Dog Birthday Cake
Celebrate your furry friend’s birthday in style with this homemade dog birthday cake. Made with 7-ingredients, this easy peanut butter and carrot cake is the perfect treat for your pup’s special day!
Last week was Duke’s 8th birthday! We couldn’t let the occasion pass without giving him a proper cake and celebration.
I used some of the same ingredients that went into the homemade dog treats I made previously, then throw in some shredded carrots and a few other things, and the cake was ready to go! It can be baked in a round pan or a loaf pan; I did it in a loaf pan and then carved it into a bone and used peanut butter for a little “icing”.
What is a Dog Birthday Cake?
Exactly what it sounds like, a dog birthday cake is a cake you make for your dog. You can make this treat for their birthday, to celebrate the day you adopted them, for their half-birthday day, or just because you feel like spoiling your furry friend.
Now, you might be wondering why you would want to make your own dog birthday cake instead of picking up a cake or cupcake for your dog from the store? Store-bought cakes (unless you go to a pet store that specializes in dog cakes) are typically made for humans and don’t take into consideration the many different foods that are harmful to dogs.
Safety First
Some ingredients to avoid when making a dog birthday cake include but are not limited to:
- Chocolate
- Raisins
- Nutmeg
- Macadamia nuts
- Avocado
For a more extensive list, check out the ASPCA’s recommendations here. If you are concerned about an ingredient you should always check with a vet before giving it to your dog.
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
- Whole Wheat Flour: Gives structure to the cake and has more nutrients than all-purpose flour.
- Peanut Butter or Almond Butter: Natural. Be sure you check the label and use a peanut butter that is made strictly with peanuts (or an almond butter made just with almonds).
- Vegetable Oil: Used in place of butter to keep the batter moist and makes the cake easy to eat.
- Honey: Sweetens the cake without adding too much sugar.
- Carrots: Adding shredded carrots adds moisture to the cake as well as vitamins and fiber for your dog!
Step-By-Step Directions
- Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch cake pan or an 8×4-inch loaf pan and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and baking soda.
- Add the wet ingredients: Next add the peanut butter, vegetable oil, honey, carrots, and egg.
- Mix the batter together: Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until throughly combined.
- Bake: Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and frost: Allow to cool, then spread additional peanut on top to frost.
Full Cake vs Pupcakes
Looking to convert this cake into pupcakes (cupcakes) for your pup? Grease a muffin tin and fill the cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes. It should yield about 9-12 cupcakes.
You can also try making this cake in a Dog Bone Cake Pan so you don’t have to attempt cutting shaping it on your own. You can also try baking it in this Paw Print Cake Pan for another fun dog-themed cake.
Frosting the Cake
One of the best things about making a dog birthday cake (or really any cake for that matter) is getting to decorate the cake! Here are a few different ways to frost and decorate your cake for your furry friend.
- Peanut Butter Frosting: Spread peanut butter along the top and sides of the cake to “frost” it’s a guaranteed way to make your dog’s day!
- Cream Cheese or Yogurt Frosting: Mix 1 package of low-fat cream cheese or yogurt with 1 tablespoon of honey and frost the cake.
Decorating Ideas
Once you have a frosting picked out for the dog cake you can get creative with how you want to decorate the cake. Think about your dog and what they like when you preparing to make, shape, or decorate their cake.
Here are some fun ways to decorate your doggie birthday cake:
- Dog Bone: Using a dog bone pan or cut a dog bone out of a loaf pan mold, frost with peanut butter frosting and serve.
- Paw Print: Use a paw print-shaped pan or draw a paw print on a round cake pan with either frosting.
- Tennis Ball: Color the cream cheese or yogurt frosting a bright yellow and frost a round cake. Then, draw lines to make the cake look like a tennis ball.
- Frisbee: Color the cream cheese frosting your dog’s favorite color (or the color you think is their favorite) and frost a round cake. Then pipe concentric circles around the outside edge of the cake to make it look like the edge of a frisbee.
Storing Suggestions
Want to make this cake in advance? Absolutely! Here is how to make and store this birthday cake for the freshest possible flavor.
