The term Siamese is derived from a famous pair of conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker of Siam. They spent a decade exhibited as curiosities, then used their earnings to buy a plantation in North Carolina, where they lived out their days. Like the Bunkers, these piglets spend their days on the farm as happy as two pigs in chocolate mud can be.
• pig belly and ear templates
• 6 x 10 in. (15 x 25 cm) plywood sheet, 1/4 in. (5 mm) thick
• 6 x 10 in. (15 x 25 cm) Styrofoam sheet, 2 in. (5 cm) thick
• 3 ft. (1 m) lengths each: 1/2 in. (1 cm) and 3/4 in. (2 cm) doweling
• shelf paper (self-adhesive)
• pen
• drill, with 3/16 in. (5 mm) and 1/8 in. (3 mm) drill bits
• screwdriver
• no.8 drywall or wood screws
• hot-glue gun
• small serrated knife
• 16 in. (40 cm) round wooden cake board, 1/2 in. (1 cm) thick
• rolling pin
• craft knife
• toothpicks
• aluminum foil
• 2 x 11/2 in. (4 cm) Styrofoam rounds; 2 x 3 in. (7.5 cm) Styrofoam balls
• ball tool
• large piping bag with quick-ice tip
• 23/4 in. (7 cm) round cutter
• spatula
• airbrush; stiff paintbrush
• 1 tsp. CMC powder
• 2 lb. (900 g) light pink fondant; 3 oz. (85 g) black fondant
• 11/2 lb. (675 g) modeling chocolate
• 1 recipe cake batter of choice, baked in 1/4 sheet pan
• 2 cups (470 ml) decorator’s buttercream icing
• fleshtone airbrush color
• 2 cups (470 ml) ganache
• 1/2 cup (60 g) cookie crumbs
Cut separator board from plywood, and belly from Styrofoam. Cut 3/4 in. (2 cm) dowel into 2 x 5 in. (13 cm) pieces; ends trimmed at 20° for left-side legs; a 43/4 in. (12 cm) piece, trimmed at 15° for right front leg; and a 41/2 in. (11 cm) piece. Cut 2 x 51/4 in. (13 cm) lengths of 1/2 in. (1 cm) dowel, trimming one end of each at 20°, for neck pieces.
Cover top of separator board with shelf paper. Place template on separator board. Use pen to mark position of screw holes to attach leg and neck dowels. Drill holes through board where marked, using 1/8 in. (3 mm) drill bit. Drill each end of leg dowels and angled ends of neck dowels, with 1/8 in. (3 mm) drill bit.
Attach neck dowels to top of separator board, from underside, using screwdriver and no.8 drywall or wood screws. Rotate dowels so that they are angled to each side of separator board. Using hot-glue gun, attach belly Styrofoam to the underside of board.
Using small serrated knife, cut notches on each side of belly foam to accommodate all four leg dowels. With a sawing motion, use serrated knife to gradually round edges of foam. Narrow slightly at ends, to create a rounded belly.
Using screwdriver and no.8 screws, attach the legs to the underside of separator board. Angle left-side legs and the right front leg slightly forward.
To create a more animated look, rotate the legs slightly outward.
Place the structure on the 16 in. (40 cm) round wooden cake board. Position rear body of the pigs slightly off center of board to accommodate the heads. Mark the position of dowel ends, using pen.
Drill holes through center of the marked dowel positions, using 3/16 in. (5 mm) drill bit. Using the screwdriver and no.8 screws, attach the structure firmly to the base.
Mix the teaspoon of CMC with 6 oz. (175 g) of light pink fondant. Roll out onto dusted surface to about 1/4 in. (5 mm) thickness. Using the craft knife and the ear template cut out four ears from the rolled out fondant.
Insert moistened toothpicks into ends of the ears. Shape foil into thick squares to create formers. Round foil squares slightly. Place an ear onto each rounded foil shape. With the foil formers, curl edges of ears in to create folds. Leave to set.
Using the remaining CMC and pink fondant mixture, roll out a small snake about 4 in. (10 cm) long. Narrow slightly at one end. Insert moistened toothpick into larger end. Curl fondant to create the tail. Let dry.
Place leftover dowels into scrap Styrofoam block to create a workstand. Using hot-glue gun, attach 11/2 in. (4 cm) Styrofoam discs to 3 in. (7.5 cm) Styrofoam balls to make snouts. With serrated knife, trim at a slight downward angle.
Using small serrated knife and ball tool, make recesses for eyes and nostrils. Carve away ball slightly to create jaw and chin areas. Trim bottom of snout to create flattened area.
Using modeling chocolate, build up the features around the eye and snout area. Smooth a thin layer of modeling chocolate over entire heads to cover.
Using the rolling pin, roll out enough of the light pink fondant to cover the two heads.
Drape pink fondant over chocolate-coated heads. Smooth with hands until well covered. Trim excess. Use ball tool to emphasize facial details, inserting ball tool into the eye and nostril recesses and forming the mouth opening.
Poking with a moistened toothpick, mark out ear-position guideholes. Attach the dried ear pieces using water or a dab of melted chocolate. Set heads aside.
Cover leg and belly structure with modeling chocolate. A very light coat should suffice on the belly; only add more where extra roundness is desired. Build chocolate onto legs to thicken. Add thickness at hooves and knees. Build up and blend chocolate legs into belly area to create haunches.
Use template and serrated knife to cut two belly shapes from chilled cake. Place one on structure. Pipe over buttercream and stack second layer. Cut two rounds of cake using 23/4 in. (7 cm) cutter. Place over neck dowels.
Cover entire cake with buttercream, using large piping bag and quick-ice tip. There is no need to cover modeling chocolate as fondant will adhere to it without added icing. Smooth icing with a spatula.
Roll out remaining pink fondant. Drape over cake, smoothing quickly. Trim away fondant from top of neck areas. Smooth fondant with hands onto belly and legs, trimming as needed. Add detail to body and hooves with ball tool.
Place heads and tail onto covered body. Position heads as necessary to accommodate ears. Once heads are in desired position, attach with melted chocolate for added stability. Glue tail into place with melted chocolate.
Roll small balls of black fondant to form eyes. Insert into eye sockets using water to adhere. With ball tool, smooth eyes into shape. Spray a light coat of fleshtone air-brush color onto hooves, snout, and ear areas. Shade underbelly and leg creases lightly.
With stiff paintbrush, brush thin strokes of buttercream onto body to create hair. Move brush in direction of hair growth. Combine ganache and cookie crumbs to create thick “mud.” Smooth onto the cake board with spatula.
