Glossary

almond paste

a mixture of finely ground almonds and sugar

angel food cake

a type of cake made of meringue (egg white and sugar) and flour

baked Alaska

a dessert consisting of ice cream on a sponge cake base, covered with meringue and browned in the oven

baking

the process of using heat to convert any formula into a food product that sets the starch and protein

batter

a semi-fluid mixture containing flour or other starch used for the production of such products as cakes, cookies and muffins and for coating products to be deep-fried

bombe

a type of frozen dessert made in a dome shaped mould

brioche

rich yeast dough containing large amounts of eggs and butter or a product made from this dough

buttercream

an icing made of butter and/or shortening blended with sugars and other ingredients

cassata

an iced dessert of Italian origin usually rectangular in shape lined with fruit ice cream or a brick shape fruit flavour of ice cream with a Chantilly cream filling

chemical leavener

a leavener such as baking soda or baking powder that creates carbon dioxide to leaven a batter

chiffon cake

a light cake made by mixing method involving the folding of whipped egg whites into a batter made of flour, egg yolks and oil

choux paste

a paste made by mixing boiling water or milk, butter, flour and eggs; used to make éclairs, cream puffs and similar products

cocoa

the dry powder that remains after cocoa butter is pressed out of chocolate liquor

cocoa butter

a white or yellowish fat found in natural chocolate

couverture

natural sweet chocolate containing no added fats other than natural cocoa butter used for dipping, moulding, coating and similar purposes

creaming (method)

a mixing method that begins with the blending of fat and sugar or fat and flour used for cakes, cookies and similar items

crème anglaise

a light vanilla flavoured custard sauce made of milk, sugar and egg yolks

crème caramel

a custard baked in a hot water bath using a mould lined with caramelized sugar, then unmoulded

crème Saint Honoré

the cream used to fill this dessert, made of pastry cream and whipped egg whites

croissant

a flaky buttery yeast roll shaped like a crescent and made from a laminated dough

custard

a liquid that is thickened by the coagulation of egg protein

dessert syrup

a flavoured sugar syrup used to flavour and moisten cakes and other desserts

devil's food cake

a high-ratio chocolate cake made with a high percentage of soda in the leavening to give the cake a reddish colour

docking

piercing or perforating pastry dough before baking in order to allow steam to escape and to avoid blistering

emulsion

a homogeneous mixture resulting from an ingredient, such as egg yolks, added to slow down the separation of oil and water

fermentation

the process by which yeast is activated with moisture in a mixture to release carbon dioxide and alcohol

foaming

the process of whipping eggs, with or without sugar, to incorporate air

fondant

a type of icing made of boiled sugar syrup that is agitated so that it crystallizes into a mass of extremely small white crystals

French pastry

a variety of small fancy cakes and other pastries, usually in single portion sizes

fritter

a deep-fried item made of or coated with a batter or dough

frozen mousse

a still frozen dessert containing whipped cream

ganache

a rich cream which is a heated blend of sweet chocolate and heavy cream, cooled, whipped and used as filling or icing

genoise

a sponge cake made with a batter containing melted butter

glaze

(1) a shiny coating, such as a syrup, applied to a food (2) to make a food shiny or glossy by coating it with a glaze or by browning it under a broiler or in a hot oven

gluten

an elastic substance developed from proteins in wheat flours, moistened and mixed to give structure and strength in a dough

granité

a coarse crystalline frozen dessert made of water, sugar and fruit juice or another flavouring

gum paste

a type of sugar paste or pastillage made with gum or gelatine

high-ratio

(1) term referring to cakes and cake formulas mixed by a special method and containing more sugar than flour, with higher moisture (2) term referring to certain specially processed ingredients used in these cakes such as shortening and cake form

ice

a frozen dessert made of water, sugar and fruit juice

ice cream

a churn frozen mixture of milk, cream, sugar, flavourings and sometimes eggs

invert sugar

a mixture of two simple sugars, dextrose and levulose resulting from the breakdown of sucrose

