Dog Birthday Cake Recipe (2024)

It’s time to celebrate your furry best friend with this dog birthday cake recipe! Your pup will love this healthy dog cake made with pumpkin, peanut butter, apple sauce, and greek yogurt!

It’s Tofu’s 1st birthday! And as a 20-something millennial dog mom, of course, I had to go all out for my fur baby. I made a pink balloon arch, a sparkly gold birthday crown, a personalized pink cake topper, and of course a homemade cake.

We’ve been pretty strict with Tofu’s diet limiting her to only dog food, so this pumpkin, peanut butter, and apple cake with peanut butter Greek yogurt frosting was a real treat for her. This dog birthday cake recipe is made with healthy whole-food ingredients and is really easy to make!

This dog cake recipe yields enough cake for two 6-inch round cake pans or one 8-inch round cake pan. If you love this recipe, and want to make a cake for your own birthday check out my Japanese cake roll, matcha crepe cake, or my Vietnamese coffee Tiramisu cake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• I will show you how to make a dog cake with this easy pumpkin, peanut butter, and apple dog-friendly recipe!
• You will know all the ingredients that you put in this dog birthday cake recipe so that you will be 100% sure that it is safe for your pup to eat!
• This dog cake recipe is healthy and delicious which will make your pup love you even more for it!

Kitchen Equipment

For this dog birthday cake recipe, all you need are the basic kitchen equipment staples to create a regular cake.

• Kitchen Scale: for the most accurate measurements, I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure all the ingredients.
• Mixing bowls: you will need mixing bowls to mix the ingredients together.
• Whisk: used to whisk the ingredients of the dog cake together.
• Electric hand mixer: the easiest way to whip up the frosting is by using an electric hand mixer to incorporate air into the greek yogurt.
• Two 6-inch cake pans: this recipe yields enough for two 6-inch cake pans or one 8-inch cake pan.
• Parchment paper: you will need parchment paper to line the bottom of the cake pan to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. I like to use pre-cut parchment paper rounds to save time.
• Cake strips: cake strips are optional but they are my secret to creating even layers with an even rise and no bump in the center.
• Off-Set spatula: an off-set spatula will help you create those even layers of frosting between each layer.

Ingredients

All of these ingredients are healthy, made with all-natural ingredients, and safe for most dogs. But keep in mind some dogs may be allergic to certain ingredients so check your pup’s allergies before adding all of these ingredients!

• Pumpkin puree: adds fiber, and delicious flavors that dogs love. Make sure to buy pumpkin puree with no added ingredients other than pumpkin.
• Natural peanut butter: use natural peanut butter that doesn’t have any added fats, sugars, or salt. I recommend using Buddy Butter a peanut butter made specifically for dogs. Make sure your peanut butter does not have Xylitol in its ingredients. Xylitol is toxic to dogs.
• Unsweetened applesauce: apples are a good source of fiber for your dog! Make sure to use unsweetened apple sauce that doesn’t have any added sugars.
• Vegetable oil: is the main source of moisture in the cake and helps bind the batter together.
• Eggs: binds the dog birthday cake batter together.
• Honey: adds a touch of natural sweetness to the cake.
• All-purpose flour: all-purpose flour aids in the structure of your cake. All-purpose flour is safe to use for dog cakes or treats.
• Baking soda: aids in the rise of the cake
• Plain Greek yogurt: greek yogurt is a good source of protein and calcium and makes a great base for the frosting.

Substitutions and Additions

This is your dog’s special day you can customize the ingredients based on your dog’s favorites!

Substitutions

• Wheat Flour: instead of all-purpose flour you can use wheat flour for added nutritional benefits
• Whipped cream: instead of greek yogurt, you can opt for a whipped cream frosting as well. Just keep in mind, that dogs can eat whipped cream in moderation.

Additions

You can add any of the following ingredients inside the cake or use them for decorating the cake!

• Shredded Carrots
• Cinnamon (in small amounts)
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Dog Treats

How to Make Dog Cake

Creating this easy dog cake recipe is similar to making a pumpkin cake or loaf but without sugar. All you need to do is mix the wet and dry ingredients, bake, and frost!

Dog cake

1. Prepare the oven and cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F or 176°C. Grease two 6-inch cake rounds and add parchment paper to the bottom of each pan. Set aside.
2. Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, peanut butter, unsweetened apple sauce, and vegetable oil until combined. Then add the eggs and honey and mix until combined
3. Sift in dry ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, sift the all-purpose flour and baking soda and mix until combined.
4. Combine. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture and whisk until just combined.
5. Bake. Evenly divide the batter into the two greased cake pans and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the cake from the cake pan and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosting

1. Mix the yogurt and peanut butter. In a large mixing bowl, beat the yogurt and peanut butter with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy about 3 minutes.

Assembly

1. Frost the cake. Once the cakes have cooled you can frost them with the frosting. You can either make a 2-layer cake or slice each cake in half and make a 4-layer cake depending on your preference.

Storage Instructions

You can store this dog birthday cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Frequently Asked Q’s & A’s

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