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Dogs need birthday cakes too! This Dog Birthday Cake is the perfect thing for any dog looking to celebrate. It’s grain free and full of good things like garbanzo flour, carrots, and almond butter.
Amelia is officially a year old. And in human years that translates to seven big ones. She’s basically a second grader. I’ve learned quite a bit from raising a three-month old corgi until now…
I’m no dog mama pro (just a dog birthday cake pro;) but here are a few things I’ve learned:
Corgis bark A LOT.
Amelia grumbles at me when I tell her “no.” She talks back. She has attitude. She can be a jerk sometimes. We get in a lot of mother/daughter arguments. I honestly had no idea that you could argue with a dog until she came into my life.
There’s nothing worse for a dog than being left alone.
This is their worst nightmare. This is torture. They’re the clingiest, neediest friends you could ever have. Their desperation is borderline embarrassing. And yet their neediness is what I love the most. Does this make me a sad person?
Dogs are kind of expensive.
They don’t tell you this but between chew toys and dog beds and blankets and food…dogs are pricey. You also have to factor in the cast of the brand new shoes they’ll ruin. Their destruction is heartless.
Dogs can sense when you’re upset.
This might be a lil’ hippie of me, but I when I’m upset or crying, Amelia can sense it. She usually comes and sniffs my face and then sits next to me. She knows me.
And it makes me feel all fuzzy inside to know that she cares. She’s kind of like one of my best friendz.
Dogs hate wearing costumes/hats/t-shirts/cones.
I’m not the type to torture Amelia on a daily basis and put sneakers on her (yes, people do this in LA), have her wear dresses, etc. (plus she’s a tomboy, guys!), but the few times I’ve put clothes on her SHE HATES IT. This is torture!
Please don’t do this to your dog. I know you need to for like 15 minutes every now and then. And Halloween is a big exception because it’s funny, but don’t make it a regular thing. Dogs hate this. Let them have their dignitity! And plus, they get hot easily.
Girl dogs aren’t lady-like.
I thought having a girl dog would be a walk in the park. No marking, no humping, etc., but Amelia is very far from being lady-like. When she eats she gets all excited and frisky, runs around the house like a lunatic and then comes up to my face to say hi and then…BURPS! I own a dog that burps.
How to make a Dog Birthday Cake
- It’s actually really easy! There aren’t a bunch of weird ingredients and if you buy a bone shaped cake pan half the work is done for you.
- Prep the pan. You shouldn’t have to worry about it if you’re using a silicone pan but any other pan you should grease with non-stick spray.
- Mix. In a large bowl you just mix together the flour and baking soda then add the rest of the ingredients and mix until they just come together.
- Bake! Bake just until a tester comes out clean. Dogs don’t like dry cake!
- Make the frosting and decorate. Just mix together the frosting ingredients and spread it on the cake!
- Celebrate! Sing happy birthday but maybe don’t light the candles 🙂
Happy Birthday, Amelia!
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups garbanzo flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup water
Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. I used this silicone bone mold from Amazon and didn't bother greasing it. Alternatively, you can use a 7-inch round cake pan; but it'd advise buttering it and then coating it in flour.
- In a large bowl, mix together the garbanzo flour and baking soda. Add the shredded carrots, almond butter, honey, olive oil, eggs and water.
- Spoon the batter into the cake pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Transfer to the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, and until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, add the cream cheese and honey to a medium bowl. Using a hand-mixer, whisk the two together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Spoon the frosting onto the cake's top and smooth it out using a butter knife or offset spatula. Happy Birthday!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this Dog Birthday Cake? Let me know on Instagram!
Looking for more Amelia Content? Here are some of my favorite posts:
My pitbull, Scrappy, will turn two on November 14th. Although I have seen dog cake recipes in the past, I apparently didn’t pin any. Yours is adorable; but after searching on Ebay and Walmart so far – I’m a little shocked at what garbanzo flour costs! I haven’t called the local Walmart to see if they carry it in individual packages, but haven’t ever noticed it when shopping in the past. I’m curious, where do you get yours; and do you use it for other things besides dog birthday cakes? I’m guessing yes.
I bought my garbanzo bean flour at Whole Foods and it was only $3. I actually use it sometimes for other dog treats as well as French soccas. It’s a small bag, though so not an enormous commitment!
This is so cute. Last night, my kid peed on me, so you know…you learn these things!
I made the mistake of shaving my dog (per my mother’s request) and then it turned cold a week later. I have her in doggie sweaters, she shivers without them. When I offer her a sweater, she sticks in her head. If your dog doesn’t need clothes, it will shun them, if you live somewhere cold, they will jump inside those same clothes when offered. I totally get what you are saying tho. If Texas didn’t get cold in the winter my dog would own no clothes.
Also, despite being small/cute/female/dressed in pink my little Winnie totally burps in my face too. Lol! It was surprising to me after having cats who are naturally more proper. 🙂
aww happy birthday Amelia!! I hope i meet you in person/dog some day!
omg adrianna! this is awesome! love love love this. i grew up having dogs all my life and in my family we used to celebrate dog birthdays with piñatas and all the bells and whistles (yes! it was hilaaarious!). your post reminded me of those days and i so wish i had a dog here in LA! 🙂 feliz cumpleaños to pretty lil’ amelia!
xo,
m.
This is adorable! Happy Birthday Amelia! I love hearing about her ^-^ I had a little toy poodle, Sally, who I loved to bits. She was the exception to the clothes-rule – She loved it! Every time I put a jumper on her she looked all happy and jumped around flaunting it. My main reason for them is she was old, and got cold easily. But she loved them too ^-^ (Okay.. so the reindeer costume was totally for me.. but I like to think she enjoyed being Prancer for the day..)
I’m reading this and thinking:
1. I really want to make a cake for my dog (that I can secretly also eat)
2. I never talked about poop as much as I do now that I own a dog. When she farts and it scares her and she jumps around looking for the culprit my day IS MADE.
Aw! I love this cake idea! I totally understand #4. Sometimes I’m down and Jager (8 years old and a smart mutt) will come right up to me. It’s weird, but they really can sense your moods!
Happy B-day Amelia from Blue (Pembroke Corgi/rescue) and me!! Love Corgis to pieces. Sadly he won’t be with me for many more months due to DM (degenerative myelopathy) so please love Amelia a whole heck of a lot for me!
Happy birthday to Amelia! Before getting my lil Abby back in January, I had no idea how much love I could feel for a dog. It’s amazing. They’re amazing. So crazy, ridiculous, infuriating but every single moment is worth it. My pup is turning one in November and I’m throwing her a party (naturally). I’m definitely going to make this cake. Thanks for sharing! I hope Amelia enjoyed every delicious bite.