Is there an easy way to paint individual fondant pearls so they look metallic gold? Can I just roll them in a little vodka and then shake them in some gold highlighter? TIA.

There may be a better way to do it, but thats the way I've done it in the past. Just make the fondant pearls, and then I just roll them on a vodka-dampened paper towel so they dont get toooo wet and then put them in a ziploc with the dust and shake it around til its all coated.

The only real problem I have with this is it seems like a lot of wasted dust... I rescue what I can, but still...

Hey, I just rolled my fondant balls on lustre dust without any alcohol. Here's the pic: http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1578857
Made the balls quickly and before it dried I took a small amount of gold lustre dust and the balls on a plastic box and gave it a nice shake (shake it gently so that the balls/pearls does not deform). It turned out pretty well. And I keept the leftover dust on the same box so next time I'm gonna need it i'll use the same container, even take it out to paint/dust something, so it's not gonna be a waste.

I do similar to juststarted. (see the pearls in my flag, gold and hatbox cakes in my pics) I keep a small (teacup sized) round Tupperware container by me. I put about 1/4 tsp dust in it. As I make each pearl I add it to the container and roll it around a few times and leave it there, adding more as I make them. This way they are moist enough to grab the dust.

I like using the round container because I can roll them in a circle around the bottom of the container rather than shaking them. I think rolling them even helps even out any imperfections.

Thank you all. You guys did some fantastic looking cakes. I'll try them dry first, if I can't get it "gold" enough I'll try the paper towel vodka method.

For something this tedious, why wouldn't you just buy them? I buy them by the kilo.

Where do you buy them from Leah_s?