No matter the kind of celebration, a beautiful cake is always a welcome highlight that signifies the climax of the event. In bringing any gathering or party to the peak of festivity, a cake needs to stand out in elegance. What better way to take things up a notch than by decorating your cake with edible gold leaf?

Truly a sign of opulent decadence, an edible gold leaf adds a sparkle to any cake. It’s almost like a crown to show off the cake as the star of the occasion. So how exactly do you achieve such a level of sophistication on your cake with an edible gold leaf? The answer to this lies in the following easy steps.

To start: Dress your cake in fondant or royal icing
If your aim is to create a beautiful golden surface on your cake, then the leaf needs to be laid on fondant or royal icing. The reason for this is the fact that fondant icing is smooth and firm, which makes for the perfectly straight platform upon which to lay your edible gold leaf. Royal icing can also make for a great gold leaf laying surface, provided that it is dry first.

Note that you can use edible gold leaf on cakes that are bare or coated with less dry or creamy icing. However, the use of the leaf here would not be to coat the cake but to maybe embellish it with little pieces of shine that a gold leaf provides. Creativity is important here.

Part 1: Food-safe brushes are your best tool
To properly place any edible gold leaf flat on a cake, you’re going to need the tender touch of paintbrushes. Edible gold leaf is really delicate, so a fine brush may be tenderer than your fingers! That’s not all a good paintbrush can do for you.

In order to attach an edible gold leaf, you need first to wet the surface, as we’ll explain shortly. A good paintbrush makes wetting the icing surface much more convenient. So to summarize, have one brush to use for wetting the icing, and another to help brush on the edible gold leaf once it’s become attached.

Part 2: Carefully wet the fondant surface
As mentioned before, use one of the paintbrushes to wet the surface that you intend to lay the gold leaf on. A little bit of water is good for this, but some people also like to use edible glue. Any is fine, so long as you don’t use too much. Dip the brush in and start brushing. You don’t want it to be too wet, just tacky enough that the gold leaf will stick to it well.

Part 3: Carefully lay on your gold leaf
This is where you need to be extra careful, simply because of how delicate the edible gold leaf is. While holding it at both ends, carefully lay it onto the cake surface. You can use a dry paintbrush to flatten the gold leaf onto the icing surface further, but be very careful while brushing. It may appear imperfect with gaps and creases here and there, but remember, an edible gold leaf shines the most in its imperfection. This is because it gives a beautifully natural and rustic look to your cake surface.

Finally: Get creative
The world is your oyster, really, with any design you choose to go for. You could decide to coat just the top or only the sides of your cake.

Some creative variants have the gold leaf torn carefully into various artistic shapes. Make little pieces and drape them all around like falling stars. You can even use them to spell out specific vital words on your cake. There is no limit to how creative you can get!

Understanding the basics of how to properly lay out edible gold leaf on your cake is the secret to breathing life into your designs. Give your creations that extra pop of color and shine that will make them stand out on any given occasion. Using edible gold leaf is how you turn any cake into an instant masterpiece.

Source : www.tidoro.com