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Elements and Performance Criteria

Prepare and produce desserts and sweets.
Decorate, portion and present desserts and sweets.
- Decorate desserts and sweets appropriately to enhance presentation.
- Portion desserts and sweets according to enterprise standards.
Prepare sweet sauces.
Prepare accompaniments, garnishes and decorations.
- Use accompaniments, garnishes and decorations to enhance taste, texture and balance.
- Ensure that flavours and textures of garnishes complement desserts.
Store desserts and sweets.
- Store desserts and sweets at the appropriate temperature and under the correct conditions to maintain quality, freshness and customer appeal.
- Select and use suitable packaging to preserve taste, appearance and eating characteristics.

Required Skills

This section describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit

The following skills must be assessed as part of this unit

logical and timeefficient work flow

organisational skills and teamwork

waste minimisation techniques and environmental considerations in relation to desserts

safe work practices in relation to handling hot and frozen products and equipment

problemsolving skills to deal with shortages of equipment

literacy skills to read menus recipes and task sheets

numeracy skills to calculate portions and weigh and measure quantities of ingredients

The following knowledge must be assessed as part of this unit

details and characteristics of different types of desserts and sweets

varieties of suitable ingredients for desserts and sweets

culinary terms commonly used in the industry related to desserts and sweets

principles and practices of hygiene particularly in relation to handling and storing dairy products and the safe management of shelf life

past and current trends in desserts and sweets

nutrition related to desserts and sweets including food values of common desserts and lowfat or lowkilojoule alternatives and substituted ingredients

storage of sweets desserts and dessert ingredients particularly dairy products

costing yield testing and portion control for desserts

Evidence Required

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency

Evidence of the following is essential

ability to prepare a variety of different types of desserts and sweets to enterprise standards

preparation of dishes for customers within typical workplace time constraints

ability to present desserts and sweets attractively and decoratively

knowledge of dessert options and ingredients

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure

use of a wide range of suitable ingredients for making a variety of desserts and sweets

demonstration of skills within a fully equipped operational commercial kitchen including industrycurrent equipment as defined in the Assessment Guidelines

access to specific equipment for the preparation of desserts including commercial or domestic icecream machine templates portion control markers and scoops moulds darioles and ramekins

industryrealistic ratios of kitchen staff to customers

Methods of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge The following examples are appropriate for this unit

direct observation of the candidate making and presenting desserts

sampling of desserts made by the candidate

written or oral questions to test knowledge of culinary terms related to desserts and sweets

review of portfolios of evidence and thirdparty workplace reports of onthejob performance by the candidate

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector workplace and job role is recommended

Assessing employability skills

Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts

Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role

Range Statement


The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

Equipment for making desserts and sweets may include:	mixers blenders ice-cream machines ice makers juicers or vitamisers.

Desserts and sweets may include:	puddings, pies, tarts, flans and fritters custards and creams prepared fruit charlotte, bavarois, mousse, soufflé and sabayon meringues, crepes and omelettes sorbet, ice-cream, bombe and parfait.

Sauces may include:	sugar syrups fruit syrups fruit purées, sauces and coulis chocolate-based sauces sabayon and zabaglione custards and cremes flavoured butters and creams.

Suitable thickening agents for sweet sauces may include:	roux flour cornflour, arrowroot and potato starch modified starch breadcrumbs eggs and egg yolks.