Isomalt

an invert sugar available in coarse or fine granules that can be used as a substitute for sugar for diabetics

laminated

to form alternated layers of two ingredients by sheeting and folding

leavening

the production or incorporation of gasses, air or carbon dioxide in a baked product to increase volume and to produce shape and texture

macaroon

a cookie made of eggs, usually whites and almond paste or coconut

make-up

a process of preparation that includes scaling, mixing and portioning

marzipan

a paste or confection made of almonds and sugar and often used for decorative work

mask

to cover or coat bakery foods

meringue

a thick white foam made of whipped egg whites and sugar

mise-en-place

a process of organizing tools, components and ingredients required to produce a product

mousse

a soft or creamy dessert that is made light by the addition of whipped cream, egg whites or both

napoleon

a dessert made of layers of puff pastry filled with pastry cream

no time dough

a bread dough made with a larger quantity of yeast and given no fermentation time, except for a short rest after mixing

one-stage method

a mixing method in which all ingredients are added to the bowl at once

oven spring

the rapid rise of yeast goods in the oven due to the production and expansion of trapped gasses caused by the oven heat

overrun

the increase in volume of ice cream or frozen desserts due to the incorporation of air while freezing

palmier

a small pastry or petit four sec made of rolled sugared puff pastry cut into slices and baked

parbaked

goods that are partially baked to be used at a later time

parfait

(1) a type of sundae served in a tall thin glass (2) a still frozen dessert made of egg yolks, syrup and heavy cream

pastillage

a sugar paste used for decorative work which becomes very hard when dry

pastry cream

a thick custard sauce containing eggs and starch

peel

a flat long handled wooden paddle used to place and remove hearth breads in an oven

petit four glacé

an iced or cream filled petit four

petit four sec

an uniced or unfilled petit four ("sec" means "dry") such as a small butter cookie or palmier

puff pastry

a very light flaky pastry made from a rolled in dough and leavened due to high temperature baking of the structured layers of protein

pulled sugar

sugar that is boiled to the hard crack stage, allowed to cool slightly then pulled or stretched until it develops a pearly sheen

Pullman loaf

a long rectangular loaf of bread

punching

a method of expelling gasses from fermented dough

purée

a food made into smooth pulp, usually by being ground or forced through a sieve

quaternary solution

a solution that is used to ensure a safe working environment. It has replaced the use of iodine as a sanitizer in many applications in the food industry

retarding

refrigerating a yeast dough to slow the fermentation

rounding

a method of moulding a piece of dough into a round ball with a smooth surface or skin

royal icing

a form of icing made of confectioner's sugar and egg whites used for decorating

sabayon

a foamy dessert or sauce made of egg yolks whipped with wine or liqueur

scaling

accurately weighing or portioning ingredients, dough or batters

scone

a type of chemically-leavened tea biscuit

shortbread

a crisp cookie made of butter, sugar and flour

shortening

(1) any fat used in baking to tenderize the product by shortening gluten strands (2) a white tasteless solid fat that has been formulated for baking or deep frying

simple syrup

a syrup consisting of sucrose and water in varying proportions

sorbet

a frozen dessert made of water, sugar, fruit juice and sometimes milk or cream

soufflé

(1) a baked dish containing whipped egg whites which cause the dish to rise during baking (2) a still frozen dessert made in a soufflé dish so that it resembles a baked soufflé

sourdough

a yeast type dough made with a sponge or starter that has fermented so long that it has become very sour or acidic

sponge cake

a type of cake made by whipping eggs and sugar to a foam, then folding in sifted flour

spun sugar

boiled sugar made into long thin threads by dipping wires into the sugar syrup and waving them so that the sugar falls off in fine streams

streusel

a crumbly topping for baked goods consisting of fat, sugar and flour rubbed together

strudel

(1) a type of dough that is stretched until paper thin (2) a baked item consisting of a filling rolled up in a sheet of strudel dough or phyllo dough

tempering

the process of melting and cooling chocolate to specific temperatures in order to prepare it for dipping, coating, blending or moulding

torting

cutting cake horizontally to produce layers

tuile

spreadable paste made from egg whites, sugar, butter and flour. It is spread and baked and used as a component in plating desserts

turntable

a pedestal with a flat rotating top used for holding cakes while they are being decorated

two-stage method

a cake mixing method beginning with the blending of flour and high-ratio shortening, followed by the addition of liquids and sugar; also called the high-ratio method

wash

a liquid brushed onto the surface of a product either before or after baking

window test

expanding a small portion of dough to test the strength of the gluten strands

Abbreviations