Working conditions

Pastry cooks may work in specialist cake and pastry shops or patisseries, the manufacturing firms of large food production organisations, hot-bread shops, the bakery departments of supermarkets or cruise ships. Conditions may be hot and noisy, as well as being stressful when working to deadlines.

Pastrycooks stand for most of the day. They may work split shifts at night or on weekends and public holidays. Pastrycooks must be prepared to start work early in the morning.  They usually work in shifts, which may include early mornings, evening and weekends or public holidays.

Tools and technologies

Pastry cooks use a variety of mixing, measuring and baking equipment including bowls, knives, spoons, rolling pins, dough spreaders, sieves, bowl and bench scrapers and cake testers and cooling racks. They also use cake decorating equipment such as sauce guns, fondant funnels and decorating combs. They use kitchen equipment such as electric mixers and ovens, and are usually required to wear protective clothing such as hats and aprons.

Education and training/entrance requirements

​To become a pastrycook you usually have to complete a patissier apprenticeship or do an apprenticeship in pastrycooking. These apprenticeships usually take 36 months to complete and are available as a school-based apprenticeship.

The assistant pastry chef works under the direct supervision of a head or executive pastry chef. As an assistant pastry chef, you assist in the day-to-day operations of a bakery or pastry kitchen. You collaborate with the head baker or pastrycook on daily tasks and schedules and oversee other pastry chefs or kitchen staff in the absence of the head pastry chef. In addition to making pastries and breads, other duties include assessing inventory and supplies, maintaining safe and sanitary working conditions, helping develop recipes and menus, and/or suggesting alternative baking methods.
   
Pastrycook Assistants assist Pastrycooks and Pâtissiers by performing routine tasks in the kitchen such as preparing ingredients, and cleaning and storing equipment. Pastrycook Assistants are responsible for proper food storage, cleaning the preparation area and making sure utensils and trays are clean and ready for use.
   
Pastrycook assistants assist pastry chefs by serving customers at counters where baked goods are sold. Their responsibilities include greeting customers, providing advice, taking orders, and packaging baked goods. They may also be required to ensure items on display are continually restocked.

ANZSCO ID: 851211
  
Alternative names: Bakery Assistant, Assistant Pastry Chef, Pastrycook Assistant, Assistant Pâtissier,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

• Advanced ability to multitask and follow instructions given by pastrycooks
• Ability to manage ingredient inventories and to track expiry dates.
• A keen eye for detail and the ability to create visually appealing displays of baked goods.
• Proficiency in weighing, pricing, packaging, and processing payments of baked goods.
• Knowledge of food and health industry regulations.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills.
• Reporting low baked goods stock to the Pastrycook in a timely manner.
• Managing customer complaints and relaying them to the Pastrycook.
• Be reliable and responsible.
• Possess good communication skills & work well under pressure.

More importantly sought are a ‘can do’ attitude, strong work ethic, good organisational skills, creativity with an ability to multi-task and a desire to provide consistently outstanding results. Assistant Pastrycook should have good general knowledge of basic cooking and be fluent in written and spoken English.

(Source: Your Career)

Duties and Tasks

• gathering and preparing base ingredients for baking inclluding pots, cake tins and pans
• mixing ingredients to make dough and pastries, cake batter, fillings, icings and desserts
• washing, peeling, cutting, slicing and dicing ingredients for cooking and serving
• operating commercial bakery equipment including mixers, rollers, cutters and ovens
• sheeting and rolling out dough, putting dough into baking dishes or on trays
• cooking goods and removing cooked items from ovens
• cooling and decorating with creams and icings where required, cleaning cooking utensils and food preparation surfaces, storing food supplies in cupboards, pantries and other storage areas.
• preparing ingredients for cooking - washing, measuring, slicing, peeling, roasting and caramelising.
• providing a steady supply of clean utensils, trays, cutlery and crockery.
• storing food safely
• tracking ingredient expiry dates and arranging their use accordingly.
• cleaning and maintaining the kitchen thoroughly according to food safety standards and preparing it for the next day.
• assisting with baking under the direction of the senior food worker - Pastrycook

Some of the day-in-the-life job requirements for an assistant pastry chef might be the preparation and assembly of:

Special occasion cakes
Chocolate tiers
Fondant coverings and details
Shaped dough
Molded sugar
Fillings, toppings, frostings, icings, and butter creams

Working conditions
    
Pastry Assistants provide support to pastry chefs by completing the following job activities: maintaining stocks, measuring ingredients, decorating pastry, collecting payments from customers, and adhering to food safety standards. The job requires a complex skillset, and most resumes in the field highlight the following qualifications: being able to work in shifts and in a standing position, the ability to follow instructions, attention to details, good numeracy skills, creativity, baking expertise, teamwork, and time management. This is a physically demanding job.  

