A fabulous ingredient to add a glamorous sheen to cakes and bakes, edible gold dust and lustre is a popular ingredient in cake decorating because of its Hollywood style finish! Perfect for adding an opulent touch to any bake, it’s a star-studded addition to any creation. There are lots of edible gold powders and lustres available on the market which, if you’re just starting off on your decorating journey, can make it difficult to know where to begin.
Don’t worry, at The Cake Decorating Company, we’re bringing you our definitive guide to edible gold lustres, so you’ll find it much easier to shop. We’re also offering edible alternatives to Rolkem Super Gold and we’ll be giving you a little bit of background as to why this is no longer considered as edible.
What is edible gold dust made of?
According to EU regulation, in order for edible gold dust to be edible, it has to be made from pure metal and carry the code E175. Edible gold dust or lustre must be made of 23-24 karats, otherwise known as pure gold. The reason for this is that gold in its purest form is a noble metal which doesn’t react with the human body and isn’t absorbed, so is perfectly safe to eat.
Lower karats of gold used more commonly in jewellery, are made up of a gold majority mixed with brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc which in large quantities can be harmful to the human body, making it potentially unsafe to eat. In some edible gold dusts, pure gold may be mixed with pure silver, which is also completely safe to eat, as it’s a pure noble metal too.
Edible gold dust and lustre is incredibly popular in haute cuisine, used to create extravagant looking meals and in cake decorating, to add an expensive looking shine and finish to any stunning creation. Incredibly versatile, it can be brushed on to dry icing to add a subtle glitter trim, dusted onto decorations, and mixed with rejuvenator spirit or dipping solution to create an edible paint.
Is Rolkem Supergold edible?
Back in 2018, Rolkem had problems with their Rolkem Supergold and their Rolkem Super Rose Gold products. One of their suppliers issued them with a batch of gold powder that contained a lower classification of gold which therefore did not meet the EU and FSA requirements to qualify as edible and be given the E175 code.
Rolkem managed to identify the batch and quickly pulled almost 70% of the product immediately by notifying their worldwide clientele of the issue. The batch was tested and it was discovered that although the mix did contain copper (as expected from a lower classification of gold), the quantities in each pot were so small that no human should have been adversely affected by consuming it. However, Rolkem Supergold and Rolkem Supergold UK products could no longer be given the E175 code or considered edible due to the potential risk posed by the impure mix.
The FSA recalled the product and issued a Food Action Alert for the entire Rolkem range advising customers not to consume them. Rolkem products are still available and readily used in crafting, but are no longer considered edible.
How do you use Rolkem Supergold?
Now you know that Rolkem Supergold UK products are no longer considered edible, you may be wondering what edible gold lustre to use instead, and how to apply it. At the Cake Decorating Company, we have tested over 20 edible gold lustre dust to find an edible alternative to Rolkem Super Gold and from our comparisons, these are the top 3 that we think are closest (and maybe even prettier!)
- Roxy & Rich Highlighter Dust in Gold
- Roxy & Rich Highlighter Dust in Gold Sparkle
- Sugarflair Colours in Pure Gold
Our handy guide below helps to illustrate just why we love these three so much and gives other gold lustre dust alternatives that you may also like, all available to shop.
There are a number of ways to apply gold lustre to your cakes and bakes for a gorgeous and sparkling gold finish. Here are a few of our favourites:
Mix the lustre with alcohol to paint onto a cake
As you can see from our YouTube video, it’s so easy to make a gorgeous gold paint by mixing your gold lustre with alcohol. In this video we’re using Roxy & Rich Highlighter Dust which gives a fabulous gold finish to the sugarpaste on our cake, adding a real touch of glamour to the design. To make the paint, we recommend mixing with vodka, or a lemon extract from our range of flavourings.
Brush your cake with piping gel and add glitter
An effective way to add edible glitter to your cakes is to brush the cake with piping gel and then press on the glitter, as you can see in our tutorial. This process would also work with gold lustre, which can be dusted on with a brush.
Dust piped cupcakes with glitter
If you’ve made a batch of cupcakes that have been freshly piped with icing or buttercream, an easy and effective way to give them a sparkling finish, is to simply sprinkle them with gold dust! The dust will add a touch of glamour to your bake, making them delectable and delicious!
However you plan to make your cakes stand out, make sure that you browse our full collection of edible gold powders and lustres to give them a fabulous gold shimmer that’s deliciously edible.
