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CCA Baking & Pastry Fundamentals Flashcards

6 cards from real CCA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 CCA Baking & Pastry Fundamentals flashcards as text

  1. What is the difference between custard and pastry cream?

    Answer: Pastry cream is thickened with starch in addition to eggs, making it firmer; custard is set by eggs alone

    Pastry cream (crème pâtissière) is stabilized with starch (cornstarch or flour) in addition to egg yolks, giving it a firmer, pipeable consistency, while custard relies solely on egg proteins for its set.

  2. What is the key difference between a cake made with the foam method vs. the creaming method?

    Answer: Foam method cakes rely on whipped eggs for leavening; creaming method cakes rely on creamed fat

    Foam method cakes (like genoise or angel food cake) depend on air incorporated into whipped eggs for their leavening, while creaming method cakes use air beaten into fat and sugar plus often chemical leaveners.

  3. What is the purpose of 'docking' pie or tart dough before blind baking?

    Answer: To pierce the dough with a fork to prevent it from puffing up during baking

    Docking involves pricking the pastry dough all over with a fork before baking to allow steam to escape and prevent the crust from forming large air pockets and puffing up.

  4. What causes chocolate to 'seize' when a small amount of water is added?

    Answer: Water causes the sugar particles to dissolve and bind the cocoa particles together into a thick, grainy paste

    Even a small amount of water causes the sugar in melted chocolate to dissolve and form a syrup that binds the cocoa particles together, creating a stiff, grainy mass called seized chocolate.

  5. In bread baking, what is 'proofing'?

    Answer: The final rise of shaped dough before baking

    Proofing (or final proof) is the last rise of fully shaped dough just before it goes into the oven, allowing the yeast to produce CO2 and the gluten to relax.

  6. What is a ganache in pastry?

    Answer: An emulsion of chocolate and cream used for glazes, truffles, and fillings

    Ganache is an emulsion of hot cream poured over chopped chocolate, creating a smooth, rich mixture used in glazes, truffles, fillings, and frostings.