I had started putting this together before I decided to do a step by step.  Here’s what I didn’t photograph without icing, but you should be able to figure it out.  I'll post a separate blog on how to do a fondant covered board that looks like wood.

BAKE THE FOLLOWING SIZES

6”x2” contour round (or cut the sharp edge off a round)

6”x9”x2” oval; 1 Large Muffin (that new Wilton pan) or a couple of 3” rounds; Half of the Wilton Egg Pan

STACKING THE CAKES

Stack the egg on the oval. Wide end of EGG pan is at the BACK.   Cut about 2” off the edge of the contour and place the flat end down on the board against the NARROW end of the egg pan. Taper the bottom sides of the contour slightly to the width of the oval.  You can just trim off a round cake too.   I doweled the contour to the oval.

SCULPTING THE CAKE:

 Slightly undercut the oval at the bottom.  Taper it down to give the illusion of a curve.  Not enough of a curve to use the other half of the egg pan.  Cut off the sides of the oval by the narrow end of the egg pan to just a hair smaller than the edge of the egg pan.  You can leave a bit of cake just where the egg tapers to use thighs, but it just crumbled on me. 

Use the sliced off cake for the thighs. Take the cut off cake and stick on the back sides, just before the wide end tapers as well. Do the same to the front. This completes the thighs. (I warned the lady that this part would taste good, but wouldn’t be a perfect slice of cake).

Use your finger to enhance the dent between the thighs. I doweled the cake thighs as well.
  

Stick the cake board with the cake done this far on the main board to finish it up.  (I made a wood grain board for this). 

 

MAKING THE LEGS

Now attach all 4 legs to the pig.  I doweled them then filled in the hole with a small plug of fondant.  Be sure and fold the back legs pointing to the back of the board, the front legs pointing forward toward the front of the board.

 

Smooth the legs down to make it relatively seamless.  I used Swiss Meringue Buttercream, so I had to keep chilling this cake so I could work with it easily.  I took a knife and split the ends of the legs to make the cloven hoof.

 

PLACING THE FACE:

Take the 6” round (what’s left of it) and stick it on the front of the pig. 

Cut the large muffin by cutting off about a third from top to bottom, angling the cut to make the larger size like an isosceles triangle...  2/3 for the top, 1/3 for the bottom.  Half is just too even looking. 

 

Place the small part on a cut to fit thin board that has about ½” length dowel glued to the bottom. Place it against the contour. Didn’t take a picture either…got lost in pig.  NOW, stick the muffin bottom on the board against the contour’s flat part.  I also used a small thin cake board under the top of the muffin/mouth.  I stuck a glob of fondant on the bottom of the top of the mouth board & stuck a lollipop stick about 1 1/2"  to help support it.  I stuck it through the bottom of the mouth. 

I iced it and covered it in fondant first. 

 

Put the top part of the jaw on a small board and dowel it from the board to the main cake board.  Take a wad of aluminum foil and stick it on the bottom part of the muffin.  This will keep the bottom jaw and the top jaw open slightly.  Now stick the top part of the muffin down, with the wide end toward the contour cake.  I iced this and covered with fondant first too.   Dowel it.

 

 

Stick some aluminum foil in between the bottom jaw and the top jaw.  It will keep them from falling until you stick the apple in the mouth. 

 Pig covered in Swiss Meringue Buttercream before fondant, texturing or eyes or wrinkles.

 

Wad up some fondant to cover the foil and to look like the folds of skin at the edge of the jaw.  Don’t worry so much about smooth and awesome

 

Now cover up piggie boy/girl with fondant.  I used very thick fondant, almost ¼” thick.  It was going to be used as a showpiece first, then eaten the next day or so.   It’s not so smooth, thanks to my finger. Don't make him all smooth and perfect.  Cooked skin is wrinkly.  

 

Take your Dresden tool or veining tool and run creases across the pig’s nose and at the folds of the knees and thighs…anywhere else you feel like. 

Poke his eyes with your thumb…gently because you don’t want to shove through the fondant.  Use your index finger to make his nostrils.

 

I textured him with one of those green Scottsbrite pads.  Solid green, not the sponge thing. Obviously it was brand new, whacked a few times in case some little green fibers were loose.   Pig skin is subtle texture, it has bristly hairs, so the pores are small.

MAKING THE EARS

Take a ball of fondant and roll smooth.  These have to be made at this point & not earlier, because you have to get the curve where they fit on the cake just right or they look stupid. 

 

Stick a couple of dowels in one end of them.  I used some thin plastic dowels I had laying around.

 

Cup the center and fold slightly to make the ears.  Keep the top thinner than the bottom

 

Dry for a bit so they will hold their shapes.  I would probably lay them over balls of aluminum foil if I do it again.  I did try it with balls of foil and it was about the same effect, so do whatever you prefer.

 

Stick the ears in piggie and adjust to make them look lifelike.

 Make a tail, small and curly next.  Make a sausage about 2” long or so, taper some & insert a dowel into the thick end.  Curl the thinner end around a dowel or a celstick and allow to dry for a bit.  Stick the dowel into the other end of piggie for the tail.

AIRBRUSHING

Now it’s time to airbrush piggie.  I used Peach Yellow and Warm Brown, all AmeriColors for the airbrush.  These are the same colors I use for my Turkey Cake.

  First, start off with Peach.  Don’t worry so much about even coverage, as you can see I didn’t.

Next use Yellow, sparingly.  Again don’t care if it is uneven.

 

Last color, use a Warm Brown.  Don’t bother to make it even.  I only do one coat.  Be sure you cover all the little nooks and crannies.  Uneven is good. 

Here’s pictures of the completed coloring of the pig.  See how uneven it is….Don’t try to even it up.  It adds dimension to it and increases the realism.

 Profile Mug shot.

 Backside Mug shot

 

Use a spatula to open pig’s mouth to place the fondant apple in Piggie's mouth.  You kind of have to lift his mouth open a bit.  Pull out the aluminum foil if you need to.  I left it in because....well I just did.  If you don't remove it, be sure and tell your customer about the foil. 

 Place some fondant fruit and vegetables around piggie for show.  I made all these a week or so in advance. 

 

Place the garland of flowers around his neck and you are done.

 Another dressed up Piggie Mug Shot.

My fondant apple.  Just a ball of fondant squished to look like an apple, colored with cranberry, ruby red & a hint of green.  Poked a hole with a skewer.

Fondant carrots with strings of fondant stem.  Colored with orange & egg yellow.

  Celery out of fondant.  Celery ribs made with veining tool.  colors are mint green, apple green, ivory & buttercup yellow

  Small red potatoes are blobs of fondant that had dents poked with the Dresden tool.  Colors are brown, rose pink, yellow & dark orange.  Brown went on top. 

  My little tray of fondant veggies.

There you have it!  Roasted Pig.