Easy Dog Birthday Cake

The easiest dog birthday cake recipe (and the cutest) for your favorite canine companion. We promise your pup will love this healthy dog cake! As always, this recipe is naturally gluten-free and has a dairy-free option.

After all, we are sort of known for our homemade dog treats around here. So let your furry friend know how much you love them on their birthday (or their gotcha day for all you awesome rescue dog parents!) by baking them this special treat.

Please read the entire post for tips and tricks to ensure a perfect recipe every time. And don't forget to tag @peelwithzeal on Instagram so we can admire your creation!

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It is no secret we love our dogs around here. Whether we are fostering or our own personal pups, we love to spoil these guys with doggie cupcakes and homemade dog treats.

And I know 100% you are no different. I mean, after all, you were looking to make your dog a birthday layer cake. We love this cake because you can make it as fancy or as simple as you want. It is simply the best dog birthday cake recipe around!

Not sure this is the perfect dog cake recipe? Scroll to the bottom of our post to see all the photos our readers have submitted. I have to say it is my favorite thing about this recipe- all the cute photos!

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• 🧾 Ingredients
• ⏲️ How to Make a Dog Cake
• How Much Birthday Cake Can My Dog Eat?
• 🎂 Reader's Photos
• 💬Frequently Asked Questions
• 📖 Recipe
• ⭐Reviews

Why This Recipe Works

When you think of making cakes for people we want them to be light and airy. Sweet, full of flavor, and the perfect texture. But your best friend is a little different.

Many dogs have sensitive stomachs and they are 100% motivated based on smell. Our recipe takes this into account. We selected flavors that are appealing to most dogs. And ingredients that shouldn't upset the most sensitive tummies.

When making a cake for your pup's birthday we wanted to make it easy. This recipe doesn't use multiple cake pans to make a layer cake. Fewer dishes mean you can spend more time with your dog on their special day.

🧾 Ingredients

The most important thing when picking a dog cake recipe is ensuring it has healthy dog-safe ingredients. Don't forget that the frosting and decorations should be dog safe as well. For the recipe you will need the following simple ingredients:

• Oat Flour- We used oat flour because it is naturally gluten-free and easy to make at home from rolled oats if you don't want to buy oat flour. If you are concerned about cross-contamination with gluten make sure the oats are certified gluten-free.
• Baking Powder- Just a little bit of a leavening agent to give the cake a bit of a rise.
• Applesauce- Apples are great for dogs so we used unsweetened applesauce to moisten this cake. Definitely check your label for no added sugar. You can also substitute canned pumpkin or sweet potato puree.
• Banana- Again another healthy fruit for your dog. This cake recipe calls for one mashed banana. Ripe bananas are easier to mash but any banana will do.
• Peanut Butter- You will need peanut butter for both the cake and the frosting. We are working on a peanut-free dog birthday cake recipe but haven't found the right mix yet. In the meantime, do not substitute almond butter. Almond butter may cause intestinal distress in your dog, so I don't think it is worth the risk. And make sure your peanut butter is free of any artificial sweeteners.
• Egg- Just one egg is enough to hold the cake together.

• Coconut Oil- Another simple ingredient to hold the cake together and moisten it with a little fat. You could also substitute high-quality vegetable oil. Either way, oils help give your dog a shiny coat.
• Greek Yogurt- The yogurt is great for dogs because it has healthy fats and is loaded with probiotics. While you can substitute heavy cream that has been whipped the yogurt holds up better in the fridge. Most dogs can tolerate dairy just fine. If your dog is lactose intolerant you can substitute another mashed banana or pumpkin puree. It will be harder to decorate the cake beyond a typical frosting (i.e. pretty designs).
• Dry Dog Biscuits- These are just for decoration for your doggie layer cake and are optional. But if we are going to the trouble of baking our dog a birthday cake we should make it cute, right?

How to Make Oat Flour

The rolled oat to oat flour ratio is 1:1 meaning one cup of rolled oats will yield approximately 1 cup of oat flour. For this recipe, you will need 1 ⅓ cups of oats.

Place oats in a food processor (or a blender) and pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency. This process should take about 60 to 90 seconds. Stop and stir to ensure that all the oats have been finely ground.

Now we are ready to bake this puppy cake!

⏲️ How to Make a Dog Cake

It may be tempting to buy a dog cake but I promise this dog cake recipe is easy and more affordable.

Baking a cake for a puppy party is pretty much just like baking any other cake. Smooth the batter, bake until done, let it cool, and decorate. Easy peasy!

Step 1-Prepare the Baking Pan

Start with preheating your oven to 350 F degrees. Brush your round cake pan with a little bit of coconut oil to prevent the cake from sticking. If you want to make pupcakes (i.e. dog cupcakes) check out this post for a pupcake recipe.

Step 2- Make the Batter

If you got your food processor out to make the oat flour you can make the dog cake batter directly in the food processor (why dirty another bowl?). Otherwise, you need a large mixing bowl and a spatula.

Combine all the ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. No need to mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. When making in a bowl you can do this by hand, no mixer is necessary.

Step 3- Bake

Pour into a baking tin and evenly smooth out the cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rest your cake until completely cool.

Can you tell in the pictures I did not let the cake cool completely? I got impatient and the cake crumbled a bit. Be patient!

Step 4-Make the Dog-Safe Frosting

While the cake is baking, mix together the frosting ingredients until thoroughly combined. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to use.

Step 5- Assemble and Decorate

I cut the cake into quarters to make a single slice. But you can decorate it as a single layer, make it into cupcakes, or make a layer cake.

Frost each layer or the entire outside of the cake.

You can decorate the outside however you like. You can add a few dried dog biscuits, dog safe sprinkles, bacon crumbles, or pipe-out decorations.

See the photos from our readers for inspiration.

How Much Birthday Cake Can My Dog Eat?

There are really two questions here. First how much should you feed your dog based on their weight? And second, should you put the entire cake in front of them?

For our 22 pound dog, Fritz, we fed him ¼ of the cake in place of his dinner. Fritz absolutely loves this cake!

For safety, you need to decide if you can put the entire birthday cake in front of your dog. Yes, it makes for super cute pictures but if your dog has ever shown any type of resource guarding or food aggression it is best to serve only what you are comfortable with your dog eating at one time.

🎂 Reader's Photos

See below for some of our reader photos from the last few years. We clearly have some talented bakers here.

We hope your pup enjoys their birthday cake and please share your pictures with us! You can email us or tag us on Instagram or use the hashtag #peelwithzeal to show us your creations.

Also check out a few smaller dog treats, our crispy dog breath mints and frozen blueberry treats are very popular!

💬Frequently Asked Questions

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave us a rating or a comment. It helps other wonderful people connect with our food.

📖 Recipe

Check out our Dog Birthday Cake Recipe web story!