Happy Birthday, Loki: A Cake for Puppies

Our littlest boy turned 10 years old just before Thanksgiving. Which is a pretty big deal. I mean, our furry babies don’t get too many birthdays as it is, so celebrating a whole decade is pretty much the equivelant of a people’s 40th.

I’m a spoiler anyway when it comes to any of my boys celebrating a birthday, but this was a big one, so obviously, there needed to be cake involved.

I’m quite sure some people think it’s silly to bake a cake for a puppy, but if you’re here, then I know you know I’m definitely not one of those people.

We also give him gifts for his birthday. And he loves every minute of it! You can see just how excited he is, and he obviously knows that they’re for him. He’s the silliest puppy ever on Christmas morning, when he thinks all the gifts are his. How could we not give him a little prize or two??

The biggest gifts were his cake and carob bones, though. He was sniffing around the kitchen all day while I made them. I’m pretty sure he knew they were his.

The carob bones were insanely simple to make, and he is obsessed with them.

All I did for them was melt about one cup of unsweetened carob chips in the microwave, with about a teaspoon of vegetable shortening. I added the shortening because carob chips don’t have a whole lot of fat in them, so they’re not super stable for melting. By adding a little additional fat, in the form of the shortening, it makes the carob melt a little smoother, and stay melted longer.

When melting the chips, microwave them for about 15 seconds, then stir. Heat for another 15 seconds and stir. Continue this process until completely melted and smooth. They melt quickly, so you shouldn’t need more than two or three goes in the microwave.

Once smooth, fill a chocolate mold with the carob and set aside to harden. I used this bone mold from CK Products.

Now that those are done, lets get back to the cake…and the birthday boy.

He’s got his eyes on the prize.

Why yes, he is on the dining table. It’s his tenth birthday, people. That’s a sitting on the table occasion if ever there were one.

For the frosting, I tried a lot of different stuff, but none of it worked like I had hoped. I didn’t want to add a whole lot of sugar to everything, so I tried adding honey, yogurt, and a few other things to the peanut butter for his frosting, but they all sort of made it seize up. In the end, I used plain old honey peanut butter, straight from the jar, piped on top and between each layer.

It was a little comical to watch him get it off the roof of his mouth, but I don’t think he minded one bit.

Both my people boys tried Loki’s cake, and they actually very much enjoyed it.

Except for the carob chips.

They both said that, with just a little more sweetness, and real chocolate in place of the carob, that they would have thoroughly enjoyed this cake. Hm. Maybe I need to make the human version soon?

This was such a fun and incredibly easy treat to make for my little boy. If you have a special puppy event coming up, or maybe just a Wednesday that needs brightening, you gotta make this for your furry babies.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Carob Chip Carrot Cake for Dogs
Makes 1 8-inch round cake

Ingredients

1/2 oat flour
1/2 brown rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 carob chips

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (C). Lightly spray an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flours and baking soda; set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, and egg until combined. Stir in the peanut butter. Once combined, add the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the carrots and carob chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden brown in color, and the center springs back when touched.

Allow to cool completely before frosting and serving.

Recipe by Darla