Basic Cakes & Pastries

Course code BAKG 1170

Credit 4.0

Length 100.0 hours

Course outline View

This course provides students with an introduction to the ingredients, processes, techniques, tools, and equipment used in the production of basic cakes and pastries.

A variety of techniques including high fat cake mixing and baking, the preparation of basic icings and fillings, and basic cake assembly and decoration are explored. Emphasis is placed on methods of preparation and the quality of the finished products as well as critical thinking, time management, communication, and teamwork.

Prerequisites

BAKG 1150, BAKG 1155, BAKG 1160.

Missing prerequisites?

Learn more about VCC's academic upgrading or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, or discover which university transfer options are right for you.

What you will learn

  • Classifications of high fat cakes, production techniques, quality standards
  • Classifications of icings, production techniques, quality standards
  • Baking science: fruits, nuts, spices, flavourings, aeration, specific gravity, emulsification, colour theory, light waves
  • Relationship between ingredients, techniques, environmental factors, and baking processes in the production of basic cakes and pastries
  • Reflective practice: analyzing outcomes of basic cakes and pastries based on inputs and quality standards, observation, and objectivity; generalizing, problem-solving, and refining knowledge and skills
  • Trade calculations: calculating formula yields for the production of basic cakes & pastries, calculating production costs
  • Production planning and time management: reading and following the production steps for simple cakes and pastries, preparing for production, direct vs. indirect production time, sequencing the production of multiple components
  • Safety and sanitation: tools & equipment operation and care; principles of food safety; personal hygiene and safety practices; types of hazards and emergencies, safety procedures and regulations; accident prevention
  • Professional communication in the baking industry: workplace safety, respectful communication, terminology, expressing disagreement
  • Bakery Management: market analysis, quality goods, displaying products on social media

How to register

This course is offered as part of a VCC program only.

Course schedules

Select your program to see the available course schedules.

CRN# Duration Delivery Location
41382 May 4, 2026
to May 28, 2026
Shop/Teaching Kitchen
Lecture
VCC Downtown Campus See full schedule

Online courses listed without scheduled meeting times can be completed on your own schedule.

CRN# Duration Delivery Location
60158 June 29, 2026
to July 23, 2026
Shop/Teaching Kitchen
Lecture
VCC Downtown Campus See full schedule

Online courses listed without scheduled meeting times can be completed on your own schedule.

CRN# Duration Delivery Location
61661 July 27, 2026
to August 20, 2026
Lecture
Shop/Teaching Kitchen
VCC Downtown Campus See full schedule

Online courses listed without scheduled meeting times can be completed on your own schedule.

CRN# Duration Delivery Location
61666 August 31, 2026
to September 24, 2026
Shop/Teaching Kitchen
Lecture
VCC Downtown Campus See full schedule

Online courses listed without scheduled meeting times can be completed on your own schedule.

Contact us

If you have any question, please email at advising@vcc.ca.

† This information is intended as a guideline only. Program and course details are subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors.

Indigenous Territory Acknowledgment

VCC is located on the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, and we acknowledge our privilege to be here.