Long Shelf-Life Cakes and Italian Snacks Experiential Learning

This course focuses on the production of long shelf-life handcrafted baked products, a branch of traditional pastry art that is unfortunately a prerogative of industrial food production today. Students will learn how to prepare artisan "travel cakes" and snacks to go thanks to an in-depth study of the role of single ingredients and their balancing. Sugars, fats, mixing methods, cooking temperatures and food safety will be analyzed from the perspective of their impact on the final product shelf-life. An emphasis will be put on the role of water and hydration in baked products and how water influences the textural properties during storage. The course also includes the study of the calculation of free water in cakes, together with storage and preservation environment management and notions of food contamination and oxidation. Students will learn how to prepare traditional and contemporary travel cakes. Students will also learn artisan methods to reproduce famous Italian packaged snacks. This course consists of experiential learning hours with our Community Engagement Member Institutions (CEMI). CEMI are dynamic learning environments created to foster learning through a structured interaction with the community. In addition to regular lecture hours, students will be involved in learning by doing through real projects and integration with the local population and territory in order to remove cultural and learning barriers as well as to develop a strong likelihood for success in life. The experiential learning hours are fully supervised by instructors who track students step by step during their learning experience, monitor and advise according to student needs, and support student initiative. This unique learning model allows students to benefit from an all-encompassing educational experience based on theory and practice in real enterprises, learning of comprehensive operational processes, problem-solving, leadership, and management.