Gold drips that actually work
Gold drips look striking, but they cause plenty of frustration: patchy coverage, streaks, or paint that slides off the ganache. Most problems come down to temperature, the drip itself and the type of gold you use.
1. Start with a well-chilled cake
The iced cake should be properly cold so each drip sets where you place it. On a warm cake the drips run too far and stay soft, which makes painting difficult.
2. Get the drip consistency right
A ganache drip should be fluid but not hot. Too warm and it runs to the board; too cool and it sits in blobs. Test a single drip on the side of the cake before doing the whole tier.
3. Let the drip set completely
Chill the cake again until the ganache is firm to the touch. Painting onto soft ganache drags the drip and leaves streaks.
4. Use the right gold
- Use products labelled as edible. “Non-toxic” or “for decoration only” is not the same as edible, and those products should not be eaten.
- Mix lustre dust with a little high-proof alcohol or a clear flavour extract to make a paint. The alcohol evaporates and leaves the colour behind.
- Ready-made edible gold paints are more consistent and save time if you do a lot of metallic work.
5. Paint in thin coats
Use a soft, clean brush and apply a thin first coat. Let it dry, then add a second. Two thin coats always look better than one thick one.
Buy edible metallics from reputable suppliers who can tell you what is in them. If a seller cannot answer that question, look elsewhere.
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