There’s no cake that cannot benefit from adding a little gold. Turn your wedding cake from part of the ceremony to the star of the show with edible gold leaf.
From chocolate to chicken wings, gold leaf gilding is the latest edible trend, chefs are embracing around the globe. Here’s how you can add a touch of magic to your wedding cake.
Things You’ll Need
- Fondant-Covered Cake
- Edible gold leaf
- Water
- Gold Leaf Gilding Kit
Stepwise Procedure
- Prepare the cake – Make sure that the cake you prepare is free of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Once the cake is ready, dust it with a clean, dry brush from the gold leaf gilding kit to remove excess residue.
- Wet the Surface – Use a food-safe brush to apply a thin layer of water over the area where you wish to apply the gold leaf. This will make the surface of the fondant cake slightly tacky so the gold leaf can stick to it. You can also apply a thin coating of edible glue instead of water. Make sure the coating is very thin as a thicker glue can leave lumps underneath the gold leaf.
- Apply edible-gold leaf – Carefully lift the corners of the loose gold leaf and gently lay it down on the tacky, water-painted surface of the fondant. The gold leaf will only stick to the tacky fondant and add beautiful rustic texture to the cake. Expect a few wrinkles since loose gold leaf is extremely thin and delicate.
- Surface the gold leaf – Once you have applied edible gold leaf to the surface of the cake, you will have to smooth it down and attach it to the cake. Take a good quality brush from the kit and surface the leaf sheets with soft strokes and light pressure. Be careful – don’t press too hard. Repeat the entire procedure until you have covered the entire cake – simply keep overlapping the gold leaf as you work your way around.
If you want to add a touch of gold leaf to your wedding cake, just brush the surface with glue and press on the gold leaf.
Gold Leaf Techniques, We’d suggest for your Wedding Cake
- Your wedding cake is going to look perfect with an avant-garde design using gold leaf. Your wedding is the most important event in your life and the wedding cake is the highlight of the big day. So, customise it the way you want.
Use asymmetrical pieces of gold leaf, if you want an ultra-modern yet sophisticated background. You can apply the asymmetrical gold leaf by simply brushing the area with water and sticking the leaf to it. - Edible gold leaf can add a beautiful, classy touch to your wedding cake. When edible gold leaf adheres to wafer-paper with some piping gel, it becomes sturdy enough to be cut using a paper punch. You can create various patterns using this technique and then gently place them on a fondant-topped cake.
Important Things to Know About Working With Gold Leaf
- The most important thing to keep in mind while working with gold leaf is that it is extremely delicate. The sheets are very fragile and can tear, wrinkle or blow away if not handled carefully.
- The leaf should not be touched with one’s hand because it can easily stick to the fingers and become unusable. Wear cotton gloves when working with gold leaf to avoid getting it on your hands.
- Use a soft, dry paintbrush and a very sharp knife to apply the gold leaf to the fondant. Make sure you don’t breathe too heavily onto the leaf, as it can easily wrinkle up.
Go Gold at your wedding!
