• Cake
  • Frosting
  • YouTube
  • My Favorite Tools
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Recipes
    • Cake
    • Cupcakes
    • Frosting
    • Ice Cream
    • Vegan
  • Cake Basics
  • Tutorials
  • Blog
  • About
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Sugar & Sparrow logo in script font

Sugar & Sparrow

Lifestyle and Cake from Portland Oregon

  • Cake Basics
  • Recipes
    • Cake
    • Frosting
    • Cupcakes
    • Ice Cream
    • Vegan
  • Tutorials
  • Book
  • Blog
  • About

Gold Ganache Drip Cake Tutorial

January 10, 2023 · In: Featured, Tutorials

I’ve always loved the look of gold drip cakes but I never really tried making one until my niece’s golden birthday. Since it was gold-themed, I thought it was the perfect time to learn the art of the gold drip. I’ve made a few gold drip cakes since that one and have definitely learned my fair share of what products and methods to use (and not use), and how to make a gold drip that doesn’t taste terrible (because that matters too). 

gold drip cake by sugar and sparrow
gold ganache drip cake tutorial

My first order of business was figuring out what kind of drip to use as the base. I’d heard that using straight melted chocolate was one way to go, but I found that too thick and hard to work with. Instead, I figured out a way to create the gold drip with my favorite white chocolate ganache recipe. It’s easy to work with, tastes superb, and if you give it enough time in the refrigerator it will set firmly enough to paint.

how to make a gold drip cake

That brings me to my next order of business: what product to use for turning the drip gold. First I tried mixing gold luster dust with a little lemon extract to create a paint-like consistency. It looked great when I painted it on the drip, but it ended up doing two terrible things in the long run: it would not dry and it was so thin that it ran right down past the drip. Luster dust mixed with something like vodka or grain alcohol might work better, but I wasn’t up for a trip to the liquor store to figure it out. 

edible art paint in glamorous gold

Instead, I decided to use Edible Art Paint in Glamorous Gold. It’s a premixed edible metallic paint that’s FDA approved and it worked like a charm. I needed to paint two coats onto the drip to get the best coverage, but it looked amazing and ended up drying perfectly. With the right product, all that was left to do is practice! I’ve been working on getting better at painting the drip without painting the cake (but I did find a solution that works for cleaning up small mess-ups that I’ll talk about below).

painting white chocolate ganache gold
how to make a gold drip cake

Here’s a quick video that shows the full process of creating a gold drip, from dripping the cake with white chocolate ganache to painting and troubleshooting:

If you have yet to check out my YouTube channel, head there to see more cake recipe videos, decorating tutorials, and my entire Cake Basics series in video format. Hit the subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new video!

You Will Need

  • A cake that’s been frosted smooth and chilled 
  • Cake turntable
  • 1 batch of my white chocolate ganache recipe
  • Piping bag
  • Angled spatula
  • Edible Art Paint in Glamorous Gold
  • Small food-grade paint brush
  • Vodka or grain alcohol (just for touch ups)

Step 1: Drip the Cake 

Place the chilled, frosted cake on your turntable. When the white chocolate ganache has reached room temperature and is ideal drip consistency, place it into the piping bag and carefully snip off about ¼ inch opening on the end. Add a test drip to the side of the cake to make sure the ganache is just right (not too thick or thin), and if all is good, continue adding drips around the side of the cake.

white chocolate ganache drip cake tutorial

When the sides are dripped, fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and smooth it down with an angled spatula. Be careful not to add too much ganache or smooth too closely to the edges so you don’t accidentally push more ganache over the edges of the cake. 

white chocolate ganache drip tutorial

If this is your first time working with white chocolate ganache or you could use some tips on getting better at drip cakes, this blog post and video tutorial should answer all of your questions! 

Step 2: Let the Drip Set

After you drip the cake, place it into the refrigerator for 30 minutes at minimum. The more time you can let the drip firm up in the refrigerator the better (overnight is actually best!). 

The more firm the drip, the easier it will be to paint in the next step. 

