. We each had to bake a reine de saba cake and make tempered chocolate cutouts to go around the sides, as well as a chocolate bow on top.  After making this cake, I felt relieved to leave chocolate behind for a little while!

    Reine de saba cake

    Reine de saba cake

    Individual Desserts 1

    Moving on from chocolate, we started our first unit on individual desserts. I had been looking forward to this section for a long time, and it did not disappoint!

    During this unit, we made so many desserts that it was a bit overwhelming to eat them all. We started off making different kinds of custards, such as crème brûlée and clafoutis.

    Crème brûlée

    Crème brûlée

    Moving on, we learned how to make cheesecake, chocolate molten cake, and various types of ice cream. As these types of desserts are served in restaurants, we also started to learn how to properly plate them. It truly is an artistic process, and I loved this aspect of this unit!

    Cheesecake

    Cheesecake

    Chocolate molten cake

    Chocolate molten cake

    Of course, when it comes to desserts, you can't forget those of the fried variety. We made beignets, donuts, and even spent a day making crepes. By this point in the unit, I felt like I walked out of class each day absolutely stuffed, but I somehow found room in my stomach to eat more.

    Donuts and apple fritters

    Donuts and apple fritters

    Crêpes suzette

    Crêpes suzette

    Finally, we wrapped up the unit by making all different kinds of soufflés, both sweet and savory. My favorite soufflé that we made was a passion fruit one, and it turned out so beautiful with the swirl on top!

    Passion fruit soufflé

    Passion fruit soufflé

    Sugar 1

    After eating our weights in individual desserts, we switched gears to learn all about sugar. We started off by working with marzipan and shaping marzipan fruits and vegetables.

    Marzipan fruits

    Marzipan fruits

    Then, we learned how to make pastillage, a sugar paste that dries firmly, making it perfect for structures and designs. We started off simple by each making a rocking horse made out of pastillage.

    Pastillage rocking horse

    Pastillage rocking horse

    My favorite part of this unit was learning how to make sugar paste flowers! You have probably seen flowers like these before on wedding cakes, and it takes quite a process to make them. We spent over five hours crafting just a few flowers, but I couldn't believe how beautiful they turned out in the end!

    Sugar paste rose

    My first sugar paste rose

    Sugar paste flowers

    Sugar paste flowers

    To wrap up this sugar unit, we had yet another showpiece to make, and this time it had to be made entirely out of pastillage. Our theme for the showpiece was nature, but we could really choose any direction to go in with the design. I decided to make a tree showing the leaves changing from summer to fall. At the base of the tree, I designed a jack-o-lantern sitting atop a bed of fallen leaves. It wasn't perfect, but I am happy it just stood up all in one piece at the end!

    Pastillage showpiece

    Pastillage showpiece

    Can you believe that we only have two recap posts left after this? In the next one, we will go into some more advanced chocolate and sugar techniques, as well as some fancy cakes! You even get to see the very first wedding cake that I made all on my own. If you missed any of the previous recaps, make sure to check them out below.

    Pastry School Recap Series

    Pastry School Recap #1: Deciding to Go to Pastry School

    Pastry School Recap #2: Cookies, Tarts, Pies, and Pȃte à Choux

    Pastry School Recap #3: Pâte Feuilletée, Cake 1, Bread, & Viennoiserie

    Pastry School Recap #4: Cake 2, Petit Fours, & Midterm Examination

    Pastry School Recap #5: Chocolate 1, Individual Desserts 1, & Sugar 1

    Pastry School Recap #6: Chocolate 2, Sugar 2, & Cake 3

    Pastry School Recap #7: Individual Desserts 2, Restaurant Day, & Final Exam

    Pastry School Recap #5: Chocolate 1, Individual Desserts 1, & Sugar 1

    More Pastry School

    • Earl grey panna cotta
      Is Pastry School Worth It?
    • Plated desserts at pastry school
      Pastry School Recap #7: Individual Desserts 2, Restaurant Day, & Final Exam
    • White and purple wedding cake
      Pastry School Recap #6: Chocolate 2, Sugar 2, & Cake 3
    • Croissants and Pain au Raisin
      Pastry School Recap #4: Cake 2, Petits Fours, & Midterm Exam

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    1. Tammy Hargett

      April 19, 2019 at 12:07 pm

      Such beautiful and delicious-looking creations!

      Reply
      • Leslie Hargett

        April 28, 2019 at 9:58 am

        Thank you! 🙂

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    hi there, i'm leslie!

    I'm a professionally-trained pastry chef, and here at The Baker's Almanac, I share unique dessert recipes and baking tips to help you bake with confidence. You can usually find me with a cookie (or two) in one hand and a cookbook in the other!

    Learn more about me →

    keep in touch

    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    find the perfect recipe

    recipes perfect for spring

    • Jar of strawberry jam in front of bread and a basket of strawberries
      Easy Strawberry Jam (No Pectin)
    • Hand holding a cupcake topped with frosting and Lucky Charms
      Lucky Charms Cupcakes
    • Lemon macarons sitting on a baking sheet next to piping bags with buttercream and lemon curd
      Lemon Macarons
    • Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins

    bake like a pro

    • Various baking ingredients like eggs, honey, milk, and chocolate chips
      11 Common Baking Mistakes You Might Be Making
    • The Ultimate Fruit Flavor Pairing Chart
    • Canisters of baking powder and baking soda
      Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: What's the Difference?
    • Whisk attachment with Italian meringue in front of eggs and a bowl of meringue
      The Difference Between French, Swiss, and Italian Meringue

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    About

    Contact

    Privacy Policy

    Portfolio

    Recipes

    Cakes and Cupcakes

    Cookies

    Muffins

    Scones

    Learn

    Baking Tips

    Pastry School Recaps

    Culinary Industry

    Blogger Resources

    Copyright © 2023 The Baker's Almanac. All rights reserved.
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Learn more here.

    The Baker's Almanac
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.