1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line the bottom of four 8-inch (20cm) cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition.
5. Combine the cocoa, vanilla extract and water. Stir until combined, then add to cake batter and mix until well combined.
6. Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the batter. Begin by adding half of the dry mix, then mix well. Add the milk and mix well, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until smooth.
7. Add black gel icing color to turn the cake batter black. Keep in mind that the color will darken when the cakes bake. If the batter has a slightly grey-ish look, it’ll likely darken just fine when it bakes. No need to add even more color at that point.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
9. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove from pans to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

To make the frosting:

10. Beat together the butter, shortening and salt until well combined and smooth.
11. Slowly add 4 cups (460g) of powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
12. Add the vanilla extract and half of the water or milk and mix until well combined.
13. Add the other 5 cups (575g) of powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
14. Add the cocoa and mix until well combined and smooth.
15. Add the remaining water or milk until the frosting is the right consistency.

To build the cake:

16. To build the cake, you’ll need something to be able to cut through the cake layers with. I used a 3 inch biscuit cutter, but a round cookie cutter, something similar, or a sharp knife would be fine too. Use your cutter to cut a hole all the way through two of the cake layers. You want the hole to be in the center of the cake. Leave the other two layers as-is.
17. Place one of the full cake layers onto a cake plate or cardboard cake circle and spread about a cup of frosting in an even layer on top of the cake.
18. Place the next cake layer on top – one with a full hole removed – then add another layer of frosting (about 1/2 a cup) just on the part of the cake layer that remains.
19. Add the second layer of cake that has a hole removed and another layer of frosting. Spread a thin layer of frosting around the inside of the hole.
20. Fill the cake with your choice of gold candies and treats. I used gold coins, rolos, gold confetti and Ferrero Rocher You should fill the hole so that nothing sticks up above the sides of the hole, but reaches to the top so that there’s something there for the top layer of cake to rest on.
21. Add the final layer of cake on top, then frost the outside of the cake. Feel free to use my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake.

To add the ganache drip:

22. To make the ganache, add the white chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl.
23. Add the heavy whipping cream to a microwave-safe measuring cup and microwave until it just begins to boil.
24. Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate chips and let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. If it doesn’t melt really well, pop it back in the microwave for about 10 seconds, then whisk until smooth.
25. Drizzle the white chocolate ganache around the edges of the cake, then fill in the center/top of the cake. See my tips on making a chocolate drip cake.
26. To paint the drip gold, add some gold luster dust to a plate along with a little vodka or clear extract, such as almond. Use a food paint brush to mix a small amount of the liquid with the luster dust to create a paint and paint the drip gold.

To decorate the cake:

27. Make some additional vanilla frosting. Add the butter to a mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
28. Add one cup of powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
29. Add the vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoons of cream and mix until well combined.
30. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.
31. Add additional cream, as needed to get the right consistency frosting.
32. Pipe a ring of frosting around the outer edge of the cake, about an inch in from the edge.
33. Use the ring of frosting to stick more candies and sprinkles to the top of the cake. I added the candies first, then filled in the gaps with the gold confetti sprinkles.
34. Color the remaining frosting with green and use the grass icing tip to add grass around the bottom edge of the cake.
35. Store the cake in an air tight container. Cake is best if eaten within 2-3 days. The cake should be fine at room temperature for about a day, but any longer and it should be refrigerated.