My Dad's 60th Birthday Cake

I made a cake for my dad's 60th birthday.  He is a big golfer and I haven't ever made a big decorated cake like this before.  It was really fun to make but it didn't turn out like I hoped. I wanted to cover it all in fondant but I haven't ever worked with fondant before. I would roll it out to the thickness I wanted and it would stick to my counter so I just made the trees, fairway, green, and the golf balls around the cake out of fondant.  Then I just used a creamy white frosting colored green for the cake cover.

Here are the recipes I used to make it:

Cake:
1/2 Cup butter
1 Egg
2 Egg yolks
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/4  Teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream

Allow butter, egg and egg yolks to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile spray a 9x13 cake pan with cooking spray.  I used Wilton cake release in my pan so the cake would out nicely. If using vanilla bean use a small sharp knife to scrap the seeds from the vanilla bean; set seeds aside.  In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
Preheat oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, beating on medium to high speed for 1 minute.  Scrape sides of bowl.  Add eggs, egg yolks, vanilla bean seeds (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat until combined.  Alternately add flour mixture and whipping cream to butter mixture, beating on low speed after addition just until combined (batter will be thick).
Spoon batter into pan. Bake about 30-35 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 
For this cake I made two 9x13 cakes.

Creamy White Frosting:
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pound powdered sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl beat shortening, vanilla and almond extract with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well.  Add 2 tablespoons of the milk.  Gradually beat in the remaining powdered sugar.  Gradually add enough milk to make frosting spreading consistency.  Makes about 3 cups.

I made 2 batches of this.  One to crumb coat the cake then the other to tint green and cover the cake.

Fondant:
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (One little packet)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon shortening
8 cups powdered sugar (about a 2 pound bag)
1/4 cup cornstarch

Place gelatin and water in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir with whisk until gelatin is melted.  Remove from heat.

Combine the corn syrup, vegetable oil, shortening and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. I put the powdered sugar in first and then the rest of the ingredients in so they would combine better.  Make sure you use the dough hook to make it.  Turn mixer on low and add the gelatin mixture.  Beat on low speed until a paste is formed.  Refrigerate 15 minutes to let harden slightly.  To use roll fondant to 1/4 inch thickness using corn starch or powdered sugar to coat work surface and rolling pin.  Transfer fondant by rolling it around the rolling pin.  Place fondant over a well cooled cake, stretching it into place as necessary.

I only made one batch of this since I didn't cover the whole cake in fondant.  I pulled enough out to tint green and make the green and fairway.  Then I made the flag with plain white and the golf balls. To get the texture on the golf balls I used a new golf and roll it across the dough and then cut out the circles.

To make the water I just dug some of the cake out  and filled it with blue gel icing to make it look like water.

The sand: I dug out some of the cake and filled it with brown sugar to make it look like sand.