Training on Cake Baking and Decorating. Essay Example.

9.00-10.00 Reviewing the different processes of cake making

10.00-11.00 Equipping participants of the importance of measuring the ingredients, mixing and ensuring that all the ingredients are at room temperature.

11.00-11.30 Break

11.30-12.00 Laying the foundation for the cake and the cake baking process.

12.00-1.00 Lunch

1.00-2.30 Practicing making decorative elements

2.30-3.30 Practicing icing techniques

3.30-4.00 Break

4.00-4.45 Reviewing the important steps of cake baking and decoration.

4.45-5.00 Closing reviews and reviewing of the training objectives. Handing over gifts and certificates to the participants.

According to Wilderjans et al. (2013), the functionality of the main ingredients used in the cake baking process differs depending on the type of cake. For this reason, it is imperative to educate the participants of the cake baking and decoration processes. Here, it is important for the participants to be trained on the basics of ingredient functionality during the various stages of baking different types of cakes. Cake baking may take different forms, including creaming, rubbing-in, boil-and-bake, and the all-in-one process. Considering that there are several ways of baking cake, which are usually determined by the type of fat used and the desired end result, it becomes vital for the participants to understand all these ways and the advantages gained in every step.

The ingredients used in every process also play an important role in cake baking process. For instance, the use of fats improves conditions for leavening and enhances the tenderness of the cake, as well as bringing a good mouth feel. As such, this makes it very essential for the trainer to educate the participants about ensuring that the right quality of ingredients is used and properly mixed. The mixture is then brought to favorable temperatures for cake baking. Adequate temperature is crucial in every stage of the cake baking process as it determines the quality of the end product. For instance, it is worth to note that as temperature rises, the gases and the air cells grow bigger increasing the leavening process. Ideally, temperature rise accounts for 90 % of the subsequent expansion of fats used in the baking process. The trainees should be made to understand the importance of reaching certain temperatures. For example, at 800 degrees Celsius, the used batter takes a permanent shape after coagulating with egg proteins forming a gluten, which loses its elasticity. This stage is important as it determines the quality of the end product and stopping scrambling of the cake thus improving the quality.

Another important technique that the lesson plan covers is the cake decorating technique. Icing can be defined as a combination of final changes put on the cake to make it more superfluous, and its importance is usually seen in celebratory cakes. Cake decorating involves the process of covering it with some icing and then using decorative elements to create attractive embellishments on the cake. These embellishments can be created using candy, chocolate, or decorative sugar icing. Cake decorating can also take the form of sprinkling a small coat of glossy icing sugar forming an attractive blanket on top of the cake. Toni (2012) asserts that the icing of the cake may not put a lot to the enjoyment of the cake, but it plays the paramount role of adding visual pleasure to the cake, especially when it comes to celebratory cakes. For this reason, it is important for the training process to offer more skills to the participants regarding the best techniques of decorating the cake as a top professional.

Decoration and icing of cakes can also involve the process of molding three-dimensional objects which resemble people, places or things as a way of marking special occasions or individuals. Such decorations can take the forms of fondant, royal icing, marzipan, gum paste, modeled chocolate and edible ink printing. This is a critical specialty in cake making as it adds visual attraction to the cake finishing as well as depicting professional prowess. As such. this section also introduces the need of using edible papers made of starch and sugar and usually printed using edible ink to create an attractive cake. Cake decoration and icing has become an important and unique artistry taken in cake baking and should be incorporated in this training process. By practicing these skills, the participants gain more knowledge and understanding of the best way of creating visually attractive cake decorations.

The lesson plan also gives allocation for break periods during the learning process. These breaks are of particular importance as they give the learners the opportunity to break away from the demanding task of learning. Breaks can also be viewed as a chance that the participants can use to gain a deeper understanding of the some of the aspects they might have failed to understand during the lecture period. The lesson plan also gives a time allocation for the process of reviewing the skills and knowledge which have been gained in the training process. Last but not least, the lesson plan gives time allocation for the closing period and the awarding of certificates to the participants.

Budget.

Labor Costs Category Cost

Needs 400

Training Design 800

Training Delivery 600

Evaluation of training 475

Trainer cost 646

Other Costs Training site 2000

Travelling expenses 800

Accommodations 460

Meals 1800

Materials 1000

Equipment 950

Incidentals 300

Compensation fee 105

Training has proven to offer new ideas and refreshing skills to the labor force through the numerous avenues of gaining and exchanging knowledge and ideas. For this reason, many organizations have taken training as one of its pillars in enhancing personnel performance. According to Lillard and Tan (2012), training highly influences the productivity of a firms staff. In effect, this gives the company a chance to improve its competitiveness, thus enhancing its profit margins. To realize the massive profits of training, the company must be willing to invest money and time resources in training its staff to improve the productivity of the enterprise. The costs incurred can be split into two major sections, labor costs and other expenses.

Labor costs include the amount of money used to pay the wages of all employees as well as the benefits that personnel earns after working for a particular business. Under labor expenses section, the cost of paying for all the needs and the training design is included. There are some requirements that need to be taken care of to ensure that the training process takes place as planned. The cost of delivering the training and evaluating the effectiveness of the training process are also included in this section. The trainers are also paid per hour for the services they offer in training the personnel to acquire the best cake baking and decoration skills.

The labor costs only include paying the wages of the staff and the staff who play a role in the training process. However, there other expenses which are incurred as well and demand to be taken care of. Under this section, the cost of the training location or premises is included. For instance, in this case, the cost of paying for the site of training has been determined. Many businesses acknowledge the role played by training in improving the performance of enterprises (McKenzie & Woodruff, 2014). For this case, many organizations offer certifications to those individuals who undergo training. This has created the need to incur the cost of awarding and presenting certificates to the participants. The expenses incurred under that particular section falls under compensation cost. Under other expenses, there is also the provision for material costs. Expenditures incurred under this section cater for the cost of hired and bought materials used during the training process.

The cost of meals and accommodation costs are also accounted for here. The training process takes considerable time during which there are meal breaks where participants get meals. The rooms they reside in during the training process are accounted for under the accommodation section. The equipment, incidental, and traveling costs are also taken care of under this section. All the costs as mentioned above are imperative through the training process as it facilitates all the activities prior and during the training process. The training process is particularly a labor intensive process which demands a large labor force allocation. All the costs incurred are justifiable through the accomplishment of the set objectives of the training.

References

Lillard, L. A., & Tan, H. W. (2012). Private sector training: who gets it and what are its effects?. In 35th Anniversary Retrospective. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 35(1), 247-308.

McKenzie, D., & Woodruff, C. (2013). What are we learning from business training and entrepreneurship evaluations around the developing world? The World Bank Research Observer, 29(1), 48-82.

Risson, T. (2012). Eating it too:'The icing on the (birthday) cake'. Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, 2(1), 57-78.

Wilderjans, E., Luyts, A., Brijs, K., & Delcour, J. A. (2013). Ingredient functionality in batter type cake making. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 30(1), 6-15.