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A person who makes desserts is called a pastry chef, but is there a name for the action itself of making desserts? "Cooking" is too general, and "baking" implies bread, cakes, etc. which is not quite what I mean. Any ideas?

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  • Am I correct to assume that by "an interest" you mean the vocation or the action of making pastries?
    – Chris Sunami
    Apr 4, 2014 at 16:23
  • yes that's right - as in "I enjoy dessert-making". I just wanted a more formal term for this
    – Paige
    Apr 4, 2014 at 16:24
  • But it's the dessert-making you would like an alternate term for, not the enjoyment of dessert-making? If so, you might want to edit your question a little, because it currently sounds like you're asking about the affection for dessert making rather than the act itself.
    – Chris Sunami
    Apr 4, 2014 at 16:32
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    I would coin: dessertation or dessertion :)
    – JeffSahol
    Apr 4, 2014 at 17:22
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    Hungarian has a word for the occupation: cukrász, which comes from cukor "sugar" + -ász "one who works with or is an expert in". (Noun and verb forms follow naturally: cukrászság, cukrászkodás.) A parallel English construction would be something like "sugarer". If that doesn't work for you, you can always just move to Hungary. :)
    – Marthaª
    Apr 4, 2014 at 17:53

7 Answers 7

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The cooking school, Le Cordon-Bleu USA, refers to the field as the pâtisserie and baking arts. It also uses the term pastry arts.

The Culinary Institute of America uses the same phrases.

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  • I like addition of arts! - the meaning of the term is still clear but it sounds a bit better than "pastry making"
    – Paige
    Apr 4, 2014 at 16:56
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French here. The word you're looking for is pâtisserie making.

Actually, as long as all desserts are not pastries, the term "entremet making" would fit better than "pâtisserie making" here.

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  • I was trying to find an alternative to "x making", ideally a single word
    – Paige
    Apr 4, 2014 at 17:47
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    @Paige I can't seem to think of a single word to refer to patisserie making. I'll mull over that question and will let you know if I get an answer. :-)
    – Elian
    Apr 4, 2014 at 17:56
  • I know someone who agrees that fruit does not count as a dessert!
    – GEdgar
    Jul 22, 2016 at 14:50
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This question is looking for a verb. The verb is confection:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/confection#Related_terms

In noun form, a confection is an edible thing made with sugar. In order to create a confection, you would first need to confect it, similar to the way that "perfection" is possessed by that which has been "perfected."

Example: "Have you confected those lemon bars yet?" or: "Confection is easy. You just put your hand around the icing tube... and squeeeeeze." or: "Don't make so much noise when I'm confecting!

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    This is incorrect. While a confection is an edible thing made with sugar, the verb form does not have the meaning of making such a thing. It has a broader meaning of mixing/compounding materials, not necessarily for desserts.
    – Muhd
    Apr 4, 2014 at 21:43
  • I suppose you're right. Frankly, I'm disappointed that such a word doesn't exist.
    – Glatisant Soldier
    Apr 5, 2014 at 0:27
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Since each dessert might involve different processes to create, the all-inclusive "preparing dessert" seems like it will fit the bill.

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Cofectioning: verb, archaic The act of making confections (separate from the medical term).

Out of use in English by 16th century, but now is as good a time as any to bring it back.

[Dictionary.com]

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I think "confectionist" has a nice sound to it! Hopefully, this isn't a word already and just dessert makers have their right to use it! Great question, I was thinking the same thing! Good luck on future questions and endeavors, Another Confectionist.

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This would be called an interest in dessert making.

If you want to coin a term: Dessertophilia or Pastrophilia.

Granted these could merely be a love of desserts or pastries, but I still would call them applicable.

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  • A -philia would be a more pronounced sexual interest in desserts in that context, iirc. Crustology might be more applicable, as it combines the Latin 'crustulum' [pastry] with the Latin suffix 'logia' [branch of learning]. I also note 'Bellaria' is the Latin for dessert. So someone interested in pastry making would be a Crustologist and someone specifically interested in desserts would be a Bellariologist? I think I'm done coining terms for one day...
    – NinjaDuckie
    Apr 4, 2014 at 16:34
  • so "bellariology" or "crustology" might work, then
    – Paige
    Apr 4, 2014 at 16:40
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    @NinjaDuckie So, Anglophiles are sexually interested in the British? Audiophiles are sexually interested in audio? Shall I keep going?
    – David M
    Apr 4, 2014 at 17:53
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    @David Touché. I shall research further before making assumptive points in future.
    – NinjaDuckie
    Apr 4, 2014 at 20:36

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