A dog cake recipe to celebrate Dozer’s birthday!! A 2 layer cake frosted with fluffy “buttercream” ….. but it’s made with wholesome pooch friendly ingredients!
Aren’t you just dying to know how I made that frosting?? 😜
(Looking for Pupcakes? Here it is!)
Dog cake for Dozer’s birthday!
“That frosting tastes a bit odd,” grumbled the husband of Dozer’s boarder. Can you just imagine the pleasure she got out of telling him he’d just eaten a DOG cake??😂
“Serves him right for helping himself to anything that looks tasty” she smirked when she told me. I was laughing so hard at the vision, I actually snorted.
Who can blame him?? The whole point of creating this cake was to make it look like a real birthday cake piled high with fluffy buttercream frosting – but with dog friendly ingredients.
So it tastes nothing like what it looks like – it’s a total spin out!!
OK OK I know you’re busting to know how I made the cake look so “real” so I won’t keep you in suspense any longer! Here’s the rundown:
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Healthy dog sponge cake – it’s like a very healthy carrot cake, very low fat, sugar free
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Fluffy whipped potato “frosting” – looks just like buttercream, but it’s pooch friendly! While we humans wouldn’t put potato frosting on a cake, our pooches won’t complain!😂 Don’t fall for pretty looking cakes piled high with cream cheese or other high fat or high dairy frosting. Bad for dogs!
🐾 Healthy dog sponge cake🐾
This is a healthy dog friendly version of carrot cake. It’s a moist sponge that’s very simple to make – dump and mix job – and all the ingredients are either good for dogs, or fine for dogs to eat in moderation. I’ve provided some nutrition commentary on each ingredient in the recipe below.
(PS I hope you didn’t miss that I said this is a moist sponge. Just because it’s a dog cake, doesn’t mean we should let our standards slip! 😂)
🐾 Dog friendly fluffy frosting 🐾
Made with fluffy whipped mashed potato! OK, so it’s not something you’d put on a cake for humans – but this is for dogs remember!
I wanted a frosting that was dog friendly that looked just like vanilla buttercream so I could use it for sandwiching layers, frosting and piping. Most dog cake frosting recipes I found use yogurt and peanut butter which is too soft and also, too much of either of those ingredients is not good for dogs.
Solution: whipped mashed potato!! 🤣 I got the idea from Meatloaf Cupcakes that I shared years ago where I piped on mashed potato swirls.
I use yogurt to give it a creamy soft “buttercream frosting” consistency because yogurt has probiotics in it which is good for dogs. But water works just as well!
Look how well it works as frosting for the cake! It’s looks almost impossibly similar to real buttercream frosting!
🎉Dozer’s birthday party!🎉
A cake this good (and big 😳) is made to be shared. And what better way to share it than at an impromptu birthday party down at the beach??
It was, as one might expect, total chaos, and my vision of an adorable photo of all the dogs wearing party hats sitting patiently behind the cake just didn’t happen. (That was total wishful thinking on my part 😂)
Hats were swiped off within seconds of putting them on – hence why you only see photos of 1 dog at a time wearing a hat 😂, the swarm of wet, sandy golden retrievers around the cake was such a hazard at one point I actually had to pick the cake up and run away!
As for the birthday boy, the cheeky bugger tried to get stuck into the cake before it was even served!!
But suffice to say, it was his idea of a perfect birthday. Beach, all his best mates, a big fat cake. What more can a dog ask for??
Actually, the only thing different between this day and every other day in Dozer’s life was the presence of cake. 😂
Happy birthday Dozer! 🎊🎉 Another year older, though not wiser. But I wouldn’t change a thing about you – I love you just the way you are! ~ Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Dog cake recipe - with dog friendly fluffy frosting!
Ingredients
Dog birthday cake:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (spread or pure)
- 1/4 cup oil (canola, vegetable)
- 2/3 cup milk (or water)
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (or apple sauce or skip it)
- 2 1/2 cups shredded carrot (2 large)
- 2 cups whole wheat / wholemeal flour (or white flour)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
Dog Friendly Fluffy Frosting (Whipped Potato Yogurt):
- 600 - 700g / 1.2 - 1.4lb potatoes , peeled, cut into chunks
- 3/4 - 1 cup yogurt (plain unsweetened) or water
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F (160C fan).
- Grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm/8" cake pans.
- Whisk together eggs, peanut butter, oil, honey and milk (little peanut butter lumps ok).
- Stir in carrots. Then add flour and baking soda, stir until just combined (over mixing = hard cake = sad birthday pooch).
- Divide batter between the cake pans, spread and smooth surface.
- Bake 25 minutes or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool on racks. Frost per below.
Doggie Fluffy Frosting:
- Boil, steam or microwave potato until very soft.
- Whip potato and yoghurt with an electric beater until fluffy and smooth as possible (won't go 100% smooth) - about 1 1/2 minutes on medium speed (speed 5).
- Use water as needed to loosen frosting to soft spreadable consistency (like human buttercream frosting!). Use while warm (it "sets" when it cools).
Frost:
- Spread 1/4 frosting on one cake.
- Top with other cake. Frost tops and sides with remaining frosting, reserving some to pipe decorations if desired (3/4 cup frosting).
Recipe Notes:
- Eggs - good source of protein for dogs
- Peanut butter - "treat" element, dogs are mad for peanut butter! Gives the cake an irresistible peanut butter smell, 2.5 tsp per slice
- Oil - very small amount used, about 1/2 tsp per slice
- Milk - if you're concerned about your dog consuming dairy, sub with water. Works out at 1.5 tsp per serve, and also remember it's cooked!
