Best Dog Birthday Cake Recipes: 4 Easy, Dog-Safe Cakes

Your dog doesn't know what a birthday is. They do know what a cake is, and they will happily accept one in their honor. Below are four dog birthday cake recipes: a classic peanut butter carrot cake, a pumpkin cake, a no-bake cake made from their own kibble, and a peanut-free meatloaf cake. None of them uses added sugar. After the recipes you'll find three dog-safe frostings, the ingredients that never belong in a dog cake, and how big a slice to serve.

Four rules for any dog cake

1. Use peanut butter only if the label shows no xylitol. Check every jar, every time.

2. No chocolate, grapes or raisins, nuts, onion or garlic, and no sugar-free sweeteners.

3. Skip honey, syrup and sugary icing. Fruit gives the cake enough sweetness.

4. Cake is a treat. Serve a small piece and keep the rest for later.

Which Dog Birthday Cake Should You Make?

All four recipes use ordinary kitchen measurements. These are food amounts for a cake that gets sliced and shared, not a serving for one dog.

1. Peanut Butter Carrot Cake

A classic bundt cake, adapted from a peanut butter doggie birthday cake shared on Allrecipes. The sweetness comes from carrots and unsweetened applesauce rather than honey. Skip vanilla extract: it's made with alcohol, and the ASPCA and WSAVA both list alcohol among the foods dogs shouldn't have.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (xylitol-free, ideally unsalted)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (no xylitol, no added sugar)
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup whole wheat or white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Cooking spray and a bundt pan

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease the bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the egg, peanut butter, oil, applesauce and carrots.
3. Sift the flour and baking soda together, then fold them into the carrot mixture.
4. Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick in the thickest part comes out clean.
5. Let the cake cool completely before you frost it or cut a piece for your dog.

Peanut butter is the ingredient to double-check. Some brands sweeten with xylitol, a sugar substitute that can drop a dog's blood sugar dangerously low and damage the liver. The FDA's advice is to read the label before any nut butter goes near your dog.

2. Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cake

Adapted from a pumpkin dog cake by Love From the Oven. It makes one 8-inch round, which is plenty for one dog and a few guests. Use 100% pure pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is sweetened and spiced.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup 100% pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup xylitol-free peanut butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (no xylitol, no added sugar)
• Cooking spray and an 8-inch round pan

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease the pan.
2. Stir the flour and baking soda together in one bowl.
3. In a second bowl, mix the pumpkin, egg, oil, peanut butter and applesauce.
4. Combine the wet and dry mixtures and pour the batter into the pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool completely before serving.

Got extra pumpkin in the can? Our frozen pumpkin dog treats use up the rest.

3. No-Bake Kibble Birthday Cake

No oven, three ingredients, and the base is food your dog already eats. This version is adapted from a no-bake cake in Whole Dog Journal.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of your dog's usual dry food

• 1/4 cup xylitol-free peanut butter
• 1 or 2 ripe bananas, mashed

Steps

1. Crush the dry food in a food processor, or seal it in a zip-top bag and roll it with a rolling pin until it looks like coarse crumbs.
2. Mix in the peanut butter and mashed banana until the mixture holds together.
3. Press it into a small bowl lined with plastic wrap, or shape it by hand into a round or a bone.
4. Chill until firm, then turn it out onto a plate and decorate.

Bananas are a sweet treat in their own right, so this cake still counts toward the day's treats. For more banana ideas, see our dog treats with banana.

4. Peanut-Free Meatloaf Cake With Mashed Potato Frosting

For dogs who can't have peanut butter, or who would rather have meat than cake anyway. The meatloaf is adapted from Whole Dog Journal, and the mashed potato on top doubles as a dairy-free frosting. Always bake it all the way through. Raw meat and raw egg can carry Salmonella and E. coli, which can make both dogs and people sick.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated low-fat cheese, such as mozzarella (optional; leave it out for a dairy-free cake)
• 2 medium potatoes or sweet potatoes, peeled

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the meat, egg and cheese, and press the mixture into a loaf pan or a small round pan.
3. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the meat is cooked through with no pink in the middle. Pour off the fat and let it cool.
4. While it bakes, boil the potatoes until soft and mash them with a splash of the cooking water. Leave out butter, milk, salt and spices. Don't use potatoes with green patches.
5. Turn the cooled meatloaf onto a plate and spread the mashed potato over the top and sides.

Dog-Safe Frosting and Toppers

Frosting is optional. Your dog will not file a complaint about a naked cake. If you want the party look, pick one of these and spread it thin.