- Unfrosted: Store the unfrosted cake wrapped in plastic wrap on the counter at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Peanut butter frosting: Cakes frosted with peanut butter frosting can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
- Cream cheese or yogurt frosting: If you used the cream cheese or yogurt frosting, pop the cake into the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.
Dog Birthday Cake FAQs
It depends on the cake. If you are making the cake for your dog you can control what ingredients go into the cake, keeping it as healthy and safe as possible for your dog.
You can give your dog a homemade birthday cake like the one I’ve shared in this post. Some other treats you can give your dog on their birthday include homemade dog biscuits, pupcakes, or frozen peanut butter yogurt dog treats.
The best kind of cake for your dog is a homemade dog cake or one you pick up from a bakery that specializes in dog cakes. Some of the most common flavors of dog cakes include peanut butter, pumpkin, and sweet potato.
Yes! Every ingredient in this cake is safe for human consumption (unless you have an egg, wheat, honey, or peanut butter allergy). This cake will not be as sweet as a traditional birthday cake so keep that in mind if you decide to dive in!
More Treats for Your Furry Friend
- Frozen Peanut Butter Yogurt Dog Treats
- Doggie Pupcakes with Yogurt Peanut Butter Frosting
- Beef Cheddar Dog Biscuits
- Coconut Honey Doggie Cake
- Mint Buckwheat Dog Biscuits
I originally made this cake for Einstein’s 3rd birthday and had to keep those pictures here for old time’s sake ❤️️
Celebrate your fur baby’s birthday with a homemade birthday cake just for them! Made with dog-safe ingredients, this easy dog birthday cake is the perfect treat for your furry friend!
If you make this recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating – it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Dog Birthday Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup (64.5 g) natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup (54.5 ml) vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup (113 ml) honey
- 1 cup (128 g) shredded carrots
- 1 egg
- Extra peanut butter, for frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8" round cake pan or an 8×4-inch loaf pan.
- Whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the rest of the ingredients and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until thoroughly combined. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool, then spread additional peanut butter on top for "frosting", if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Great my dogs and my family love it.I did Half a cup banana and a half a cup carrot 🐕
Great my dogs and my family love it.I did Half a cup banana and a half a cup carrot
OMG this cake was very amazing…………………..it is best for wishing
Wow! What a Lovely Blog is this. I Love Cake, Even I order delicious bomb cake from Kekmart
so bad – stayc
How long does the cake last for? I want to make one now but don’t know if it will still be good in 4 days time
We tried a small piece which was very moist and the honey gave it a sweet taste, is it possible to add fresh fruit too? seems interesting.
I use this recipe every year! My pooches love it! Thank you for making my babies birthday celebrations spectacular 🙂
Happy birthday sweet boy❤
Happy Birthday Duke 🥰🦴🦮. I printed out the doggy cake recipe for Joey ! That was so cute ! Loved the pictures also ! Michele you have such great recipes & good ideas ! I’ve tried several & we enjoyed them all so far !!! Thank you for all the hard work you do & all the stories & pictures!
been making this 3 times a year for the past 5 years now for all 3 of my dogs birthdays and they always love it!
Charlie very much approves
We just made this tonight and our pup absolutely loved every second, she licked the bowl happily. I felt good about all the ingredients going into this cake. The frosting was just the BEST she licked and licked! We will be saving this recipe for years to come.
I just made this for my fur baby’s 13th birthday and she loved it. I didn’t put the peanut butter on the top of it just in case it was too rich for her. I probably should have put it in a smaller tin but still worked out really well. Very easy to do and didn’t take long.
I also tried a piece myself and it was delicious!
Thank you.
Omg this cake was amazing my Charlie loved it and so did my bro with the extra penutbutter
If I substituted the 1 egg for mashed banana, what would the shelf life of this cake be?
Made this again today for our Schnauzer’s 12th birthday. I made it at least twice before and she always loves it. Easy, too.
Anyone making this recipe or others with peanut butter, please make sure your peanut butter doesn’t contain Xylitol!
