'The Cake Wasn't Just A Cake'

Prachi Dhabal Deb is an artist.

Of cakes.

She isn't someone who just concocts desserts. Prachi weaves tales in exquisite royal icing.

The achievement, that garnered her the most attention, was her masterful creation of a cake replica of Duomo di Milano, the famous white Candoglia marble Italian cathedral.

In a conversation with Shristi Sahoo/Rediff, she explains what it takes to make her showpieces that use royal icing, which is concocted from egg whites, icing sugar, but Prachi does not use eggs.

Tell us about the most difficult cake you've ever made, what went wrong and how did you overcome it?

A particularly challenging piece was my world record structure inspired by the Milan Cathedral, with thousands of individual elements.

Midway through the piping process, I realised that the other side of the structure will be a mirror image of the windows and doors.

It was a nerve-wracking moment, but instead of panicking, I paused, redesigned the panels and re-piped intricate elements overnight.

The experience taught me that even the most beautiful structures can falter, but with grace and resilience, they can rise again.

Why were you attracted to royal icing technique and how did you master it?

Royal icing captivated me because of its delicate and timeless quality. There's something meditative about piping. Over the years, I honed my technique through countless hours of experimentation, failures and self-study.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to learn under the late Sir Eddie Spence (an expert in sugar craft, who baked ceremonial cakes for Buckingham Palace) in the United Kingdom in 2015.

When I came back to India, my journey was more about practicing my signature style, observation, intuition and deep emotional connection with the medium, while adapting it into a vegan version for increasing its reach.

What drew me in was the potential to turn a centuries-old technique into a contemporary storytelling tool.

You hold records for three of your projects. What did it take to put together these cake masterpieces?

One of my most memorable projects was the vegan royal icing replica of the Milan Cathedral -- an intricate architectural structure crafted entirely from plant-based royal icing.

Royal icing, being a very delicate medium, is always considered fragile, but I wanted to experiment and try something majestic with it.

The Milan Cathedral was 6 ft 4 in by 4 ft 6 in, weighing more than 100 kg.

With hundreds of piped elements, assembled piece by piece, the entire project took several hundred hours and demanded precision, structural balance and immense patience.

The most rewarding part was not the record itself, but the ability to bring together art, architecture on such a monumental scale.

How does your creative process evolve, from the idea to the final cake? Do you sketch, digitally design or jump straight in?

It always starts with a feeling or an inspiration, sometimes a handloom weave, sometimes a palace carving.

I usually begin by sketching out rough concepts by hand and studying reference materials, especially if it's heritage inspired.

Once the foundation is clear, I build the design mentally before transferring it into icing.

I rarely use digital tools. I prefer a tactile, organic process where my hands and heart lead the way.

What have been the rewards? Any moment when a cake made emotional impact?

There have been countless emotional moments over the years with students, clients and even from people who admire my work, but the one that has stayed with me from the very early days of my journey: Back in 2012, a little girl came with her mother to collect a castle and princess cake I had made.

The moment she saw it, her eyes lit up with such wonder that I felt transported back to my 10-year-old self, reading Enid Blyton stories, dreaming of magical worlds and fairytale castles.

That cake wasn't just a cake. It was a dream that had materialised for her and for me. It was in that quiet, sparkling moment when I realised how profoundly cake art could touch lives. That moment still lives in my heart and reminds me why I do what I do.