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.
Jennifer says
Super easy. I made mini cupcakes and it turned out super easy.
Anne-Stephanie says
Horrible for small kids! I made it for my son,Ricky’s 4th birthday , dog themed I added some crushde dog food into the icing for more “dogish feeling” All the kids got sick so I think you should have clarified this is NOT SAFE FOR SMALL KIDS the kids all hated it and most mothers aren’t letting there kids see Ricky again after the sickness that happend. On a better note I thought it was delicious will make again just keep away from small kids! 😋
Christi Johnstone says
I’m going to assume you are trolling here, but on the odd chance you aren’t, if you fed your kids actual dog food (as you mentioned being added to the icing), I’m afraid that variation is on you. In general, don’t feed kids dog food is a safe motto to go by.
The ingredients for this cake are are: flour, oil, peanut butter, applesauce, pumpkin, egg, greek yogurt and baking soda. You know, normal things in your kitchen pantry. The only difference between this and a “human” cake is the lack of sugar.
This is too weird for me to even try to finish with a witty comment.
Amanda Dee says
Is this safe for humans as well?
Christi Johnstone says
Amanda, I’d suggest reviewing the list of ingredients. It’s all standard ingredients you likely use in your own kitchen.
Lourd says
I used this for my dog’s 5th birthday, 2 years ago. He loved it.
I was thinking i don’t have apples or applesauce on hand, what can I substitute? Can i add maple syrup or just add more pumpkin puree?
Stephanie Burns says
Can this be frozen?
Christi Johnstone says
I haven’t personally frozen it, but if you freeze other cakes, it shouldn’t be any different.
Barb says
She loved hers. Made cupcakes
Very happy little one
Abs says
My dogs Absolutely love this cake!!! So quick and easy to make. How can we store this if any is left?
Florence says
Mu gosh the dogs loves it, especially the birthday boy! I wish I can post the picture here… I also put jerky treats and milkbones as decorations and they went for it. It was like a pound cake, so it was full and heavy. I’m making this over again soon since I still have a lot of extra ingredients.
Susan Burton says
I have four Great Danes and make this cake for every birthday in a bone-shaped pan. They absolutely love it! Thanks for this fabulous recipe. It’s a huge hit every time!
Maryann Clark says
As long as I’m able to bake and have the money, I’ll be making this cake. My oven is out so I bake it in my nuwave oven. This is enjoyed by my dogs totally. When I’m making it, they know and come in the kitchen giving me tons of kisses. I’ve shared with my neighbors dogs and their dogs loved it too. One doesn’t eat anything outside at all to my neighbors surprise her dog ate this cake outside. I’m thinking any bad reviews are trying to get folks to go to their site instead or didn’t follow directions. I can’t imagine this not turning out absolutely fabulous. I’m making my 3rd cake today. I share on fb and tell all my friends to try it. I prefer more frosting so I double the frosting so the cake looks better. That’s for me not my dogs. They don’t care. I use oat flour. It makes no difference and the cake turns out great. I don’t trust Pam to grease my pans and use crisco all vegetable shortening. I use bones to decorate but also human decoration icing to say something on top…happy birthday or whatever the occasion. I’ve been told I must be fake, but this is my real name. I don’t have any affiliation to love from the oven. I truly love this cake I’ve used a powdered canned pumpkin for dogs and real pumpkin and both turn out great.