Pune-Based Cake Artist Prachi Dhabal Deb Sets Double World Records

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Ketaki Latkar-Mahajan

Pune, 9th March 2022: Whether it is baking artisanal cakes, cupcakes, cookies, or customised theme cakes, Pune-based and internationally acclaimed cake artist Prachi Dhabal Deb invariably hits the bull’s eye.

A cake artist par excellence, Prachi’s winning stroke is her mastery over the intricate art of royal icing, which she has learnt in the United Kingdom, under the tutelage of the world-renowned cake icon Sir Eddie Spence MBE. Her work is crisp and precise, with a keen eye for detailing. She has mastered the art of creating royal-looking, luxurious bakes, which are regal in their appeal and delicious in taste. She has often been christened as “the queen of royal icing,” and her designs justify the moniker. Taking inspiration from the artistic elements around the world, Prachi incorporates these in her cake designs.

“I have always been fascinated with the beauty and elegance of Indian, Victorian and European architecture, and the grandeur of these monuments is spellbinding. I love to recreate these with my cakes,” she elucidates.

Prachi’s latest feats include two prestigious recognition by the World Book of Records (London): first, as an exemplary royal icing artist for her towering 100 kg vegan cake, and second, for having created the maximum number of vegan royal icing structures. Her 100 kg vegan is a majestic recreation of the grand Milan Cathedral, a monument whose regality offers a perfect blend of beauty and aesthetics.

Explaining more about the achievement, she says, “The planning and preparation took a lot of time. The cake needed about 1,500 pieces to demonstrate the Cathedral, and I single-handedly piped every piece, and later, assembling those pieces took about a month. Getting every aspect of this Cathedral cake right was surely a challenge, but I thoroughly enjoyed creating it.”

The monumental cake measures 6 feet 4 inches in length, 4 feet 6 inches in height, and 3.5 feet in width. Typically, the traditional recipe for royal icing has eggs; but to make the cake ideal for the Indian market, Prachi’s developed an egg-free and vegan product of royal icing (Vegan Royal Icing), in association with an Indian company-Sugarin. The product is available in India, as also across the globe.

Being titled as one of the top royal icing artists in India is no mean job, given that the medium is rather difficult to work with, and is regarded to be fragile. Royal icing is highly prestigious and has been used for decorating cakes for the British royal family. However, this delicate art requires a high amount of patience and skills and finds very limited commercial success worldwide.

But for Prachi, learning is a life-long process, and she’s always at it, “As an artist, it is of utmost importance that I keep trying and experimenting with the royal icing medium. It helps me grow and evolve. Back in 2014, I attempted my first 3-4 inches tall edible royal icing gazebo, and kept on further honing my skills and attempted various structures, for instance, a 3.9 feet royal icing structure that I created in 2020. With the Milan Cathedral, this year, I ended up creating something much greater, and got recognised and praised for it.”

Awards & Recognitions-

Featured in Forbes as one of Modern India’s Game Changers, March 2020.
Featured in Economic Time as one of ET New makers from India, Nov 2020
Featured as one of Times Women of Substance, March 2021
Featured in Forbes India as amongst the WBR Corp UK Ltd 45 Under 45 – India Edition List
Featured as one of Femina’s Most powerful 2021
Top 10 Cake Artist Of India 2017 by Cake Masters Magazine India
Top 10 Cake Artist Of India 2018 By Cake Masters Magazine India
Indian Cake Awards Judge 2019 for National Level Cake Award show in Mumbai for Indian Cake Industry
Cake Masters Royal Icing award for the year 2019 in Birmingham.
Top 50 Most Influential women in Maharashtra 2019 by Brijbhumi Foundation
Internationally Renowned Cake Artist award by Zee India Excellence Awards
Women achiever of Pune for 2020 and 2021 by Lokmat Group
Felicitated by the Governor of Maharashtra Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Bharat Leadership Awards July 2021
Top 4 Royal Icing Artists Cake Masters Awards Birmingham, 2017
Top 4 Best Magazine Cover Cake Masters Awards Birmingham, 2017
Top 4 Royal Icing Artists Cake Masters Awards Birmingham
Winner Royal Icing Artists, Cake Masters Awards, Birmingham, 2019
Honoured by World Book of Records London for maximum number of egg-free, vegan royal icing structures in Jan 2022