Edible Gold Dust

• Edible gold dust is a product that can be brushed onto finished cakes or other baked goods. You can find edible gold dust---sometimes called edible glitter---in cake decorating supply stores or craft stores. While some products only look like gold, many contain up to 24-karat gold leaf ground into a fine powder.

  Apply gold dust using soft artists' brushes by gently brushing the dust directly onto frosted cakes or decorations such as piped flowers or molded candy. Be careful when using gold dust, as you can easily inhale the product or blow it away with your breath. Inhaling edible gold dust is usually harmless, but the product is expensive.

Gold Glaze

• A golden paint or glaze is created by mixing edible gold dust with a small amount of clear alcohol such as vodka or clear vanilla extract. Clear vanilla extract is available from cake decorating supply stores and some grocery stores.

  Mix the gold dust and a few drops of the clear alcohol in a small container until the mixture is smooth enough to spread. Paint the glaze onto your cake with a new, small paintbrush. You can save money by using faux gold dust such as pearl dust or luster dust, which is available in a variety of colors and will give you the same effect.

Edible Gold Leaf

• Edible Gold Leaf consists of very thin sheets of gold---similar to aluminum foil. Edible gold leaf is usually available in packages with each sheet separated by tissue paper. Avoid touching the gold leaf with your hands, as it may stick to your hands and fall apart.

  Apply gold leaf by positioning the gold leaf sheet onto the cake with tweezers and then gently smoothing the leaf onto the cake with a wooden skewer or a clean paintbrush. Edible gold leaf usually has a slightly rough or antiqued appearance, because the edges of the sheet will usually flake away during application.