   
Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as a Pastrycook without formal qualifications if you are able to demonstrate your technical competency to employers. However, a certificate III or IV in patisserie or retail baking (cake and pastry) is usually required. These courses are often completed as part of an apprenticeship.

Cake decorators create cake decorations and designs on cakes and pastries. They design and decorate cakes for weddings, birthdays, and other celebration occasions. Cake decorators might also make their own cakes and cake fillings.

ANZSCO ID: 351112
  
Alternative names: Cake Designer, Custom Cake Designer,  Cake Artist,

Specialisations: Wedding Cakes, Birthday Cakes, Anniversary Cakes,
  
Knowledge, skills and attributes
   
To become a cake decorator, you would need:

• good cooking skills
• artistic ability
• attention to detail and good hand-eye coordination
• strong organisational skills to meet deadlines
• cleanliness and tidiness
• knowledge of commercial food regulations.

 

Sarah Theaker - Cake Designer - CAMEO (Source: ACADA - 2024) (Source: ACADA - 2024) List all the elements on this cake! Creative Cake Art was set up by Sarah Theaker in 2007. Sarah was born in London and trained in illustration. It was while working at a children’s art centre that she first became interested in cake sculpting, after seeing (and tasting) the children’s cakes at birthday parties held there. Sarah met her Australian husband Chris in London and they relocated to Melbourne where she set up the business a few years later. Over the years, Sarah has become an award winning cake decorator and created hundreds of cakes for weddings, birthdays, special occasions and many corporate events. She was recently awarded Cake Sculptor of the Year by the Australian Cake Decorators Association Her cakes have won awards at the Royal Melbourne show, The Cake Bake and Sweet Show and International Cake Show Australia. She has a passion for recreating objects as cakes and has a passion for figurative work. She enjoys sculpting busts and also making personalised cake figurines and cake toppers. Her love of painting is portrayed in her hand painted cakes. Sarah is always so happy to receive requests for really personal, as well as really whacky and unique designs. She is grateful to have a job which involves making memories for the very special occasions in people's lives. (Source: Creative Cake Art Melbourne)

 

Duties and Tasks
    
As a cake decorator, you might:

• discuss cake design ideas with customers
• create sketches or mock-ups of design ideas to show customers
• make cake mixtures and bake cakes
• assemble pre-baked cakes and add pre-made decorations and icing
• create cake decorations and produce designs
• glaze pastries
• set up and clear away baking equipment
• buy baking supplies
• manage and promote your business if you are self-employed.

 

Working conditions

In a full-time position, you would usually work a standard number of hours per week. In a commercial bakery, this could include shifts and weekends.

As a self-employed cake decorator, your work would probably be somewhat seasonal, and you would likely be busiest at times such as Christmas, Easter, and during the local wedding season.

In a bakery, you might work in a cool room to stop the icing from melting. You may need to wear a uniform including a hat.

Some self-employed cake decorators may have their own premises, or may work from home.

Tools and technologies
    
Here are the list of must-have tools:

(Source: Slice Products)

• Fondant Cutter
• Cake Scraper
• Fondant Rolling Pin
• Fondant Imprint Mat
• Fondant Decorator Brush
• Crimpers
• Fondant and Gum Paste Carving Tools
• Palette Knife
• Turntable Stand
• Cake Tins
• Icing Comb
• Cake Lifter
• Parchment Paper
• Paint Brushes
• Silicone Piping Bag
• Cake Boards
• Baking Cup Mold
• Acetate Sheet

 

Education and training/entrance requirements

To become a cake decorator, you may need to be a qualified commercial pastrycook. You would usually have to complete an apprenticeship or traineeship in Patisserie or Retail Baking (Cake and Pastry). Entry requirements may vary, but employers generally require junior secondary school certificate or equivalent.

Many self-employed cake decorators are self-taught, or have undertaken private courses.

Employment Opportunities
   
Employment of pastrycooks and cake decorators is projected to grow slower than the average for all occupations.

Population and income growth are expected to result in greater demand for specialty baked goods from grocery stores, bakeries, and restaurants. However, employment growth will be limited as manufacturing facilities increasingly use more automated machines and equipment to mass-produce baked and decorated goods.

 

Related Jobs or Working with these Jobs

Baker	Chef	Confectioner Chocolatier	Events Coordinator
Restaurant Manager	Wedding Coordinator

Materials sourced from
Jobs & Skills WA [Pastrycook; ]
Seek [Bakery Assistant; ]
Betterteam [Bakery Assistant; ]
Skills Gateway [Pastrycook's Assistant; ]
Learn [Duties of an Assistant Pastry Chef; ]
Zimt Patisserie [Jobs; ]
Indeed [Baker Assistant; ]
JobHero [Pastry Assistant; ]
Job Radars [Pastry Assistant; ]
Web Archive - CareerHQ [Cake Decorator; ]
Slice Products [Cake Decorator Tools; ]
Your Career [Pastrycook; Pastrycooks Assistant; ]