The World Cup for pastries, the biennial event features competitors from as far away as Egypt, Mauritius, and South Korea, where teams compete to create the ultimate once-in-a-lifetime dessert. This year’s competition was held on January 20 and 21.
Each team had three members — chocolate, ice, and sugar experts, respectively. The trio was tasked with developing three desserts that would represent their country: a frozen dessert, a restaurant dessert — which could include special decorations at the judging table — and a showcase chocolate.
They had just five hours to do it all.
The pastry chefs relied on both ingredients and design to highlight their countries’ culinary tastes. The Chinese team added a beautiful dragon made of sugar, while the Mexican competitors incorporated chocolate, corn, and other local foods into their desserts.
In addition to representing their homeland on their plates, the competitors wore themed outfits and accessories.
The French team wore beautiful Breton striped shirts and berets, the Mexican chefs wore masks inspired by sugar skulls from the Day of the Dead, and the UK team worked on their desserts while wearing a natty newsboy hat and bow tie.
Despite the 2025 event being held in Lyon, the French team did not win the gold medal, but instead took silver.
Top honors went to returning champion Japan, whose team added lemon, pear, marigold and chocolate granita in the shape of an asanoha (hemp) leaf to their restaurant dessert entry. For the frozen dessert, the team presented an apricot treat that resembled a spinning top toy.
“We incorporated Japan’s history and culture into the design. “We were able to incorporate flavors and subtle traditional patterns to showcase our craftsmanship,” said Masanori Hata, the team’s chocolatier.
“I don’t remember the moment we won. I was shocked, I couldn’t believe it. Japan has won two tournaments in a row. I’m happy and proud.”
Meanwhile, the French team prepared a series of chocolate egg displays, filled with chocolate-hazelnut soufflé mousse, covered in chocolate streusel, dipped in citrus-vanilla infused clarified butter, and paired with grilled vanilla ice cream and clementine confit.
The bronze award went to Malaysia, the highest result from a Southeast Asian country in the competition. The Malaysian team received high marks for its frozen dessert, which they described as “a harmonious blend of bright citrus, sweet apricot and subtle spices,” a nod to the country’s multicultural heritage.
Pastry World Cup Winners
- Japan
- France
- Malaysia
- China
- Belgium
- Italy
- South Korea
- Singapore
- United Kingdom
- Argentina
