Internationally acclaimed cake artist, Prachi Dhabal Deb, recently broke two world records with her 100-kilogram edible vegan royal icing structure of the Milan Cathedral.

The expert baker from Pune in western India is well known for her customized artisanal cakes, which are inspired by artistic elements from across the world.

Deb’s recent work, which landed her in The World Book of Records for Biggest Royal Icing Structure, featured the famous Milan Cathedral, which was approximately 1.9 meters in length, 1.4 meters tall, and over a meter wide.

Vegan-friendly royal icing

While it’s well known that traditional royal icing is made using eggs, Deb used her own egg-free vegan version to create the cathedral.

Speaking with Plant Based News, she shared that the planning and preparation for the Cathedral took almost an entire month, as she needed to pipe around 1,500 pieces to create the vegan-friendly replica of the cathedral.

“Royal Icing is one of the most traditional mediums of cake decorating, and is also the most versatile.”

Deb said, “As the traditional recipe of royal icing has eggs, I wanted to make it suitable for the Indian market and the vegan community, so I developed an egg-free, vegan version of royal icing.”

Recognizing that a growing number of people are shifting towards a plant-based diet, the cake artist has launched her own vegan icing brand called Vegan Royal Icing, created in collaboration with Indian cake decor company Sugarin.

‘Began journey as a royal icer in 2015’

Having been a keen cake artist since 2012, Deb began her journey as a royal icer in 2015, when she was offered the opportunity to learn from Sir Eddie Spencer MBE, professional cake decorator for the royal family.

To celebrate 10 years of baking, Deb wanted to mark the milestone by constructing the unique royal icing structure.

“I have always been fascinated with the beauty and elegance of Victorian and European architecture. The Milan Cathedral, being one of such iconic monuments around, has the grandeur and the regal elements that are a perfect blend of beauty and aesthetics.”

World record titles

The grand structure earned Deb two separate world record titles. She scooped the titles by building the world’s largest royal icing structure and for making the most vegan royal icing constructions.