It is official – I have turned into a crazy dog mom. Apparently, the transformation happens pretty quickly especially when you are already a baker/crafter and then you add in a few months of umemployment. But, I suppose I haven’t started dressing up my dog on a daily basis so maybe there is still hope 😉 Crazy dog mom or not, I just had to do something to celebrate Riply’s 1st Birthday today! You are suppose to indulge a little on your birthday so I made Riply her very own Birthday Pupcake!
The original recipe came from Alexandra Curtis and her blog, Spoonful of Sugarfree. Alex is a registered dietician and her blog shares tips on how to live a healthier life in everything you use, not just food. Alex made her own dog a Doggy Cake for his birthday a few years back. What I love most about the recipe is how simple it is and you can definitely customize it with different nut butters and fruit. My modified recipe is for Almond Butter Apple Pupcake!
As I mentioned in my blog post for Homemade Peanut Butter Oat Doggie Treats, please be aware of what kind of foods your dog can handle. Check with your vet, understand the ingredients, and as always, keep a close eye on your pet in case they have an allergic reaction to something new. Homemade treats are great because you can control exactly what you put in them, but you never know how your dog might react if they’ve never had it before.
PUPCAKE INGREDIENTS
EGG | Cooked eggs are high in protein for dogs (and humans for that matter) and act as the “glue” that holds this cake together.
ALMOND BUTTER | I decided to use all natural almond butter for this cake but feel free to swap it for peanut butter like the original recipe. Almond butter has slightly more fat than peanut butter but a little less carbohydrates. It also has signifanctly more vitamin E and calcium. Both are nutritient-rich and great treats for your dog (in moderation). Make sure when you buy nut butters you avoid the artificial sweetener, xylitol, which is very toxic to dogs. Go all natural if you can!
APPLE | Apples add some sweetness to the cake and are a good source of fiber for dogs. Beware of apple seeds however as they contain cyanide. A few seeds won’t harm your dog but too many can be hazardness. You can also swap out the apple for banana!
BAKING SODA/POWDER* | The original recipe called for baking powder to help the cake rise. Silly me accidently used baking soda instead. The cake still came out just fine, maybe not as fluffy. According to some research, baking soda and baking powder in their original powdered form is actually quite dangerous for your dog. People seem to have different opinions regarding baking soda and baking powdered when cooked but many people say that in small doses, it shouldn’t cause any problems.
*For anyone concerned, just skip the baking powder (or baking soda) in this recipe. The cake will be a little denser and may not rise as much but let’s be real here, it’s a cake for a dog. To help the cake rise without one of these leaveners, you can mix all the other ingredients in first then whip the egg separately before adding it in. This will create more air in the batter.
I made two batches of this pupcake recipe, one with baking soda (which again, was by accident) and one without. The one without I actually added in extra egg whites which I whipped to help the cake rise. It turns out that the extra egg white was totally unneccessary. That cake actually rose a ton and it became a little too egg-y. Riply didn’t care of course but I wanted to test it out for myself!
“WOMEN OF NEW YORK, FROST YOURSELF”
If I’m going so far as to make a homemade pupcake for my dog, I’m going all out and making frosting as well. This frosting is equal parts peanut butter and plain, nonfat greek yogurt. Again, all natural is the way to go with all of these ingredients! The yogurt shouldn’t be flavored or have any added sweeteners. Look for ones with live cultures which contain probiotics and helpful for puppy tummies.
The cake was a huge success for the birthday pup! She loved the frosting and seemed delightfully surprised to find cake underneath. As you can see it is a fairly large cake for her size so we only allowed her to eat a few bites. We wrapped up the rest in the fridge to save for another day. Gotta watch that figure ya know!
In case you were wondering, we did not sing her Happy Birthday…😂
Almond Butter Apple Pupcake
Ingredients
FOR CAKE
- 1 egg
- 3 Tablespoons of all natural almond butter
- 1/2 apple, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda/baking powder*
FOR FROSTING
- 2 Tablespoons of all natural peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons of plain, nonfat greek yogurt (regular yogurt works too!)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well.*
- Pour into a standard porcelain ramekin. Can line with parchment paper for easy extraction.
- Place ramekin into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Toothpick placed in the center should come out clean when cake is ready.
- Remove ramekin from oven and let cool for a few minutes before extracting the cake. May need to use a knife to cut around the edges first. Let cake cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting or serving.
- To make the frosting, mix together the peanut butter and yogurt. Spread it on top of the cake.
- Treat your pup!
*You can totally omit the baking soda/baking powder if you’d like. The cake will be denser and may not rise as much but you can combat that a little by whipping the egg and adding it last.
