This quick and easy Dog Cake Recipe is perfect for celebrating your pup’s birthday or spoiling them, just because!
My friends asked me how I planned to spoil my dogs for National Spoil Your Dog Day, and of course the answer included baking. Like any special day, I think we should celebrate with cake. A puppy approved dog cake!
I think it’s safe to say my furry friend is thrilled. Then again I have a cocker spaniel, so he basically lives, eats, breathes and sleeps for food. I’m sure I’m not the only one with a food motivated pup!
Dog Cake Recipe
This dog cake is packed full of great ingredients, including peanut butter, applesauce and pumpkin. It comes together and bakes up just like any other cake, but is perfect for your pets. The optional frosting is made from peanut butter and yogurt.
I’m often asked if humans can eat this cake as well, and the answer is YES! However, unlike a traditional cake, it lacks sugar, so just know it won’t be as sweet as your pet is.
Since first sharing this easy dog safe cake recipe years ago, thousands of pet parents just like you have made it. You can even see some of the great recreations that readers have made over on Instagram by checking out the #spoileddogcake hashtag! I’m so happy that so many of you have made, and loved, this recipe.
Decorating Your Cake
When I made my cake, I topped it with some store bought dog bones. Because they are minis, which makes them almost like dog cake sprinkles in my book!
That said, you can bake up some dog cookies, pumpkin dog treats, homemade dog treats or peanut butter dog treats to garnish this cake with.
No matter what you top it with, I’m sure your dog will love this homemade dog cake recipe. This recipe makes a single layer, but as you can see I doubled the recipe to make a layer cake.
The frosting is optional, but I really never think of frosting as optional (it’s my favorite part of the cake!) so I recommend it. While you can absolutely share this cake with your dogs, it’s lacking sugar so it won’t be sweet – just so you know.
If your furry friend loves this puppy cake recipe, make sure to check out my Pupcake Dog Cupcakes and Doggy Donuts as well!
Dog Cake Recipe
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see and share a picture of your pup enjoying it! You can email me or tag me on social @lovefromtheoven!
Spoiled Dog Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter Do NOT use a peanut butter with Xylitol (also called birch sugar) as it's dangerous to dogs. Check ingredients!
- 1/2 cup applesauce go with plain, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree make sure you use pure pumpkin, not canned pumpkin pie mix
- 1 egg
Frosting
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- Instructions
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine flour and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl mix together vegetable oil, peanut butter, applesauce and pumpkin puree. Once combined, mix in egg and mix until combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Pour mixture into an 8" round pan (a square pan can also be used) that has been greased with oil.
- Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack prior to removing from pan.
- After cooling, add frosting if desired.
Frosting
- Mix Greek yogurt and peanut butter until well combined. Spread over cake. If not serving immediately, store in refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
While this dog cake recipe is SUPER easy, I know that sometimes a cake mix is what we all reach for. Well guess what, I found some awesome cake mixes for dogs. Check these mixes out! They even have grain free options.
If your dog has allergies, as so many of them do, and you need a grain-free dog birthday cake, head over to Table For Two for her Grain-Free Dog Birthday Cake.
Big Bear’s Wife has some Cheesy Tomato Basil Dog Treats. Those sound good enough for me to try!
Brown Eyed Baker has some Frozen Peanut Butter-Yogurt Dog Treats that are sure to be a summer hit.
Tidy Mom has some Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits that you can cut into any shape you like.
We don’t want to leave our other four legged friends out of the fun! All Roads Lead To The Kitchen has some Homemade Chicken & Cranberry Cat Treats for your feline friends.
If you have a new puppy on the way, I’ve got a great list of new puppy items to help you out!
I hope you find a way to spoil your dogs for #SpoilYourDogDay and maybe have a chance to whip up this delicious cake or try my dog bone recipe. Your furry friends will thank you, I promise!
And remember, Bounty has you covered for cleaning up all those messes that our beloved pets always seem to make. With Bounty, the #QuickerPickerUpper, spills, accidents and other pet messes are no problem.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Bounty. All opinions however are mine and mine alone. This post contains affiliate links.
Addy says
I have Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin. It doesn’t say it is puree (just pumpkin). I read the ingredients and there is no sugar added in it (it isn’t pumpkin pie filling either). Is this the same thing as puree?
Christi Johnstone says
If it’s pure pumpkin, you are good!
Christine says
Easy to make and my fur babies loved it! Highly recommend!
Natalie says
I just baked this for my dog’s 6th birthday tomorrow, so its cooling in the pan, on a rack, as I write. I’m curious… your pics look like a normal cake which has risen during baking. Mine is basically only very slightly higher than when it went into the pan. For clarity, all my ingredients are fresh (& my over temp is accurate) & I’m definitely not new to baking. Your input would be appreciated. TIA
Christi Johnstone says
Natalie, as noted in the post, I did double the recipe to make two cakes to create a layer cake. It’s a very dense cake, because I wanted to keep ingredients we give the pups to a minimum, so it does not rise a great deal. Hope that helps!
Samantha Sepulveda says
Can i use pumpkin pie filling instead of puree?
Christi Johnstone says
No, pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and other ingredients.
Vincent says
I don’t think so. There is way too much sugar and spices in pumpkin filling.
Christi Johnstone says
Vincent, correct. Canned pumpkin puree is pure pumpkin and nothing else, pumpkin filling has a number of other ingredients.
keri says
what kind of flour do you use? all purpose flour?
Christi Johnstone says
Yes, all-purpose is perfect.
Nikki says
I made this for my dog’s birthday this past weekend and it came out awesome. I did use whole wheat flour instead of the regular stuff, and I forgot to buy Greek Yogurt, so I didn’t try the icing part. Still, she loved it! She’s sad that it’s all gone, so I’ll have to make her another one. 😀
Christine says
Hi! I was wondering about how thick the cake is, so I know what kind of pan I need to use. Looks amazing though! Can’t wait to try it out 🙂
Christi Johnstone says
Christine, an 8″ round works well, but people have made this cake in so many different pans, it’s very flexible. Check out this link on Instagram to see just how many different versions of this cake readers have made!
Nicole says
Can you make this without pumpkin purée?
Christi Johnstone says
It’s a pretty critical ingredient so I’m not sure what you would replace it with.
Dot says
This recipe was so simple and came out doglicious. Even the pickiest of eaters loved it. Thank you for posting this for us dog parents to enjoy.
Annie says
My goldens were crazy for this cake! I’ve been making it for their Bdays the last 3 years! Wish I could post a photo with my review to show them devouring it. And it’s full of all the stuff they love. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Lisa says
Hi I love this cake! Can I make it without peanut butter?
We are a peanut/tree nut free home due to bad allergies?
Christi Johnstone says
Hi Lisa, I haven’t made it with a substitute, but I would check and see if the sunflower or pea butters are safe for dogs, and then one of those should work. I’d almost wonder about Biscoff (no idea how that is for dogs though). We are a tree nut / peanut family as well, so I only bake with PB on those rare occasions my daughter is out of town or away for the night, so Biscoff always comes to mind when swapping PB, but that’s for humans, not dogs. But something to check ingredients on for safety maybe. Hope that helps!