‘Xylitol, a sweetener used in many foods, including peanut butter, yogurt, toothpaste and chewing gum, is safe for humans but potentially deadly for dogs. If ingested, it can cause seizures, liver failure and death, warned one animal hospital, which called xylitol “extremely toxic” to dogs’
Dogs aren’t supposed to have too much vegetable oil, right? I thought they should only have, like, 1 tablespoon in treats. Is 1/4 cup of vegetable oil safe for them? I have two doggoes that are super hyped up for their birthday, and I don’t want to get them sick.
Some vegetable oil contains soy or corn products which can trigger allergic reactions im some dogs other than that there is no harm in having your dog eat vegatable oil it can be good for thier skin and coat. My dog has an egg allergy so we substitute with banana or applesauce.
Do you think I could make a few cupcakes instead of one cake with this? If so how many cupcakes do you think it would make?
I’ve just done this today, I made 10 out of the batter from the recipe, they aren’t huge but they suit my boys as they are only mini dachshunds. Have to say, I’ve eaten two myself!
I made this last evening for my Great Danes 9th birthday. She and her two “sister” danes loved it.
I’m going to try it again but using carob chips instead of the carrots, just to mix it up a bit.
I even tried a little piece, and let me tell you, its good! Since I eat healthy, this works great for me too.
I love this recipe and so does my dog.best cake ever
Dogs loved it!
Where do you get the doggie bone shaped cake pan or do you just impervise an use a knife to cut your own doggie bone shape.. :) .. Thank you.. Nancy L.Sparks..
Hi Nancy, I just carved free hand :)
Is baking soda in the recipe good for dog?
Hi Lin, If you are concerned I would recommend checking with your vet.
My son and fiance have a St Bernard and we made her this cake recipe, it was such a hit with all the dogs that were invited to share. We tried a tiny piece so moist and the honey gave it a sweet taste. Recipe is a keeper thanks!
I never baked this cake but after seeing its positive reviews, I will surely bake this cake in this weekend.
Yours has icing but I don’t see the recipe for that. Can you tell me what you used please?
Hi Jo, It is just straight peanut butter; so sorry, I mentioned it in the written post, but not in the recipe. I will fix that.
Tried the Doggie Birthday cake. Easy and delicious and quick to make. I would add to your instructions to make sure the peanut butter is xylitol free,
So glad your pup enjoyed it, Jo! Thanks for the note on the peanut butter; I’ve actually never seen peanut butter with xylitol as an ingredient!
Just curious if anyone has tried adding pumpkin to the cake mix instead of carrots or honey??
Awwww your dog is super cute! We are making my dog pearl this she’ll love it
Made 3 big cupcakes this morning for our german shepherd brother and sister, they turned 1 today. And their older boxer brother who is 11.5 yrs old. Peanut butter frosting. and some frosty paws ice cream.
for them all!!!
I am going to make this for my golden retriever Maddie! It’s not her birthday or anything but she is 14 and a half so i think she deserves a little treat :)
Awww, give Maddie a big hug and kiss from me!
You have a very cute dog!!! He’s lucky to have you baking for him :))
I just made this for my Westie who turned 2 yesterday. He LOVES it. He keeps begging for me. Thank you.
My puppy’s first birthday today so I better get cracking . Will be making this fab recipe today. X
I have a Golden Retriever and he is turning 2. My baby is extremely special to me. I like to make him Homemade dog treats. I always get him a present on Easter, Halloween, Christmas, Valentines day, and of course his birthday. This year he’s getting a hard toy to play with our little Boston Terrier. And on valentines he gets a heart shaped dog treat and a Raw Hide dog bone. And on his birthday last year I made him a dog cake. And got him a Bunch of toys that he loved. But this year I thought I would make him a little something special, and I looked, and looked, and looked, until I found Einstein, and I knew this is what I will make him. And on it I will put 2nd B-day made out of dog treats. So thank you. You have made My dog Wilson and I very happy. P.S. Einstein is ADORABLE!!!!!!
