Dog Cake 2.0

Happy 4th Gotcha Day to my sweet Rororosie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She’s been through so much with us. Two moves. New places. New schedules. Pandemic life. Stairs. Ongoing health issues.

What a sweet little trooper. And through it all she has stayed so adorable and hilarious and dramatic and I can’t imagine my life without her.

For her fourth birthday, I decided to make her a more cake-like dog cake instead of her usual savory cake, taking some inspiration from a pastry chef’s dog cake side business. I also have to admit to being a slightly bad mom this year - the day totally snuck up on me and I had to rush to pull together something the same afternoon after work.

Still, I think this is my best-looking dog cake yet. This recipe has adjusted amounts for changes I want to make next time - more liquid and less baking soda.

I used the same cookie recipe as last year (aka my only dog cookie recipe) for the garnish, but this time I folded in diced apples instead of turkey bacon.

Dog Cake 2.0 - A Real Dog Cake

The Cake

cast of characters

wet ingredients

Yields three 3-inch rounds

1. Mix together the wet ingredients:

   • 1/4 cup natural unsalted peanut butter

   • 1/2 cup pureed apples

   • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

   • 1/2 cup finely cut carrots

   • 1 egg

   • 1/4 cup milk or yogurt

2. Add to the wets and stir to incorporate:

   • 1 cup whole wheat flour

   • 1/2 tsp baking soda

3. Place in greased tins lined with parchment paper, and bake until center is completely cooked, about 20-25 minutes.

4. Allow to cool completely before assembling.

batter, a little too thick this time

baked and leveled off

“Frosting”

Again, just like last year’s cake, the key here is to create the opposite of good tasting mashed potatoes.

1. Boil in unsalted water until done, then boil 5 extra minutes:

   • 2 large sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

   • Russet potatoes - I had to use lower starch potatoes

2. Once the potatoes are thoroughly waterlogged, strain completely and blend in a food processor.

3. After the potatoes look completely smooth, blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute more per batch to ensure maximum glueyness.

4. If the “frosting” looks too loose, pass it through a sieve back into the pot (I mostly did this to get rid of the skins I was too lazy to peel) and cook it down over a medium-low heat. Stir regularly so the bottom doesn’t burn. The puree should be able to easily hold its own shape when a spoon passes through the pot, even when warm.

5. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature with plastic flush against the surface of the puree so a skin does not form. Use when completely cool.

   • Depending on your potato composition, it could get too cold in the fridge and won’t spread as easily. We can use this to our advantage later during assembly, but you wanna be able to smooth it first.

blend

pass through fine sieve

cook until spatula path holds

Assembly

Build it like a cake!

1. Cut the domed part off with a serrated knife so you have two perfectly even cake rounds.

2. Optional: brush a healthy syrup for moisture - I don’t know what this would be in a dog cake, yogurt diluted with water?

3. Spread frosting in a thin and even layer, just past the edge of the cake. Top with the other cake round.

4. Apply a thin crumb coat and allow the cake to chill in the fridge until the frosting stiffens.

   • Leave the rest of your frosting at room temperature so it doesn’t get too stiff.

5. Apply a second coat. Smooth out your edges, and chill again.

6. Garnish simply at the top and bottom.

7. Decorate with cookies, blueberries, and Whole Foods 365 brand freeze dried strawberries.

crumb coat

heart garnishes

decorate!

To Serve

Put your dog’s annual birthday bandana on - we couldn’t find it so we put on the bandana the shelter gave her when we adopted her. Sing happy birthday, and watch her devour the cake. Take it away before she eats too much, and serve a few bites with every meal until it’s gone.

Happy birthday Rosie!

she used to be so much more brown T_T

the goodest girl

Note

• The extra cake round and scraps freeze pretty well. The cookie dough also freezes well. Baked dog biscuits last forever. Feel free to make extra just to have around. You never know when you’ll need them for an emergency dog celebration or impromptu dog guests.

• I liked the technique of cooking down slightly wet potatoes and further cooking them. It makes for a smoother blending experience. It feels like an extra step but blending can get very tedious without the extra moisture. It feels worth it for me.

• Next time I’m making two frostings, one with purple sweet potato for a nice swirl effect as inspired by my favorite IG dog bakery.

• Also next time: Cake pops with leftover frosting, cake scraps, and candy melt as coating.