Women's 10m platform synchro champion Liu suffered from a big splash in her fourth dive, a Back 3.5 somersaults (207C), receiving only 37.95, and had to settle for silver with an overall score of 354.35.
Melissa Wu of Australia claimed third spot with 349.50 points while Britain's Tonia Couch took fourth.
"As a debutant in the World Cup, I'm happy with my first individual world title. However, my performance was not stable and had some flaws in the final. That made me feel unsatisfied," said the 17-year-old Huang.
"The Reverse 3.5 somersaults (307C) is a difficult dive for women. I could not manage it very well during training. So I'm not surprised with my big blow on it during the final," Huang added.
Huang (CHN) performing in the women's 10m platform
A missed Back 3.5 somersaults (207C) cost her the gold, said Liu: "It is my weakest dive that I need to work on in the future. Besides, I am a synchro diver who pays more attention on the synchro events and my partner. The feeling is different when competing in the individual event," explained Liu, who clinched the synchro title together with Olympic and world champion Chen Ruolin earlier this week.
Melissa Wu said the bronze medal would boost her confidence for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. "I'm happy with a medal at the World Cup thanks to my consistent performance in the final. It is not my best dive but it is good enough for me to prepare for the Commonwealth Games," said Wu with a smile.