Weird question. Is this supposed to be refrigerated (if I make it the night before)? I’m having a doggy birthday party and would rather not have to do this first thing in the morning.
Hi Gladys, No, you don’t need to refrigerate. Happy birthday to the doggies!
Thanks for the idea and recipe! It is my Boston terriers 3rd birthday and I could not believe how much the doggie bakery near me would charge for a cake I quickly whipped this one up. We are headed to a dog friendly BBQ tonight and will share it with our furry friends! Thanks again
I’ve used this recipe for my GSD’s birthday 2 years in a row now, today is her 3rd birthday and I’m just about to put the cake in the oven. Thanks for putting recipes out there for the fur babies, they deserve to be celebrated, too!
I made this cake today for my pound puppy Oscar. We brought him home 4-21-2013 from a county animal shelter (it was a true “dog pound”). Oscar is a great dog, and we are happy to celebrate 1 yr of him with us today! Thanks for this post. I have recently discovered your blog and enjoy making your recipes!
I made these as cupcakes for my chocolate lab’s birthday (which was yesterday). Bastian loves all things peanut butter and absolutely loves these cupcakes! This recipe yielded 12 regular size cupcakes, but since he’s tall for his breed they came out to be the perfect size treats. Great recipe!
Made this for my beautiful Boston Jojo for her 3rd birthday!!! I substituted the carrots for some bacon though. With a cream cheese and peanut butter frosting. She loved it!!!!
What did you use for the icing?
Peanut butter! :)
I made this cake tonight for my puppy’s first birthday. It came out perfectly, the only difference is that I had to remove my cake at 25 minutes… when I started to smell that “done” smell. I baked mine in a 8×4 loaf pan let it cool before cutting it with my bread knife into a dog bone shape and iced with peanut butter. It turned out perfectly!!
I love this so much. My dog’s birthday is tomorrow and he is turning 3 too! I guess your dog is 6 now. But anyway, I think it would be so cute to make him a cake! My husband thinks its a little excessive, but I do what I want ;) Anyway, I will probably be making this for my cute pup tonight or tomorrow!
Brilliant idea will be doing this for our cream retriever bella on sat she be 1
Aw, My Border Collie Puppy, Lilly is 1 on the 15th of August and I’m going to try to make her one of these:)
I am making this recipe tomorrow for my baby Skye turning one, she will be sharing with her 5 yr old sis Ms. Zoey. I will substitute unsweetened applesauce for the oil though and I am thinking about substituting rice flour for the whole wheat flour. Also I am going to make the frosting out of peanut butter and pumpkin (canned but NOT THE PIE FILLING KIND or sweet potato mashed up), I happened to see that in another recipe. But I like the base of this recipe. Hopefully it will turn out yummy, I’m sure there will be no complaints from the birthday girl and guest :) oh yeah, happy birthday banner and hats will make it exciting also, I will try to talk the hubby into wearing a hat, now that will be a perfect picture moment for sure. Chow.
I must be doing too much sugar-free baking these days because this cake didn’t even taste all that bad to me! I used white rice flour since rice is very safe/good for dogs. Makes the texture a bit odd but worked well and rose nicely (with some xantham gum thrown in). Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made this for my mom’s blue heeler Phoebe who is turning 15 tomorrow. It’s the first birthday of hers we’ve ever celebrated but hopefully it’s not quite yet her last.
I’ve just made your cake for Bobby’s 2nd birthday tomorrow. I’m sure he’s going to love it. I’m sure it will become a yearly tradition. What a lucky little Jack Russell he is :-)
Thanks for the recipe! Today is my goldie’s 1st birthday. Come see pictures of the cake I will bake and my sweet girl Summer! We are having a PAW-ty for her tonight. Photos posted on Instagram User: tammydesign_ca
Einstein sends Happy Birthday wishes and dog kisses to Summer! I hope she enjoys her cake!
Can you use white all purpose flour instead of wheat?
Yes.
What is the icing on top made out of? Is it just peanut butter?
Hi Stacey, Yep, just peanut butter!
