Mini Dog Birthday Cake
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What better way to celebrate your pup’s special day than with this Mini Dog Birthday Cake?! Complete with peanut butter and cheese and over 170+ five star ratings, it’s sure to please!
Why you (and your pup!) will love this recipe:
- This recipe has over 170 five star ratings and counting, so you know it’s a good one.
- It’s made with peanut butter, pumpkin and topped with cheese — all of your dog’s favorite foods!
- It’s easy to make, and is shareable too (so multiple dogs can enjoy it).
Table of Contents
This mini dog birthday cake is a huge hit, because dogs deserve cake on their birthday! My baby turns TWO today—like, how? I figured she deserved a dog birthday cake this year. Though my personal favorite cake is my chocolate vegan birthday cake, it’s not exactly dog-friendly, so I figured I should make a separate recipe for Layla.
I’m completely biased, but Layla is simply the best. She keeps me company all day long while I work from home and she brings me so much joy. Plus, she has an adorable underbite and she increases my daily step count thanks to all of the walks we go on.
- If your dog loves this recipe, be sure to check out this pumpkin dog cake, these dog popsicles and my popular homemade dog food recipe.
Dog Cake Ingredients
Like most dogs, Layla’s a big fan of pumpkin and peanut butter, so I knew I needed to include those things. This dog birthday cake is quite similar to a human cake but with less sugar.
All purpose flour – This is my go-to for most of my baked goods. If you’re looking for a grain-free cake recipe, this isn’t it, sorry! I’ve only tested this using all purpose flour. With that said, I’m certain gluten free 1:1 baking flour would be an ok substitute.
Coconut oil – I like using coconut oil in my baked goods, but any kind of oil will work here (i.e. canola oil, avocado oil, etc.).
Honey – Since this is a dog cake, we want to minimize sugar. However, it does need some sugar, and I find honey or maple syrup are both good options.
Pumpkin – Canned pumpkin is what I used, but you could also use cooked and mashed sweet potatoes if you prefer.
Peanut butter – Layla loves peanut butter the most, but almond butter, cashew butter or tahini should all work just fine.
Yogurt – Plain Greek yogurt is what I suggest, as it tends to be thicker than regular yogurt and will create a better icing.
The full ingredient list with quantities can be found below in the recipe card.
How to Make a Dog Birthday Cake
Step 1: Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir the flour and baking soda together and set aside.
Step 2: Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, and honey. Then, pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine.
Step 3: Bake. Divide the batter into two greased 4″ cake pans, then bake the cakes for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick is clean. Wait for the cakes to come to room temperature before icing them.
Dog Birthday Cake FAQs
Yes, humans can eat dog cake. However, this cake recipe in particular isn’t super sweet, so it isn’t going to taste like regular cake. But, all of the ingredients are human-grade, so they’re safe for human (and dog) consumption!
Cake can be made up to 48 hours ahead of time, though I suggest waiting to add the icing until you’re ready to give it to your dog. Simple bake the cakes, wait for them to cool then wrap each cake individually in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
Questions? TONS of people have made this recipe, so be sure to read the comments for additional tips!
More pumpkin recipes
Want even more dog cake recipes? This article from Play Bark Run has a great list of dog-friendly cake recipes.
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Mini Dog Birthday Cake
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Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup honey, preferably raw
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
for the icing:
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Grease two 4″ cake pans with a bit of coconut oil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and baking soda; set aside.
- Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over low-medium heat.
- While coconut oil is melting, whisk egg, honey, pumpkin, applesauce, peanut butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Last, stir in the melted coconut oil.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
- Pour batter evenly into the two pans, pounding them on the countertop a few times to the batter lays flat. Place the cake pans on a baking sheet and the baking sheet in the oven.
- Bake cakes for 20-30 minutes**, or until a toothpick comes out clean or mostly clean.
- Let the cakes sit in the pans for 10 minutes before running a knife along the edges and flipping them over onto a cooling rack. Wait until cakes are completely cool before icing.
for the icing:
- Stir yogurt and peanut butter together
assembly:
- Slice the tops of both cakes off (the "dome" part) and then lay the cut edges together, placing a bit of icing in between. Top the cake with additional icing. Additionally, if you want to cover the entire cake with icing (rather than just the top and middle), just double the icing ingredients.
- Top the cake with cheese to make your pup’s special day that much better!
Notes
Nutrition
Such a cute and thoughtful recipe! The peanut butter, pumpkin, and cheese combination sounds like the ultimate birthday treat for any lucky pup. Definitely a fun way to celebrate a furry family member’s special day!
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Thank you for the recipe. J just wanted to add that regular vanilla extract is poisonous to dogs due to the alcohol in it. Even in small amounts it can cause poisoning symptoms. Please instruct people to use an alcohol free, glycerin based vanilla extract when making this cake for their sweet pups!
This is a great recipe! That said I made a few adjustments based on what I had at home. I used whole wheat flour and a banana instead of pumpkin. I also made these into cupcakes for easy sharing with other pups (it made 10). All of the pups loved these! I tried them, and I even love these. I’m half tempted to make another batch for myself. lol!
I’m so glad the pups liked the cake!
I made this for my pups 3rd birthday and my whole family likes them now! I used light olive oil in a batch since I don’t eat coconut and it worked great. I added blueberries too. I don’t add the frosting.
These are lovely with a cup of tea or coffee. I make them in mini Bundt pans.
The dog sits at my feet waiting for some 😂.
I’m so happy your pup liked the cake!
I used oat flour for my cake. I use oat flour in all bodies treat.
I just googled the equivalent for oat flour to regular flour and oat flour was 1/4 cup more. So anyone using different flour google it. Cakes came out perfectly. Great recipe ..thank you !
So happy your pup liked the cake, and thanks for the note about oat flour! That’s good to know.
My Grand Puppy loved this cake. I tasted it, too, it’s delicious. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
This makes me so happy — I’m glad it was a hit!
Made this for my golden retriever’s first birthday! He LOVED it! I used goat yogurt Trader Joes (for dogs who are lactose intolerant) instead of greek yogurt and it was great! I had a slice (without frosting) and it was a delightful cake, very nutty with a hint of coconut. I didnt have a 4″ cake pans so I used a brownie pan, cut out circles in the cake using mason jar lid and stacked it for two tiers. I baked it for 20 mins and it was a little dry, but I think 17 mins would’ve been perfect.
Thanks so much Maggie! I’m so happy he loved the cake! Happy 1st birthday to your little guy!
I wsh i had read review before cooking! I did cupcakes and ended up w 5.
I made this for my 2 year old frenchie’s birthday yesterday, and he loved it. I subbed the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour. Excellent recipe. Thank you
Thanks so much Mary! Glad the pup loved it!