Step 3: Paint the Drip 

Add 5-10 drops of the Edible Art Paint into a pinch bowl. Using the small paint brush, carefully paint the gold onto the ganache, starting on top of the cake and working your way over every drip. This is a tedious process that requires some patience, so be prepared for that! 

how to paint drip cake gold
how to make a gold drip cake

After painting the first coat of Edible Art Paint, place the cake into the refrigerator for another 15-30 minutes to let the paint dry a bit. Then, paint a second coat over the top of the first. 

painting gold drip cake

Step 4: Erase Mess-Ups (if needed)

If there are any spots where you accidentally painted past the drip and onto the buttercream, there is a fix! Place a few teaspoons of vodka or grain alcohol into a pinch bowl and dip a clean paint brush into it, then paint over the stray paint. The idea here is essentially like using nail polish remover to clean up around your nails after painting them. Do this part carefully!

removing edible art paint from buttercream

The higher the alcohol content in your paint remover, the quicker it will evaporate and dry. It will not make your cake taste like alcohol (in case you’re worried about that!). 

And there you have it – a beautiful metallic drip cake that is sure to impress! It’s the perfect way to add some glitz and elegance to your cake. 

gold drip cake tutorial
pink cake with gold drip

FYI: I finished the look on this particular cake with a star border made with Wilton tip 6B and Sprinkle Pop “Treasure Hunt” sprinkles. And the color I used for this beautiful buttercream is AmeriColor Electric Purple. So stunning!

Did you make a gold drip cake with this tutorial? I’d love to know how it went! Leave a comment below and be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me your work. I love to see what you create!

By: Whitney · In: Featured, Tutorials · Tagged: drip cake tutorial, edible art paint, gold cake, gold drip cake, gold ganache, white chocolate ganache

you’ll also love

edible gold crown cake topper tutorialEdible Gold Crown Cake Topper Tutorial
white chocolate ganache recipe for drip cakesWhite Chocolate Ganache Drip Cake Recipe + Tips [Video Included!]
sprinkle drip cake tutorialSprinkle Drip Cake Tutorial

Join the List

Stay up to date & receive the latest posts in your inbox.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stella Isermann says

    May 31, 2023 at 8:06 am

    Could you just add gold dust directly into the ganache instead of painting it on after?

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      May 31, 2023 at 8:40 am

      I wish! That would be so convenient. Unfortunately you would need so much gold dust to saturate the ganache that it would ruin the consistency. It’s much easier to just paint it on if you’re working with ganache or there are some gold drip recipes out there that are that don’t involve painting, like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce58m1M9KJM

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Next Post >

Nutella Buttercream Recipe

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

Welcome to Sugar & Sparrow

Helping you whip up pretty desserts with confidence and creativity. And hopefully sharing a few laughs with you along the way!

Learn More

Connect

let’s bake!

Get my very best recipes, baking tips, and decorating tutorials sent to your inbox