• Yogurt and cream cheese: mix 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt with 4 tablespoons of plain cream cheese at room temperature. PetMD calls plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt the best yogurt choice for dogs. Use plain cream cheese only, since chive and garlic flavors are off-limits for dogs. More on yogurt for dogs.
• Mashed potato or sweet potato: plain, with no butter or salt. This is the dairy-free option.
• Pure pumpkin: a smooth layer of 100% pumpkin puree.

Toppers: blueberries, banana slices, a few carrot sticks standing in as candles, or one of your dog's usual biscuits.

Skip: powdered sugar icing, sprinkles, chocolate chips, nuts, raisins and anything labeled "sugar-free." If you light real candles for the photo, blow them out and take them off before the cake goes down.

Never Put These in a Dog Cake

Some of these show up in "dog cake" recipes online. They don't belong in yours.

• Xylitol and other sugar-free sweeteners. The FDA notes that xylitol turns up in some peanut butters and in baked goods such as cakes and muffins. If your dog may have eaten any, call your vet, an emergency clinic or animal poison control right away.
• Chocolate, cocoa and coffee. Their methylxanthines are toxic to dogs.
• Grapes, raisins and currants. They can cause kidney damage.
• Macadamia nuts and other nuts. Macadamias can cause weakness, vomiting and tremors. Almonds, pecans and walnuts are high in fat and can cause vomiting, diarrhea and possibly pancreatitis.
• Onion, garlic, chives and leeks, including seasoned meat and flavored cream cheese. More in our posts on onions and grapes.
• Alcohol and raw yeast dough. That includes vanilla extract, so skip it.
• Raw meat and raw egg. Bake everything through.
• Lots of sugar, honey, syrup or salt. Dogs don't need added sugar, especially dogs prone to weight gain.

For the full list, see human foods toxic to dogs. If your dog gets into something on it, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

How Big a Slice Should Your Dog Get?

Smaller than you think. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) recommends that treats, including homemade people food, make up less than 10% of a dog's daily calories. Its table for an average healthy adult dog at an ideal weight looks like this:

Now the party math. WSAVA lists one tablespoon of peanut butter at about 81 calories, and recipes 1 to 3 each use four tablespoons (1/4 cup). A 22-pound dog's whole daily treat budget is about 47 calories, so the peanut butter in one cake covers several days of that dog's treats, before you count the flour, oil and frosting.

So on the big day:

• Give a small dog a bite-size piece and a large dog a small slice.
• Let the cake be the day's treat and skip the usual extras.
• Invite dog friends (with their owners' OK) to share it.
• Cover the leftovers and keep them in the fridge.

Your vet can tell you your own dog's daily calorie needs if you want a more exact number.

Check With Your Vet First If Your Dog...

A small piece of cake is fine for most healthy dogs. Ask your vet before the party if your dog:

• Has had pancreatitis. Dietary indiscretion, meaning a dog eating something it doesn't usually eat, is believed to be a common risk factor, and peanut butter, cheese and meat are rich foods.
• Has diabetes. Sweet extras such as honey shouldn't be given to diabetic dogs, and your vet can tell you whether a fruit-sweetened cake fits.
• Is overweight. Treat calories add up fast, as the table shows.
• Has a food allergy. Skip any ingredient your vet has flagged.
• Eats a prescription or elimination diet. Food outside the diet can undo the work, so ask your vet which treats fit it.

Dog Birthday Cake FAQ

Can dogs eat regular birthday cake?

It's not a good idea. Cake made for people is high in sugar and may contain chocolate, raisins, nuts or, in sugar-free versions, xylitol. If your dog eats cake with chocolate, raisins or xylitol, call your vet or animal poison control right away.

How do I store leftover dog cake?

Cover it and keep it in the fridge. Hand it out later as small treats that still fit the daily budget.

Can I swap in a sugar-free sweetener?

No. Some sugar-free sweeteners contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Banana and unsweetened applesauce give these cakes all the sweetness a dog needs.

Sources

• WSAVA: Feeding treats to your dog
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control: People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets
• FDA: Paws Off Xylitol; It's Dangerous for Dogs
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Pancreatitis in Dogs and Cats
• 21 CFR 169.175: Vanilla extract
• AKC: Can Dogs Eat Peanut Butter?
• AKC: Fruits and Vegetables Dogs Can or Can't Eat
• AKC: Can Dogs Eat Honey?
• AKC: Can Dogs Eat Cheese?
• AKC: Can Dogs Eat Potatoes?
• PetMD: Can Dogs Eat Yogurt?
• Whole Dog Journal: Celebration and Birthday Cake Recipes Your Dog Will Love

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.