Rather than looking like a traditional holiday dessert, the 2025 Christmas cake from the Peninsula Paris looks more like a keepsake from a winter walk in the woods.
Coruble has shaped her holiday creation into a pinecone resting on a base meant to be broken and shared. The name she chose for it, “Joyau des Pins,” suggests both luxury and a return to nature. At first glance, the design is striking. Upon closer inspection, it reveals itself to be a layered journey built around the subtle theme of forest flavors.
Coruble, the pastry chef at the Peninsula Paris, has made her mark by drawing inspiration from small details—tree bark, soft light, and even a trace of smoke—and translating them into desserts that feel familiar yet unexpected. This year, she leaned on the pinecone. Its shape nods to the first ornaments hung on fir trees, and its layers echo childhood traditions building toward Christmas Eve.
The 2025 Christmas cake is made up of thirteen distinct elements. Coruble says she wanted to pay homage to the Provençal tradition of serving thirteen desserts at Christmas. This centuries-old custom symbolizes generosity and togetherness. Her version incorporates this concept into a single dessert with stacked textures ranging from soft to crisp.
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The experience begins with a shell of milk chocolate from Peru. Inside are flavors drawn from pine, cedar, caramel, honey, rice, and praline made with pine nuts. With one bite, the mousse tastes smoky and warm. Another bite brings the crunch of puffed rice or the sweetness of dulce de leche infused with forest honey. The bottom layer is a dark chocolate tablet designed to be broken into shards and shared around the table. This encourages a kind of sharing that feels central to the season.
For Coruble, the work is about more than technique; it’s also about mood. She wants the dessert to evoke the feeling of stepping into a quiet forest in December, when the air is cold and the scent of pine needles fills the air. This atmosphere is conveyed not only through the cake’s appearance, but also through the way the flavors unfold. Sweetness is balanced by resin and wood. Creaminess meets crunch. The result stirs a sense of winter that goes beyond sugar.
The Peninsula Paris sets a stage that amplifies the spirit of the cake. Known as the “petite Versailles” of the French capital, the hotel blends historical architecture with modern design. It houses three restaurants, including the two-Michelin-starred L’Oiseau Blanc, which offers sweeping views of the Eiffel Tower. Within these walls, the Christmas cake becomes part of a broader tradition of holiday hospitality cultivated by the hotel.
The Peninsula Paris has made a point of giving its holiday cakes a strong visual presence and a rich flavor profile. The 2025 Christmas log, “Joyaux des Pins” (Jewels of the Pines), will be available for €105 to serve six. Pre-orders will open on December 1, 2025, and orders must be placed at least 72 hours in advance.
Pickup will be at the hotel’s Le Lobby restaurant, located at 19 Avenue Kléber in the 16th arrondissement, from December 17 to 31, 2025. Reservations can be made by phone at +33 (0)1 58 12 28 88 or by email at ppr@peninsula.com.