This Grain-Free Dog Cake is for Amelia!
Dear Amelia!
Happy Birthday. You’re one year older, one year wiser, more cute and hopefully a bit calmer. Because man, were you a psycho as a puppy.
Sometimes when I look at you I wonder if a human has ever loved a dog as much as I love you. I sometimes wonder if my love can be so strong it can hurt you. And then I think about how bratty and spoiled you are and I begin to think yes. 🙁
Regardless, I have a whole lot of things to thank you for. Here’s an on-going list.
1. Thank you for sitting on my feet and keeping them warm.
2. Thank you for waking me up every.single.morning v v early. This means I never have to set an alarm and am more productive so I can make more money to buy you bones.
3. Thank you for always eating all the crumbs off the kitchen floor. Because of you, I have to sweep a whole lot less…except for your hair, which is a whole other thing.
4. Thank you for barking when we sometimes hear scary noises. Maybe you’ve scared a robber or two away, who knows.
5. Thank you for always sitting next to me when I’m crying.
6. Thank you for loving peanut butter as much as me…and bread and popcorn and tortilla chips.
7. Thank you for needing lots of walks. I’m better off now.
8. Thank you for having paws that smell like Fritos. They always remind me how much I love those chips.
9. Thank you for being so friendly with strangers. It’s a reminder that strangers are good and a person can never have too many friends.
10. Thank you for loving so freely and openly and reminding me that the smallest moments in life are the ones I should keep close.
Happy Birthday, Amelia!
Grain-Free Dog Cake Time!
This recipe is adapted from the Grain-Free Doggie Doughnuts I have in The Year of Cozy. I basically doubled that recipe and BAM. Cake!
This recipe is completely grain-free, using garbanzo flour (just FYI it's way cheaper at the store than on Amazon, I just included this link as reference). High in protein and cheap in price, it's a good alternative. This cake bakes on a Baking Sheet" target="_blank">half baking sheet and then you cut the cakes out using a round cutter. If you don't have a cutter that's circular, you could also use a knife and make little square cakes. SO CUTE!
The frosting is a combination of Greek yogurt and honey. It has no thickener in it so it's a bit runnier than human frosting. This cake is topped with a bit of unsweetened coconut flakes.
This is either a very inspiration recipe for you or you think I'm incredibly strange and weird. And you're right. I'll be back on Wednesday with a human recipe that's pretty near and dear to my lil' heart.
xo
Adrianna

Grain-Free Dog Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 4 cups chickpea flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter (stir to incorporate any oil on top)
- ¼ cup honey
- 6 tablespoons melted coconut oil (plus a teaspoon more for the baking sheet)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups shredded apples (about 4 apples, peeled)
Frosting:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons honey
Topping:
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 1-inch rimmed baking sheet (13 x 18 x 1 inches) with parchment paper. Brush the parchment and sides of the baking sheet with about a teaspoon of coconut oil or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the peanut butter, honey, oil, eggs, and water. Mix until completely combined and then fold in the shredded apples. Pour the dough onto the lined baking sheet and spread it out into one even layer. A spatula is pretty handy.
- Transfer to the oven to bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden brown and springs back when touched.
- To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt and honey.
- To toast the coconut: Add to a small skillet, set over medium-low heat, cook until lightly golden brown, moving the pan every now and then to ensure even toasting.
- To assemble the cakes: Using a 4-inch round cutter, stamp out a series of small cakes. I got about 12 from my baking sheet. (Save the scraps for treats! Should be good for 1 week when put into a Ziplock bag and stored in the fridge.) Stack the cakes in threes or twos. Top with a dollop of "frosting" and a sprinkling of coconut flakes. Insert candles and party on!
Nutrition
Equipment I used:
Amanda says
Thank you so much for the wonderful cake recipe! It was easy to follow and the results were seamless. The cake was moist & had a great flavor. I hope my dog Alfie really enjoys this as much as I loved making it for him!
Nandini Bernard says
hi, when do you add the 6 tablespoons of melted coconut oil ?
Ivy says
Made this in advance for my Cavi who's turning 12 tomorrow. I opted to do the 1 serving recipe which had me do a few tweaks on oven time, oven temperature, and choice of baking pan. I used one of my wilton 6in x 2in round baking pans, uped the oven temperature to 350 and baked the cake for 20 min; perfection. I really like the simplicity of this grain-free recipe and how everything baked evenly. My cavi is going to love her cake, once also frosted, tomorrow. Thank you!!!
Michael Scarn says
Coconut oil is bad for your dog yo
Angela Ferrara says
Nope! It's an excellent super food for your dog!
Emily says
How sweet. This actually made me cry, and laugh!
Rachel Manfredo says
Hello! Do you think these delicious treats could be made in mini cupcake cups? I wasn't sure if they would stick too much. Thank you! And what a beautiful tribute to your pups birthday!
Adrianna Adarme says
Yes I think they would work in cupcakes. I would maybe spray the cupcake liners with a bit of cooking spray. Happy Birthday to your little puppy! 🙂
Rachel Manfredo says
Thank you very much!
Daisy says
Oh my gosh tomorrow is my little boy's 4rth Pup birthday ❤️ This recipe will come in handy since he's allergic to wheat. Is there any alternative to the peanut butter? He's also allergic to peanuts This beagle is a tough Cookie. But I'm so excited to try this out .
Adrianna Adarme says
Maybe tahini? Amelia loves tahini and a lot of people who have peanut allergies are totally fine with tahini!
Sofia says
I love that your pup's feet smell like chips! I swear my little one smells like coffee! (and puppy, of course)
Lala says
Thanks for the recipe! I just made these for my pooch's 14th bday, and she and her friends loved them! I substituted pumpkin (Caroline's fave) for the apple, and I made a peanut butter/flax icing. A huge hit!
Max's Mom says
Made this in a cake version. Best doggie cake recipe out there! Doubled recipe for a rescue event and owners were eating it and loving it. People were wrapping it and bringing it home and wanting this recipe. I did not add the coconut because I didn't have any but. Absolutely best recipe out there!!!
Adrianna Adarme says
Hahaha! That's amazing. This makes me so happy! xo
cindy says
Love this!! Can I use almond flour or something other than chickpea though? Thanks!
Adrianna Adarme says
I'm not sure if it'll work with almond flour, but you can give it a try. It was tested for chickpea flour--sorry!
Roshni says
Can't wait to make these for my pup's birthday on wednesday. Quick question for you, can I sub regular Olive Oil in for the Coconut Oil? Thanks!
M says
This post truly put a tear in my eye. I can relate to this endless love for my own dogs and to so many things you pointed out here that they show us to be thankful for.. Really, this post melted my heart *
Adrianna Adarme says
Thanks, M! xoxo
cat says
I don't thing you're weird at all! I think our pup's paws smell like basmati rice and I love that! This is a SUPER sweet post with a great looking recipe and photos - Amelia is SO cute with her cake. Thanks for inspiring me to make our tripawd some pup cake to celebrate two years cancer-free!! Dogs rule!
kristine says
OH SO CUTE!!!! I have a tri color corgi too! They're such adorable 'little stubs'! She's a precious one, Happy B-day Pup!
The Castejóns says
So sweet!