Edible gold has long been used in lavish cakes and desserts. But in the quest to create more Instagram-worthy treats it’s now being increasingly used to decorate everyday foods. We’ve taken a look at some of the most sublime, ridiculous and expensive treats given the golden touch.

There have been some incredible designs for donuts over the years but few have been as extravagant as the Golden Cristal Ube Donut. This spectacular dessert is made with Cristal champagne and ube, a purple sweet yam found in the Philippines. Like a piece of art, they're hand-gilded with 24-karat gold-leaf and dusted with powered gold. Designed for Brooklyn's Manilla Social Club, they cost $100 or $1200 per Golden Dozen.

This golden ice cream became an Instagram hit when it was launched in Japan in spring 2016. Created by the shop Hakuichi, in Kanazawa, it’s a simple ice cream cone wrapped in gold leaf. Although it looks expensive, it's actually pretty affordable at 1000 yen each, which is about $8. Bargain.

With a whopping $2,300 price tag, this gold-topped burger was officially declared the world's most expensive by Guinness World Records earlier this year. Created by chef Diego Bulk, of the South of Houston restaurant in The Hague, Netherlands, this super-expensive burger consists of dry-aged Wagyu beef from Japan, foie gras, Remeker cheese, caviar, gin-infused lobster and white truffle. It all sounds very fancy but who on earth would buy it?

In Japan, it’s good luck to eat huge sushi rolls known as ehomaki (which means ‘lucky direction’) on February 3 to welcome the start of spring. Earlier this year, a Tokyo supermarket decided to mark this event in opulent style with a gold-covered version costing a whopping $96. Named “Tokusen Kaisen Jyuni Hitoe Maki”, it contains 12 ingredients believed to bring good fortune including tuna, Japanese puffer fish, oval squid, steamed abalone and raw sea urchin.

Even classic childhood sweets have been transformed into opulent adult treats. Created by Vintage Confections, these bubbly Champagne-flavoured lollipops contain edible flecks of 24-karat gold and silver. Available online, they cost $36 for 6 pieces.

Berco’s Billion Dollar popcorn is covered in 23-karat gold flakes. Thankfully, it doesn’t cost as much as the name implies but, at $250 per gallon, it’s still the most expensive popcorn in the world.

Jewellers Laguna Pearl launched one of world’s most luxurious dining experiences to celebrate National Oyster Day in August 2016. The romantic meal for two, held at Australia's Coffin Bay, included oysters and caviar sprinkled with gold leaf powder, lobster and champagne. Couples also received a pearl necklace, an antique oyster tray and flights from New York or Los Angeles. A bargain at just $47,000 per couple.

Any caffeine-addict will tell you that first cup of coffee in the morning is worth its weight in gold. Now, coffee connoisseurs can enjoy a brew made with edible 24-karat sparkles. Japanese-inspired Bushido gourmet coffee hoped the shimmer would make their instant granulates more appealing. Sounds like a matter of style over substance to us.

Takeaway orders skyrocket during the American Super Bowl, so it was only fitting Pizza Hut did something extra special to celebrate the sporting event's 50th anniversary. During the 2017 match, the company launched a promotion to give away 50 golden pizzas. Customers who ordered a $12.99 Stuffed Garlic Knots Pizza were entered into a competition to win one of 50 special versions, flecked with $100 worth of the sparkly stuff.

Thought Pizza Hut’s $100 offering was impressive? It’s nothing compared to New York’s Industry Kitchen’s 24-karat gold pizza worth $2,000 (or $250 a slice). Sprinkled with Ecuadorian gold leaves, this ridiculously decadent dish is topped with caviar from the Caspian Sea, French truffles and foie gras, Stilton cheese flown in from England, edible flowers and a stuffed crust made with black squid ink. You couldn’t class this as fast food though; it must be ordered 48 hours in advance.

What is a doussant, you may ask? It’s a cross between a donut and a croissant, of course. And, to make this sumptuous treat even more Instagram-worthy, it’s been smothered in elegant, edible gold. The donut hybrid, created by Melbourne-based Goldeluck's Bakeshop, is a bargain at just $20.