What did you use for the “frosting”? My puppy is turning one tomorrow and I realized I didn’t have a cake!
Hi Amanda, It’s just peanut butter!
I made this yesterday and posted about it today on my blog {curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com} for my dog, Oddball’s 2nd birthday. I made a frosting of 1 part honey 2 parts peanut butter and a little almond milk to thin it out.
Happy Birthday to Oddball! Love your frosting, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing! I made this for my dog’s birthday today and substituted banana for the carrots…my dog loves it!
Thank you so much for sharing I can’t want to make this for my spoiled Queen, Lady Marie. What I beautiful dog!!
Is the 1/4 cup of Peanut Butter supposed to be included in the cake batter? Or is it only for the frosting?
Hi Liz, It goes into the cake batter. I used some extra peanut butter for the “frosting”.
Tomorrow is my golden retrievers 6th birthday. Gonna make this for her!!!!
is it okey that i did not use eggs in this recipe??????
You can omit the eggs, but you’ll need to replace them with something. I would recommend using unsweetened applesauce.
love this recipe ( his wife writing this)
baking soda is highly toxic to dogs so if you love your dogs don’t give them this
It is my understanding that if raw, unbaked baking soda or powder is ingested by dogs it can cause problems, but that dogs eating something that has been baked with either leavening agent is not an issue.
Just made this cake for my lab Jazz, she is 3 today,,cake looks great! Thanks!
Having a Cinco de Mayo party next weekend which also happens to be my dog Lupin’s birthday! He’s having his little doggie friends over and I’m totally making this for him. Thanks for the recipe!!
I really love your blog. I stumbled across it today and have already bookmarked about 10 of your recipes to try out! I would love some more “dog treat” posts too!
Einy looks so great! that cake looks like something Murphy would love. his bday is coming up, so i’m going to save this recipe.
I loved this idea, today is my little Lexie’s birthday, she is 1 and I love spoiling her. I actually got her some peanut butter and yogurt melts, they look like the Wilton chocolate discs. And I melted those and drizzled it along the top. It was really cute and she loved it. I also made mine into large cupcakes (with my large muffin pan) and passed them out to my neighbors. Because Lexie is a Maltese and she would never be able to eat it all on her own. She loved it and thank you so much for the idea!
How ’bout a cat birthday cake? I have some holiday cat cookies, but a cake would be fun.
I can’t wait now for my dog’s birthday. What great fun.
Wonderful birthday cake!I am certain that made their day, it would certainly make mine.Look forward to seeing more examples of these delicious masterpieces on here.
What a sweet gesture to make your dog a cake!
Awww! What a cutie pie Einstein is! And, the cake looks terrific! I’m glad he enjoyed his birthday treat! :)
What a great idea!! He looks like he knew it was just for him. So cute!
lol such a good dog to wait while you took his picture!!
Happy Birthday to him indeed :) Lucky guy ;)
AWWWWW!!! This is great! I’m pretty sure this is my favorite cake of the year!
This has to be the cutest blog post, ever.
This is so amazing. I will be using this recipe for my lil man (long haired dachshund Kingston) who turns 3 in May.
Awww! Happy Birthday Einstein! :) What a perfect birthday cake!
So sweet of you to make a birthday cake for Einstein! My yellow lab (appropriately named Yellowdog) sends her best wishes! I love baking for my doggy, and I know she’d love this cake. Too cute.
Happy Birthday Einstein!
I love the pictures of him waiting for his cake. What a cute puppy, and what a good recipe for a doggie cake.
Happy Birthday to Einstein! What a great name for a Golden Retriever. I have an 8-yr old Golden – of course, I think he’s brilliant. Anything to do with food makes for a quick learn! :-)
Awww, your doggie is adorable! What a perfect bday treat!
Happy Birthday Einstein!
My English Retriever’s 5th birthday is coming up next month. I think this is the perfect treat for his big day! Thanks for sharing!
what a good doggie, lucky too!
Love this idea! My pug would love this cake!
