Luo Dan.[Photo/Courtesy of Luo Dan]

Icing lover

Luo first became interested in desserts a decade ago when she first started baking as a hobby while still a student of graphic design at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.

"I enjoyed making different kinds of cakes, starting with really basic ones. I was absolutely delighted when my friends praised the desserts I made." As time went on, simple designs were no longer able to satisfy her creative itch and she began experimenting with icing and fondant to create increasingly attractive desserts.

"Maybe it's because I'm a Virgo. I try my best to chase perfection," noted Luo.

Unlike nowadays when people can easily buy DIY ingredients, molds and other baking supplies on e-commerce sites, Luo had to purchase her tools overseas. It was also hard to find any related textbooks in China as well, so Luo depended on her fine arts training to create a style all her own.

Learning to make such delicate features required a lot of patience. Not only were some thin curved lines, sometimes only 0.1 mm thick, difficult to control, but some materials such as royal icing quickly become hard and fragile as soon as it hits the air. Some decorations were so easily broken that it wasn't unusual for her to have to make them over and over again. "My hands would usually tremble and I didn't even dare to breathe," she said, explaining that it took years for her to maintain a calm and peaceful demeanor when creating her desserts.