How to Add Gold to Buttercream Wedding Cakes

Art Deco Wedding Cake

As a Buttercream Wedding Cake baker, I get lots of requests to add gold and silver to make the wedding cakes shine!  Buttercream Wedding Cakes can be tricky, to say the least, when it comes to adding certain elements.  It does take some practice and patience to get the desired outcome...but besides, why should fondant cakes have all the fun?

Two main ways to achieve that sparkling and shimmering appearance of gold is to use luster dust and gold leaf.  Gold leaf is definitely the preferred choice because it is real, edible gold.  It comes in booklets on loose or transfer paper sheets.  The transfer paper is much easier to work with and can be applied easily to any tier of a buttercream cake.  The buttercream must have crusted and needs to be firm to the touch, so chill it well!  It is best to apply the gold leaf onto the cake tier before assembling the cake so that the base of the cake can be completely covered.  When applying the gold leaf, press lightly onto the icing and then remove the transfer paper.  Continue until the cake has been covered.  That easy!  Refrigerating the gold leafing on a buttercream cake really has no effect on the shine.  It will form condensation when removed from the refrigerator and back to room temperature, but it still looks great!

The other way to get a metallic gold or silver accent on a Wedding Cake is to use gold luster dusts.  There are approved edible metallic luster dusts that can be used.  Old Gold Luster Dust is a great choice.  It can be used dry or wet.  Use luster dust dry and brush it on fondant, white chocolate molds, etc.  If you want to color white sugar pearls gold,  use the luster dust plus vodka or lemon extract.  Simple!

Why not add sparkle to a Wedding Cake?








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