Awwwwww…. aside from Einstein being ridiculously ADORABLE, what a super-special birthday treat!! I can’t show this to my dog Indy… she’ll be so jealous!!
Happy birthday Einstein!! What a cute treat. In August I may need to make something similar for my Malcom!
Our dog turned 3 today! She is a boxer. We got her some treats at the store. I bet she would love this though.
http://www.squidoo.com/toxicdog
Baking soda is on the list. wouldn’t it be harmful?
I was wondering if people can eat this? It seems like it would be pretty healthy?!? LOL
Aww, how cute! Happy Birthday Einstein!
Such an adorable dog! Nice cake too!
Aww! Happy Birthday Einstein =D.
OMG…could this be any cuter! Love the cake, love the pup. Happy birthday doggie :)
Einstein is absolutely adorable! He and Roxie need to have a playdate! I’m definitely going to make this for her someday (if she’s good). Has he tried the Doggy Cakes from Dozen yet? Rox loves them.
so glad to see another person who likes to spoil their dog. ;) the cake looks great!
Aww, I haven’t seen a picture of Einy in forever. He is such a handsome pup. I am sure he loved the cake.
I love the pictures, so stinkin’ cute! What a cute puppy! I love spoiling pets :)
Happy Birthday, Einstein!
I love the cake! I have a great recipe for dog treats–peanut butter–if you feel like doing something special for Valentine’s Day ; )
Please tell me that ‘mommy’ cut up Einstein’s cake before you served it? I can see him trying to chomp on it in one bite after being made to be so patient while you took a picture of him with it. Gone in 8 seconds? LOL So cute!
Happy Birthday Einstein! He is so good waiting patiently for the delicious cake. My dog’s birthday is coming up so this would be a wonderful treat for him. Thanks for sharing
How cute and patient he is! I’m sure he enjoyed it :)
How cute is that? I’m sure he enjoyed it! My puppy turns one in April, and I can’t wait to celebrate!
Very cute. I need to find a cat cake recipe, though, cause I don’t like my dog that much and really, he’d be happy to share the cat cake since there are six of them and only one of him :)
Did you really just say you don’t like your dog that much? Wow! I’m glad I am not your dog, and maybe you should find him a home with someone that does like him. Just sayin’
I totally agree! That’s so awful! Give the dog away if you don’t like him. That poor dog!
Seriously how heartless are you?? I was hoping you make a typo while writing your comment but you did actually say you don’t like your dog that much..seemjg to like cats more give your poor not taken care of dog to a.home thst.cares.and loves him! Hell I will take him from you. And if I find out in any way online that you’re abusing your dog through not liking it, I will call law enforcement on you. It’s almost a felony and I will be patient until it is. You’re disgusting. Give me the dog i will love him.
I love making treats for my dog. Thanks for sharing this with us!
That is just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! I LOVE golden retrievers!
Hi Jill,
Not weird at all! My sister actually tasted it, and said it’s definitely a taste only a dog could love ;-)
That is TOO stinkin cute!
Very cute! Another Watchers fan? :) Great cake idea!
Aww, so cute! Einy is the cutest dog ever :)
I take that back…it is the same recipe I used…duh!
I made my dog a bday cake too, but different recipe..your is so cute in the bone shape!!
We have a dog bakery in our town and we have gotten our dog her birthday cakes from there. They aren’t too expensive but it would be great to make one at home. She turns 5 in June. I’ll have to make this for her.
ADORABLE, plain and simple! I love how he’s looking at it like, “I can EAT that?! That’s for ME?!” :)
I love it — that is so cute! So… is it weird to ask if any humans tasted it? ;)
I love making birthday cakes for our golden retriever too! I’ll have to try your recipe for her 4th birthday in July!
Oh my gosh, I love this! My chocolate lab is turning 1 on January 31st…maybe I’ll make him this special treat. :)
Too cute!
OMG! I have a true obsession with goldens. We had 2 growing up, and I have been begging my hubby for one. We are hopefully getting our next in May or June. Einstein is adorable!! <3
What a wonderful idea, and how sweet of you! Your pup is adorable!