- Honey - For a touch of sweetness, 3/4 tsp per slice. Can skip if you want.
- Carrot - carrot is good for dogs! I hide a lot of carrot in Dozer's meals. Aso makes the sponge moist. Can sub with zucchini or sweet potato.
- Wholewheat / wholemeal flour - just like with humans, carbs are fine to consume in moderation!
- Baking soda - to make the sponge rise.
- Potato - Same as flour, cooked potato is fine to consume in moderation! It's a better, healthier option than slathering the cake with a peanut butter yogurt frosting which seems to be the default for dog cake recipes. Too much yogurt or peanut butter is not good for our pooches (whether commercial sweetened spread or even pure unsweetened peanut butter, it's very high in fat. Some yogurt is good for dogs but not vast quantities)
- Yogurt - probiotics in yogurt is good for dogs digestive system, just like with humans! If your dog is sensitive to dairy, just use water.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Just because this whole post is for Dozer, that’s no excuse to break tradition by excluding the Life of Dozer section!!!
So here he is, starring in his first recipe video. Shooting with Dozer IN the video was somewhat of a challenge…… if he had his way, he’d have eaten the batter raw!! 😂
What is the substitute for potato for frosting? Our vet has recommended we don’t feed potato to our dog.
how long can i keep it in the refrigerator? 🙂
My little doggo is turning 2 in a weeks time, I’m going to make this for her! Great recipe, love the dog friendly ingredients.
Love this recipe, I reduced the honey slightly to make it healthier but am super happy as is my one year old fur baby on her 🥳 Thank you!!
Happy birthday to your baby Zana!!! Nagi & Dozer
I love the measurements on the ingredients, it made it so easy to make!
(This comment is meant to be sarcastic, I will not be making this recipe because there are no measurements, thanks)
U know, theres a button that says “RECIPE”
Hi Yoongi…I think you missed the big orange button at the top of the page marked “RECIPE”! Click it to see all of the measurements and instructions for the cake. N x
All the measurements were perfectly accurate. Thanks
I made this today for my dog, Frank. I halved the recipe and made cupcakes for his 13th birthday. He loved it. And so do I. I ate some of the crumbs he left behind and thought it was so delicious. Thank you for posting this fabulous recipe.
It was nice of Frank to share with you!! Happy birthday from Dozer! N x
Hiya,
This recipe looks great! Can I use a whisk to manually making the frosting? I don’t have an electric one. Thanks! 🙂
HI Lauren – it’s very hard to whisk potatoes by hand – they will have lots of lumps. Do you have a potato masher? I would suggest mashing first then adding the yogurt and whisk – it will take a strong arm though!! N x
Hey! I really liked this cake recipe… wanna try it out for my fluff’s 1 yr b’day
But apart from eggs is there any substitute i can add?
Pl help me out.. i really wanna do this much for him
Hi! Cant wait to make this for my golden boys bday later this week 🙂 I’m from Australia, is it baking soda or powder? I use a lot of recipes from the USA and they say soda but mean powder haha. Thanks 🙂
Happy birthday to your boy! I specify baking soda here (also called bi-carb in Australia). Baking powder is different and is called baking powder in both the USA and Australia. N x
Hey! I really liked this cake recipe… wanna try it out for my fluff’s 1 yr b’day
But apart from eggs is there any substitute i can add?
Pl help me out.. i really wanna do this much for him
I don’t have a sub for the eggs Shreya – I am sorry! N x
Just made this cake today, (for my dog’s birthday tomorrow!) and gave her one taste of it, and she came back for more, and loved it. Honestly the best recipe l have seen. Thanks so much. Annabelle (my dog) will love it. we are both very impressed. Thanks again.
Hi! Our pup’s 1st birthday will be on the 18th and I can’t wait to try out this cake recipe! I was wondering if the leftovers will freeze well?
I don’t think the potato frosting will freeze very well sorry Angela! N x
Hi! Are there any more substitutions that could make this even more low fat? Have a dog who has pancreatitis issues. Thank you!
I’ve just made this cake today! Wow what an amazing recipe, pup is yet to try it as he’s having a little birthday celebration this evening but I am so impressed it looks fab! I even warmed some peanut butter and piped it on to spell out his name and a number 1! I’d love to add a picture but can’t figure out how!
Happy birthday to your sweet pup Bryony!! N x
Hi Nagi, made this cake today for my lovely old black lab Jet’s 14th birthday. He loved it, especially the potato icing! He gobbled up a big piece and is whining for more! Thanks for this great recipe which made an old boy (and us) very happy xxx
Awwwww!! Happy birthday woofs from Dozer to Jet!! N x
Made for master Arthur Ludorum’s 1st birthday party. All doggie friends loved it. Some humans tried as well and thought it was better than the chicken baby food cake I’ve made in the past. Added some beer rest to the potato to make a pink cake. Looked lovely and firmed up well.
Happy birthday to Arthur!! xx N & Dozer!
Love this, I’ve just made it for my dogs 10th birthday and was so easy! I also added mini dog treats on the top with the pippin!
Happy 10th birthday to your pooch!! N x
Love this cake made it for my 13 year old dog.
Can this be made into cupcakes or mini cupcakes? If so, how much would I adjust the baking time?
Thanks!
Love this cake made it for my 13 year old dog.
I’ve just done cupcakes. I halved the recipe and got 8 large cupcakes.
I love this recipe, also the alternative to honey! I had a question is there a way to prevent the frosting from cracking?
Fantastic recipe! I made this for my furbaby, Cookie, for here birthday. Love it!
Hey these all look fab. My dog is strange and doesn’t like peanut butter at all. Any suggestions as an alternative??