Making a cake for your beloved pooch could be a great way to show them how much you appreciate them. Marking a special day such as a birthday, adoption day or obedience graduation day could be a great opportunity for you and your pup to socialize with many people and dogs.
Events such as holidays could also be a great opportunity to involve your companion in the festivities by making them a special cake so now all you need is learn how to make a cake for a dog. It’s not difficult at all! Actually, making a cake for dogs could be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be.
On the bright side, dog cakes usually don’t require fancy ingredients or hours of baking as most recipes are fairly straight forward and easy to follow. There is a vast selection of cake dishes and shapes you can use to make things interesting, but as any baker knows, the most important part of a cake are the ingredients and the love that goes into making it.
Choosing the ingredients
When making a cake for dogs, the ingredients are extra important as many seemingly harmless foods can be unhealthy and potentially toxic to dogs. That’s why, before making a recipe, it is important to conduct sufficient research on the ingredients that go into making it.
The no list:
- Chocolate for example is extremely toxic to pups and may cause seizures, gastrointestinal problems, tremors as well as heart arrhythmia and is an absolute no-no in your pooch’s diet.
- Dairy products should also be avoided in large quantities as many dogs don’t have the enzymes necessary to digest milk.
- Alcohol is another toxic ingredient that is found in yeast dough and may cause respiratory failures or seizures.
- Rosemary, butter, garlic, lard, mustard or seeds, grapes, anything caffeinated, onion, raisins, sugar substitutes or shortening are just some on the no-go
The yes list:
- Blueberries, apples, raspberries, honey and carrots are a few of the substitutes you can use that have great nutritional value and are great for dogs.
- Pumpkin is another excellent additive to dog’s diet as it contains many nutritional values.
- Peanut butter is another fan favourite and is a great source of protein.
Baking your own treats will also help you save on the cost of the brand name and store-bought treats. It is also a great satisfaction to know what goes into your dog’s diet. For example garlic and onion are toxic but are widely used in many store-bought treats even though they may cause red blood cell issues when consumed in large quantities.
A few delicious recipes
#1: Easy sweet potato and apple cake
Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cups flour.
- 1 large egg.
- 1 tablespoon honey.
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil.
- 1/2 cup pureed sweet potato.
- 1/2 cup applesauce.
- 1 small grated apple.
- 2 tablespoons oats.
- Icing:
- 2 oz cream cheese.
- 2 tablespoon apple sauce.
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl mix the coconut oil, sweet potato, applesauce, apples and honey. Stir in the beaten egg and slowly add the flour and the oats. Once the dough is incorporated, grease the pan, pour the batter in and pop it in the over. Bake for about 30 minutes or until baked throughout. Once the cake is ready, leave it to cool while mixing the cream cheese and the apple sauce. When the cake is cool, spread the icing.
#2: Banana Cake
Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour.
- 2 cups water.
- 1 tablespoon baking powder.
- 1 egg.
- 3 tablespoons honey.
- 2 ripe mashed bananas.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Icing:
- Flour (for thickening).
- 6 oz cream cheese.
- 2 tablespoons honey.
- 2 tablespoons yogurt.
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl combine the flour, water, baking powder, egg, honey, bananas and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Grease pan and pour the batter, baking for 20-30 minutes or until baked throughout. While the cake is cooling, mix the cream cheese, honey and yogurt for the icing.
#3: Peanut butter and honey cake
Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup honey
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix in the eggs, flour, baking soda, applesauce, vanilla and honey. Grease the pan and pour the batter in, baking for 20-30 minutes or until baked throughout. Instead of icing, you can spread more peanut butter on top of the cake.
#4: Healthy doggy cake
Preparation time: 1.5 hours
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour.
- 1 egg.
- 1 can beef broth.
- 1/2 cup peanut butter.
- 1/2 applesauce.
- 1/2 cup shredded apples.
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots.
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine flour, egg, beef broth, peanut butter, applesauce, apples and carrots and mix until the mixture is smooth, grease the pan and pour the batter in. Bake for 50 minutes. You can frost the cake with peanut butter after it cools.
#5: No bake peanut butter and pumpkin balls
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 peanut butter.
- 1 cup pumpkin.
- 3 tablespoon honey.
- 2 1/2 cups oats.
Instructions:
In a bowl combine the peanut butter, pumpkin, honey and oats and mix well. If the mixture is too sticky and hard to roll into balls, add a bit more oats. Place on a baking sheet and pop into the fridge to let the balls cool and get harder.
As you can tell from the recipes, it doesn’t have to be difficult to spoil your companion with a little treat or a cake on their and your special occasions. It is important to use ingredients that are good for dogs.
Remember: just because we, humans, can eat it, doesn’t mean it’s good for dogs.
It is also important to remember that these treats are not a substitute for a balanced diet. They are simply a little something special to let your four legged friend know how much they mean to you and that they are part of the pack.
No doubt, your dog will love the cakes but as with anything else, moderation is key.
Author Bio:
Anna Smith resides in beautiful Santa Monica, CA, where she works as a Pet Nutrition Expert in a leading retail pet store. She is responsible for nutritional strategies for different breeds and development of new products on the market in compliance with Association of American Feed Control Officials.