At a staggering $840, The Golden Phoenix was declared the world's most expensive cupcake when it was launched in 2012. The artisan treat, sold at Bloomsbury's Cupcake store in Dubai, is made with the finest chocolate and decorated with 23-karat gold. Shafeena Yusuff Ali, founder of Bloomsbury's Cupcakes, explained: “Our aim is to redefine the cupcakes in the Gulf, why can’t a cupcake taste as good as it looks and look as good as it tastes.”

Would you pay $180 for a bowl of ramen because it contains a few specks of gold? Japanese restaurant Koa in Manhattan launched these Kobe wagyu beef and shaved truffle noodles in May this year, and proclaimed them the most expensive in the world. But, it doesn’t seem many people were sold on the idea. Koa told The Wall Street Journal only two people had bought the decadent dish during the first month it was on sale.

And, here’s another Japanese culinary creation designed to bring good luck. This dumpling was launched in May 2014 to coincide with the nation’s Dream Jumbo Lottery, an annual draw with a top prize of 500,000,000 yen (US$ 4.4 million). This shimmering showstopper was decorated with edible gold-leaf and crammed with lucky ingredients including octopus, okra, lotus root and mushrooms. Normally 1,077 yen (US$9.70) the cost was reduced to a lucky 777 yen for ticket holders.

Although it was made almost 10 years ago, the Frrozen Haute Chocolate sundae still holds the Guinness World Record as the most expensive dessert. Costing an eye-watering $25,000, this outlandish creation is infused with 5 grams of edible 23-karat gold and chocolate truffles costing $2,600 a pound. Created by New York’s Serendipity 3 restaurant, it also came with an 18-karat gold bracelet and a golden spoon.

Even if you love tacos, you may find this one hard to swallow. A luxury resort in Mexico recently created this $25,000 version with a gold-infused corn tortilla shell, kobe beef, caviar, black-truffle and brie all ostentatiously topped with lavish gold flakes. And, if that’s not decadent enough for you, the Grand Velas Los Cabos resort also offers ultra-premium tequila for $150,000.

An elaborate birthday cake is the must-have centrepiece of any birthday party but few come with $28,000 price tag. This super-extravagant dessert was made with gold leaf, Belgium chocolate, whisky, champagne and sparkling two-carat diamond. It was created by Lindeth Howe hotel in Cumbria, UK, in 2011 and bought by Carl Weininger for his 60th birthday. “I'm not much of a chocolate lover myself, he told The Daily Mail. “But all the women who tasted it said 'wow'".

Champagne not fancy enough for you? Add some extra sparkle with a bottle of Luxor Brut Gold, which contains thin flakes of 24-karat gold. This luxurious bottle of French fizz will cost you around $173.

This incredible gold-leaf cake, created to replicate a rock cavity lined with amethyst crystals, looks far too good to eat. Crafted by Rachael Teufel of Intricate Icings, it was painstakingly decorated with rock candy, granulated sugar and modelling chocolate over 16 hours.

Everyone loves chocolate at Easter but few could ever afford this $46,500 creation. Created by jewellery brand Shawish and unveiled at Harrods in 2014, it’s thought to be the world’s most expensive Easter egg. Not only it is brushed with real gold, it contains a 18 carot white gold pendant – like the world’s poshest Kinder Surprise.

How would you even begin to cut into this elaborate wedding cake? This incredible fairy tale creation, painted with real gold and silver, is just one of many over-the-top designs created by family-run Le Novelle Cake in Indonesia. They’ve also constructed several giant cathedral cakes and a Japanese pagoda with nine tiers. Prices range from $5,000 to more than $500,000.

How to do you like your bacon: crispy or covered in dark chocolate and sprinkled with gold? This bizarre creation was dreamt up by Wesley Klein at the New York food store Baconery, who explains: “Like a mad scientist, I spent months in the kitchen with breakfast chefs, pastry chefs, and more, until we stumbled upon the exact formula for infusing these two ingredients into the perfect culinary combination.” Not convinced? Neither are we.

To celebrate the Wonder Woman film, released in June 2017, the Cold Stone Creamery launched several new ice cream desserts with an added touch of sparkle. These included the Wonder Woman Berry Bold, a frozen treat with chocolate shavings, real gold glitter and raspberries.