Doggie Birthday Cake

I rarely do two food blog posts a week, but this Doggie Birthday Cake is in order today since it’s our dog, Yosemite’s 13th birthday, and on Halloween, too, no less.

We adopted Yosemite from a local pet rescue shelter called Planned Pethood. 13 years ago, Matt and my oldest daughter, Meredith, were out and about running errands and a nearby pet store just happened to be hosting a dog and cat adoption. To be honest, when we built our last house, we had no intention of having a dog. We had gone years without one, I didn’t want our wood floors all scratched up, I didn’t think we had time to take care of a dog – you name it, we had a reason. But they came home from shopping and said we were getting a beagle mix puppy, and I have to be honest, I took one look into his chocolate brown eyes and he had me at hello.

Fast forward 13 years and we can’t imagine not having our puppers. He’s the best little sous chef, he likes to bomb my blog photos and videos, he’s always up for a walk or car ride, and I confess there are more photos of him on my phone than any other family member. He is just the best dog ever, in our opinion. If you have a dog, you probably feel the same about yours, right? So it stands to reason that a doggie birthday cake is in order when his birthday rolls around!

How to Make a Doggie Birthday Cake

Of course, many pet stores actually sell cookies and cakes for dogs, but I always like to make mine from scratch, using some of my own homemade pumpkin puree and honey from my own hives. That way, I know what’s in the cake and can ensure his aging digestive system can take it. His belly is definitely more sensitive than it was when he was a puppy. No need to worry if you don’t have homemade ingredients, though. Canned pumpkin puree is fine to use and store-bought honey as well, although it’s best with local honey if you can get it. This doggie birthday cake is also made with the same flour, egg, oil, baking soda, and baking powder that goes in a cake you would eat, along with a little unsweetened applesauce and peanut butter. Then the whole thing is frosted with a mix of more peanut butter and plain Greek yogurt. He goes wild for it every year!

Watch the Video

Doggie Cake Ingredients

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/4 unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Frosting Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I like Chobani non-fat)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter

Homemade Doggie Cake Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease one round cake pan.

Stir your dry ingredients together, then add in the egg peanut butter, oil, pumpkin puree, unsweetened applesauce, and honey.

Mix well, then spoon into a greased cake pan.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cake and let it cool to room temperature.

Mix the frosting ingredients together and spread on your cooled cake. I added some blueberries on top.

Refrigerate the cake until it’s celebration time.

Don’t forget to take lots of pics of your dog enjoying his or her special cake. Guaranteed, I’ll be snapping plenty of Yosemite! What do you do to celebrate your dog’s birthday? I’m always looking for ideas, so let me know in the comments!