ACF-CPC Exam Format | ACF-CPC Course Contents | ACF-CPC Course Outline | ACF-CPC Exam Syllabus | ACF-CPC Exam Objectives

Exam Code: ACF-CPC
Exam Name: ACF Certified Pastry Culinarian
Number of Questions: 100 multiple-choice questions (covering both theory and practical knowledge).
Time Allotted: 2 hours (120 minutes) to complete the exam.
Passing Score: 70% or higher (minimum of 70 correct answers out of 100).

1. Safety & Sanitation
- Foodborne illnesses & pathogens
- Proper handwashing & personal hygiene
- Cross-contamination prevention
- HACCP principles
- Proper storage (FIFO, temperature control)
- Allergen management
- Sanitizing tools & workstations

- FIFO (First In, First Out)
- HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points)
- Pathogens (Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria)
- Temperature Danger Zone (41°F–135°F / 5°C–57°C)
- Cross-contamination
- MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets)

2. Baking Science & Ingredients
- Function of ingredients (flour, sugar, fats, leavening agents, eggs)
- Gluten development & control
- Starch gelatinization & protein coagulation
- Sugar crystallization & stages of sugar cooking
- Emulsions & foams

- Gluten (elastic protein in wheat flour)
- Gelatinization (starch thickening with heat & moisture)
- Maillard Reaction (browning of proteins & sugars)
- Leavening Agents (yeast, baking powder, baking soda)
- Invert Sugar (prevents crystallization)
- Dextrinization (breakdown of starch into sugars)

3. Doughs, Batters & Laminations
- Short doughs (pâte sucrée, pâte sablée)
- Puff pastry & croissant lamination
- Choux pastry
- Phyllo & strudel dough
- Meringues (French, Swiss, Italian)

- Lamination (folding butter into dough for flaky layers)
- Pâte à Choux (cream puff dough)
- Blitz Puff Pastry (quick puff pastry method)
- Detrempe (base dough for laminated pastries)
- Beurrage (butter block for lamination)

4. Cakes & Tortes
- Mixing methods (creaming, sponge, chiffon)
- Cake types (butter cake, genoise, angel food)
- Frostings & fillings (buttercream, ganache, mousse)
- Assembling & decorating layered cakes

- Genoise (sponge cake with whole eggs)
- Chiffon Cake (oil-based, light texture)
- Ganache (chocolate & cream mixture)
- Simple Syrup (sugar water for cake moisture)
- Dacquoise (nut-based meringue layers)

5. Custards, Creams & Sauces
- Crème anglaise, pastry cream, crème brûlée
- Panna cotta & Bavarian cream
- Sabayon & mousseline
- Fruit coulis & caramel sauces

- Crème Pâtissière (pastry cream)
- Crème Chantilly (whipped cream with sugar & vanilla)
- Bain-Marie (water bath for gentle cooking)
- Nappé (sauce consistency that coats the back of a spoon)

6. Chocolate & Confections
- Tempering chocolate (seeding, tabling)
- Chocolate types (dark, milk, white, couverture)
- Truffles, mendiants, & chocolate decorations
- Sugar work (pulled sugar, blown sugar)

- Tempering (crystallizing chocolate for shine & snap)
- Couverture (high-quality chocolate with extra cocoa butter)
- Ganache (chocolate & cream filling)
- Praline (caramelized nuts ground into paste)

7. Plated Desserts & Presentation
- Plate composition & balance
- Garnishing techniques (chocolate décor, tuiles, spun sugar)
- Sauces & texture contrast
- À la minute (prepared to order)
- Tuile (thin, crisp cookie for garnish)
- Quenelle (oval-shaped scoop of mousse or ice cream)

8. Frozen Desserts
- Ice cream, sorbet, gelato, & sherbet
- Churning & freezing techniques
- Stabilizers & emulsifiers
- Overrun (air incorporated into ice cream)
- Sorbet (dairy-free frozen dessert)
- Gelato (Italian-style dense ice cream)