Featured Posts

funfetti cake recipe

Rainbow Funfetti Cake Recipe

nutella ganache recipe

Nutella Ganache Recipe for Drip Cakes

ocean cake tutorial

Under The Sea Cake Tutorial

Search

Archives

Follow Along

@sugarandsparrowco

This no-churn dulce de leche ice cream made with e This no-churn dulce de leche ice cream made with easy homemade dulce de leche + candied pecans 😍🫠 totally hits the spot and is so easy to whip up (no ice cream maker needed!) ⁣
⁣
NO-CHURN DULCE DE LECHE ICE CREAM⁣
YIELD: 6 Cups (12 servings) ⁣
⁣
INGREDIENTS: ⁣
2 Cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream, cold⁣
1 tsp pure vanilla extract⁣
13-14 Oz dulce de leche, room temperature⁣
1 Cup (115g) candied pecans (optional, but recommended!)⁣
⁣
INSTRUCTIONS⁣
1. Place a large metal bowl into the refrigerator and a loaf pan into the freezer to chill for at least 15-20 minutes.⁣
2. Add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla into the large chilled metal bowl. Beat with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 min.⁣
3. Reserve a few Tbsp of the dulce de leche and fold the rest into the whipping cream until it’s almost combined (keep some ribbons of dulce de leche for best results). Reserve a few Tbsp of the candied pecans and gently fold the rest into the ice cream mixture.⁣
4. Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and add the dulce de leche ice cream mixture into it. Use a rubber spatula to smooth it down and press it into the edges of the pan. Top with the reserved dulce de leche and use a toothpick to swirl it around, then add the reserved candied pecans. Cover with aluminum foil and freeze for at least 6 hours, after which it should be semi-solid and ready to enjoy!⁣
⁣
Full recipe (including how to make the candied pecans and homemade dulce de leche!) is linked in my bio OR find it at sugarandsparrow.com/no-churn-dulce-de-leche-ice-cream/⁣
⁣
#dulcedeleche #nochurnicecream #icecream #icecreamlover #pecans #icecreamtime #nobake #homemade #fromscratch #dessert
STRIPED STRAWBERRY MATCHA CAKE 🍵🍓If you love STRIPED STRAWBERRY MATCHA CAKE 🍵🍓If you love matcha tea, this striped strawberry matcha cake is for YOU: layers of matcha infused cake with dreamy strawberry buttercream, striped with vanilla buttercream, topped with pretty buttercream piping + fresh strawberry slices. These flavors were totally made for each other 🙌🏼 ⁣
⁣
You’ll find this recipe and decorating tutorial exclusively in my book “Anyone Can Cake” (pg. 160) which you can get at anyonecancake.com. ⁣
⁣⁣
#matchacake #matcha #cakedecorating #anyonecancake #cakesofinstagram #strawberrycake #strawberry #homebaked #matchatea #teacake #cake #stripedcake
S’mores Ice Cream Layer Cake 🔥🙌🏼 it alr S’mores Ice Cream Layer Cake 🔥🙌🏼 it already feels like summer in Portland and now all I can think about are ice cream cakes 😍this one is so easy to throw together (no churn + no bake!) and you can find the full recipe linked in my bio (https://sugarandsparrow.com/smores-ice-cream-cake/)⁣
⁣
Assembly details: ⁣
1. Press a no-bake graham cracker crust into the bottom of a springform pan and surround it with an acetate collar⁣⁣
2. Add a layer of hot fudge sauce (homemade or store bought) on top of the graham cracker crust, then add layers of no-churn chocolate ice cream, crushed graham crackers, and no-churn toasted marshmallow ice cream⁣⁣
3. Freeze for 6+ hours (up to two months!), then remove the acetate and finish decorating however you’d like or dig right in! ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
So perfect for making ahead and sure to satisfy any s’mores + ice cream lover ♥️⁣
⁣⁣
#smorescake #smores #cakedecorating #cakeideas #cakesofinstagram #icecreamcake #nochurnicecream #icecreamtime #sugarandsparrow #easydesserts #homebaked #nobake #cakes #chocolate #icecream
WOVEN TAPESTRY CAKE 🧶 basically the buttercream WOVEN TAPESTRY CAKE 🧶 basically the buttercream version of a woven tapestry wall hanging. This piping was honestly so therapeutic and the textures turned out so stunning 😍 this cake would be perfect for a baby shower, for celebrating a crafty friend, or simply for piping practice! I’m working on a blog tutorial for this design but until its up, here are the details: ⁣
⁣
🧶piping tips: @wiltoncakes 233, 5, 3, and 10 (basically a shag tip + a variety of round tip sizes) ⁣
🎨 colors: @americolor dusty rose, peach, tulip red, egg yellow, and wedgewood ⁣
⁣
#texturedcake #woventapestry #cake #cakedecorating #cakeideas #babyshowercake #buttercreampiping #pipingskills #buttercreamcake #shagcake #buttercream #satisfyingfood #cakesofinstagram #cakelover
STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE 🍓🍰 strawberry season i STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE 🍓🍰 strawberry season is coming up and if this strawberry layer cake recipe isn’t already on your list of cakes to bake, ADD IT! ♥️ These pretty pink cake layers are made with fresh strawberries + I used freeze-dried strawberries to flavor the buttercream. Top it with fresh chamomile flowers and pretty piping for extra cuteness, but no matter how you decorate, the authentic strawberry flavor in this cake is out of this world!🙌🏼⁣
⁣
Full recipe linked in my bio + on my blog at sugarandsparrow.com/strawberry-cake-recipe⁣
⁣
#strawberrycake #strawberry #pinkcake #cakedecorating #strawberries #layercake #cake #cakesofig #bakinglove #bakefromscratch #cakeideas #freezedried #strawberrybuttercream

Footer

On the Blog

  • Cake Basics
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials

Info

  • About
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosure

stay in the know

Copyright © 2023 · Theme by Sugar & Sparrow