Who would say no to a bit of gold on their birthday? This 24K Gold Drip Cake is a fun and fabulous addition to just about any celebration – especially if you’re celebrating a “champagne birthday” or a “golden occasion.”

I participated in Mom Blog Tour Sweets & Snacks Expo (#MomBlogTourFF) on behalf of Wendy’s Bloggers. I received Celebration by Frey products to facilitate my review, but my opinions and creative content are my own.

Gold Drip Layer Cake Recipe

I love party planning and entertaining, and while I have spent hours on a single cake before, I generally try to achieve that “wow-factor” with little tricks that shortcuts that I’ve learned throughout the years.

While nothing can replace a homemade frosting, I have found that most people can’t tell the difference between boxed cake mix and a cake you’ve made from scratch.

And while carefully created fondant creations are impressive, I’ve also found that theatrics (like jagged pieces of candy bark sticking out from the top of a cake or gorgeous waves of frosting) can have the same awe-inspiring effect with a fraction of the effort.

This golden cake uses three of my favorite, easy cake decorating tricks to create a stunning cake perfect for a golden occasion:

• dramatic candy drips
• bright gold coloring
• fun shapes and dimensions – added by color-coordinated candies

This golden cake looks like it’s bubbling over with excitement – and guests will go crazy for it, too!

It reminded me of golden champagne bubbles, while my daughter thought it looked like a mermaid’s treasure cake.

Other than the dramatic effect that it brings to a dessert table, my favorite thing about this cake is that it took literally 20 minutes to decorate. You cannot beat that!

Now, there are two ways to “paint” your cake – making a homemade edible paint out of edible lustre dust and lemon juice (or vodka) or using a paint food spray. I initially started using a homemade edible paint but switched to the food spray because the homemade paint was not an exact match for the pretty Celebration by Frey Shimmer Gum Balls and Sixlets. (Note: you can also use edible gold leaf, but that’s super pricey and you have to make sure that it’s actually 24k to ensure it’s edible.)

(The painting method is also a lot more time consuming, while spraying on the food dye spray took literally seconds.)

While you could make this golden drip cake without the Celebration by Frey Gum Balls and Sixlets, I think they really add the drama and were the perfect easy decoration. They are available in a ton of different colors, and the possibilities to decorate with them are endless!

 

Ingredients for a Gold Drip Cake

For the golden cake:

For the vanilla buttercream:

• 1 cup butter
• 4-6 cups powdered icing sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-3 Tablespoons cream

For the decorations:

• 1 cup white candy melts
• 1 Tablespoon shortening, as needed
• Gold food spray
• Celebration by Frey Gold Gumballs
• Celebration by Frey Gold Sixlets

Tip: you can alternatively make a gold paint by combining gold lustre dust at a 2:1 ratio with lemon juice or vodka.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring spoons and cups
• Mixing bowls
• 3 8″ circular cake pans
• Electric beater
• Cake Stand
• Offset spatula

How to Make a Gold Drip Cake

Prepare the cake layers:

Heat oven to 325°F.

Grease and lightly flour 3 8″ circular pans. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and softened butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the milk, and repeat, beating well and scraping bowl after each addition.

Divide the cake batter evenly amongst the 3 pans.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely before frosting.

For the vanilla buttercream and crumb coats:

To make the vanilla buttercream, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat for two minutes before adjusting by adding cream.

Add more or less cream or powdered icing sugar to achieve a smooth consistency that is easily spreadable without being wet.

Give the cake a decent crumb coat (light layer of frosting to hold in any crumbs) and let set for at least one hour.

Then, follow up with a thicker, final coat of frosting.

To Make a Drip Cake:

To make the drip effect, melt the candy melts in a microwave. Heat in 25 second increments and stir well in between each reheating.

Add the shortening, as needed.

Start with the edges of the cake, using a small spoon to portion out half teaspoon amounts of the white candy melts at a 45° angle to allow the candy melts to drip down the side of the cake.

Play with this step as it’s a bit of trial and error.

After you have successfully made drips all along the edge of the cake, spread the remaining candy melts in the middle of the cake.

Add the Candy Embellishments:

While the candy melts are still wet, add the Celebration by Frey gumballs and sixlets, as desired.

I added a trim of the sixlets around the bottom and created a half moon effect with them on the top of the cake, with the large gumballs cascading into a pattern with the smaller sixlets.

Paint the Cake Gold:

To paint the cake gold, you can use one of two methods:

• make a gold paint by combining 2 parts golden lustre dust (edible shimmer) to 1 part vodka or lemon juice
• use gold food spray

I initially used the edible gold paint mixture, but then switched to the gold food spray as it better matched the gumballs and sixlets that I was using.

Spray the cake all over with the spraypaint for a dramatic effect. Allow the edible paint to dry before handling further or serving.

 

Pin this Gold Celebration Cake recipe:

Grab your free printable for our 24k Gold Drip Layer Cake:

 

This Golden Celebration Cake is a dramatic and gorgeous addition to a party or a fun treat to celebrate just about any occasion. Swap out the gold gumballs and food spray for silver, pink, or whatever color you prefer!

For more gorgeous cake decorating ideas, check out our Mermaid Fondant Cake or our Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake.