I wanted to make Luna’s birthday this year extra special, so I thought about what I could do. Then I thought, I get cake for my birthday every year, so why couldn’t she? And so, I made Luna a Pupcake! I found the recipe on DogTreatKitchen.com and made a few minor adjustments. There are tons of great recipes online if this one does not meet your dog’s dietary restrictions and it should be pretty simple to modify.
I also made frosting for Luna’s Pupcake. I made up my own recipe, but there is also a simple recipe on the same website as the Pupcake.
Since I was a little paranoid about feeding Luna a cake, I also looked up all the ingredients just to double-check that they were approved for dogs.
So how did I make Luna’s Pupcake?
Step 1: Gather the ingredients. You will need:
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
- 1/4 cup molasses (blackstrap)
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 large ripe bananas or 3 medium ripe bananas (mashed)
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3: Add the canola oil, applesauce, and molasses to a mixing bowl. The recipe recommends using a stand mixer, which is what I used, but a hand mixer should work too.
I found that a half cup of applesauce is equal to one individual container.
While looking up all the ingredients of the recipe, I learned that molasses (especially blackstrap) can be beneficial to dogs.
Step 4: Mix until combined on low-medium speed.
Step 5: Mix in the peanut butter. I have a jar of peanut butter that is just for Luna. She goes through it faster than I do anyway.
Step 6: Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently to ensure even mixing.
Step 7: In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. I really love my glass bowls, they are so easy to clean. You just throw them in the dishwasher!
Step 8: While on the lowest mixing setting, slowly add the dry ingredient mix. Mix until combined. I added a spoonful of the mix at a time. Again, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl for even mixing.
Step 9: In another small bowl, mash the bananas. I used a potato smasher to make the mashing easier. I also used three bananas instead of two because my bananas were rather small.
Step 10: Fold the mashed bananas into the batter by hand. You will probably want to remove the bowl from the stand mixer base if you are using one.
Step 11: Spray your pans with baking spray. You can make this into a large cake or cupcakes. The original recipe says it will make two eight inch round cakes. I made 12 muffin sized Pupcakes and two bigger ones. The biggest Pupcake is what I gave Luna for her birthday.
Step 12: Add the batter to the muffin pans.
Step 13: Bake muffins for about 18 minutes. The bigger Pupcakes will need more time. The biggest Pupcake took 27 minutes. The best way to check is to see if a toothpick comes out clean when stuck into the cake.
Step 14: Cool for about ten minutes before removing from pan.
Step 15: Remove Pupcakes from pans and cool completely.
Step 16: If desired, frost. I used a cream cheese, peanut butter, and honey frosting. The ingredients are listed below. Simply combine all ingredients to make the frosting. It is best to use slightly softened cream cheese, so mixing will be easier. I also used low fat cream cheese, but not fat free because it has some extra chemicals in it that regular cream cheese does not have. Plain yogurt can also be added to the frosting.
- 4 ounces of cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
Step 17: If desired, decorate. I added “candles” in the form of elk jerky that I bought from Kajo Pets at the Super Pet Expo. Dried and fresh fruit are also great decorating options.
Step 18: Let your pet enjoy!
According to the recipe, these Pupcakes will keep for about five days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them for up to three months, but be sure they are wrapped well.
If you missed it, a more condensed version of the recipe can be found at DogTreatKitchen.com
Have you ever made or eaten a Pupcake?
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