A Ladurée Dream in London: A Light, Elegant 3-Tier Cake for Two-Year-Old Birthday
The Ultimate Parisian-Chic Birthday: Crafting a Bespoke 3-Tier Ladurée Masterpiece with Japanese Refinement
Laduréeの夢をまとったバースデーパーティー
Introduction
愛娘に贈る、軽やかで贅沢なラデュレ風バースデー
My heart is full! My beautiful daughter just celebrated her second birthday. She has officially graduated from the baby stage and started her journey as a toddler who absolutely loves dresses, frills, pink, and, of course, Mummy's cakes!
To celebrate my "big girl," I coordinated a birthday table based on a theme I adore: Ladurée. I aimed to capture the iconic Parisian chic with their beautiful pastel mint green and soft pastel rose palette, all while using our CouCou Natsuha specialties. The result was an elegant, bespoke centrepiece that was wonderfully light, less sweet, and truly luxurious. Here is the full story of her dreamy, delicate celebration.
3-Tier Cake Dressed in Victorian Elegance
パリのエレガンスを手絞りで：優雅な３段ケーキ
This three-tier masterpiece, decorated in soft pastel rose shades, is my personal ode to the supreme elegance of Ladurée. It served as the undisputed focal point of the party, reflecting hours of meticulous, hand-piped detail.
センターピース：パステルローズと豪華なヴィクトリアンスタイルで叶えるエレガンス。
I chose a Victorian-style aesthetic, incorporating a variety of delicate frills, ribbons, and rococo-inspired lace effects. I used different nozzles to achieve a truly complex and sophisticated look, piping detailed ribbon shapes dotted with tiny pearls. To enhance this delicate elegance, I adorned the edges of the Victorian piping with gorgeous gold edible pearls, adding a shimmering touch of luxury.
Despite its stunning visuals, it's not just a beautiful sight—it's a celebration of flavour, with each tier offering a unique taste experience so all our guests could indulge.
繊細なフリルやドレープ、リボンでロマンチックに。
By focusing the dessert variety on this single, stunning multi-flavour cake, it created a magnificent visual without overwhelming the table with too many different sweets.
The Supreme Blend of Three Distinct Flavours
３層の贅沢： CouCou Natsuhaのシグネチャーフレーバー
At CouCou Natsuha, our signature lies in crafting desserts that are light, airy, and distinctly less sweet than conventional Western cakes, appealing to the discerning London palate and those who crave authentic Japanese baking. This 3-tier cake was the perfect showcase:
Top Tier (Pink Raspberry): A pink-coloured genoise sponge layered with fresh British strawberries and our light whipped cream, flavoured with homemade raspberry purée.
Middle Tier (Belgian Chocolate): A rich Belgian chocolate cake featuring a chocolate genoise, chocolate whipped cream, and more fresh British strawberries.
Bottom Tier (Classic Japanese Strawberry Shortcake): The foundation of our specialty—this layer is crafted using the authentic Japanese method. It features our fluffy, airy genoise sponge paired with our famously lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries. This Japanese Strawberry Shortcake style offers a rare, refined taste of low-sugar, melt-in-your-mouth lightness that is virtually impossible to find elsewhere in London.
切り分けるのが待ち遠しい、３層３種のフレーバー！
The different flavour profiles ensured every guest found their perfect slice, proving that a cake can be intensely beautiful and incredibly delicious without being heavy or overly sugary.
Macaron and Petite Choux: The French Dessert Tower
マカロンとプチシューの特製フレンチタワー
No Ladurée-inspired celebration is complete without macarons! We also incorporated the visual element of a Croquembouche, often seen at European celebrations, by creating a combination tower of our macaron and petite choux (cream puffs). The tower was naturally colour-matched to the beautiful pastel rose palette.
The petite choux were lightly iced with pink glacé and a touch of edible glitter for a festive sparkle. Inside, they were generously filled with my rich and utterly delicious cream patisserie, made with plenty of vanilla beans for a truly luxurious flavour. (While cream puffs require careful refrigeration and are generally offered for collection only, we can certainly accommodate special requests!)
２種類のスイーツタワー：マカロンとプチシューを柔らかなピンクで。
The macarons were filled with my signature silky Italian meringue buttercream and a reduction of homemade raspberry purée. I allow the filled macarons to rest properly for about 24 hours. This process perfectly marries the macaron shells, the creamy buttercream, and the tart raspberry, creating an incredibly simple yet profoundly satisfying flavour marriage that I absolutely love.
かために仕上げたプチシューには、バニラビーンズ入りのクレームパティシエールがたっぷり。
Maximized Splendor in Table Decor
パステルミントとローズで大好きなラデュレの世界観を。
This party was all about maximizing impact through focused decoration. I deliberately limited the variety of sweets but compensated by curating a lavish table setting that brought the Ladurée world to life.
I am personally a huge fan of the Ladurée x Meri Meri collaboration, and these items truly transformed the space. The lovely flower-garlanded pastel green trolley was adorable and now has a permanent, cherished spot in my daughter's nursery. The curved, Ladurée-designed plates and macaron-shaped paper napkins from Meri Meri reinforced the theme beautifully. While I usually try to use items I already own, this collaboration collection was absolutely worth purchasing to fully realise the elegant vision. Finally, I scattered artificial rose petals across the table to enrich the elegant atmosphere—a must-have for a true Ladurée theme—and the balloon garlands were perfectly colour-matched in pastel rose and mint green.
Meri Meriのコラボアイテムに夢中♡お気に入りのトローリー。
An Extra Cut…
For her party, my daughter wore an exquisitely simple, pale pink dress, ordered especially for her birthday, which had the sweet, frilly look of a French doll. Though she had just turned two, she is already a true girl who adores pink, frills, ribbons, and lace! She normally has very strong opinions about what she wears, but she absolutely loved this dress and put it on with delight.
Taking pictures proved to be a real challenge—all she wanted was the macarons and petite choux! We only managed to get a few shots by continuously offering her little bites of cream puff. Consequently, many of the photos feature her tiny hands clutching a choux or a bit of pastry stuck to her mouth. But those photos, sticky face and all, are now my favourite memories. It was a sweet reminder that taking photos of a little one who has just graduated from babyhood is an adventure!
At CouCou Natsuha, we are dedicated to creating bespoke edible centrepieces that are not only visually breathtaking but also offer the light, refined, and healthy-feeling flavour profile of authentic Japanese sweets. We specialise in blending Parisian elegance with Japanese finesse to create truly unique creations for your most cherished occasions in Wimbledon, London.
If this blog post has sparked inspiration for your next event, please reach out! Let's discuss how we can bring your bespoke dessert dream to life.
For our Japanese-speaking customers: ご注文やご相談は、ウェブサイトのコンタクトフォームまたはEメールより、どうぞ日本語でお気軽にお問い合わせください。ロンドンでの特別な一日を、心を込めてお手伝いさせていただきます。
Credits
パーティースイーツ（ Birthday Cake, Cookies, and Desserts ）：CouCou Natsuha
フォトクレジット（ Photos ）：CouCou Natsuha