It’s my puppy baby’s 2nd birthday!!! I have been so excited to celebrate this with her because last year I was away for her birthday 😢. For good reason though - I was visiting my two-week old niece! So this year I wanted to go full out with a cake, a meetup with her furiends, puppy party favors, and all the attention she deserves (and so so so loves). If you know Joon at all, you know that she LOVES people. She loves to say “Hi” to everyone and makes new friends wherever she goes… this social-distancing thing has been pretty hard for her. So this year, although we will be celebrating together at home, I wanted to make it special. Cue the flower collar 👏🏼And a delicious pumpkin, carrot, and peanut butter cake 👏🏼 and a personalized puppy treat on top 👏🏼! She is such a smart, sweet girl, she deserves nothing but my best! Let me formally introduce you to: Joon’s 2nd Birthday Cake.

All her favorite things wrapped into one delicious birthday treat. It checks all the boxes: carrot, pumpkin, apple, banana, peanut butter, and cheeeese. Well except one… I’m sure she would have appreciated some bacon! 😂

The cake is quick and easy to make - using only one bowl! The base of the cake is a pumpkin carrot cake, naturally sweetened with applesauce and ripe banana. The banana also acts as the binder in replace of an egg. Joon has recently had some issues with food and environmental allergies, so we have been avoiding chicken (one of the top causes of allergies in dogs). The banana seemed to work very well as the cake held together nicely with a good texture. And Joon loves bananas so - win win!

I baked my cake in a 8 in cake pan, which allowed me to just fit in three rings. If you have a square pan, which I do not, it may be a bit easier for you to use that! I also used a cookie cutter to cut out the circular shape. I have this great set of circle cookie cutters of every size, which I originally used to make donut cookies! If you don’t have a circular cookie cutter, you could try the edge of a glass, mason jar, or small bowl!

And to take it over the top, we have the peanut butter drizzle and the homemade, personalized puppy treats for decoration! The peanut butter drizzle is made by melting some peanut butter with a little bit of coconut oil to get that runny drizzle look.

My homemade puppy treats were also made for decoration, although this time were adapted by using whole wheat flour. The personalized bone shape cookie on top was made by rolling out the dough and using a cookie cutter to get the bone shape. I made cut outs in various size bone shapes because I wasn’t sure what I wanted for the top. To make the small bone shape treats on the bottom, I used a silicone mold and pressed the dough into a bone shaped mold, then popped them onto the pan! They held their shape very well during the baking too. After the puppy treats have baked and cooled, I used a small knife to write out the letters in her name. You can find the exact cookie cutters and silicone molds I used here.

Yeah I may or may not have had a taste test…

This recipe only has a few ingredients and is quick and simple to put together. And honestly, I don’t think your judge will be too easy to please! I hope you enjoy making (and I know your pup will enjoy eating) this puppy birthday cake!

Joon’s 2nd Birthday Cake

Ingredients:
Cake
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C Old Fashioned Oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C pumpkin puree
1/2 C mashed banana
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
Icing
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 C peanut butter
Peanut Butter Drizzle
1/4 C peanut butter
Coconut oil (as needed)
Puppy Treats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8 in cake pan or pan of similar size with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the pumpkin, banana, applesauce, and oil. Mix well to combine. Next add in flour, oats, and baking powder. Mix again. Once it is all combined, add shredded carrot and stir once more.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let your cake sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.
While the cake bakes, make the puppy treats! The treats on her cake were made by using a cookie cutter (top) and silicone molds (bottom).
In a medium, microwave safe bowl, make the frosting by combining cream cheese and peanut butter. If you are having trouble combining them completely, microwave it for a couple seconds to make stirring and spreading easier.
Once your cake has cooled completely, use a circular cookie cutter to form three smaller circles. Stack your cakes by adding a layer of icing in between each, and then finishing on top and around the outside of your cake.
Make the peanut butter drizzle by melting the peanut butter and about 1/2 tsp of coconut oil in the microwave in 20 second intervals until melted. You want it thin enough to drip but not too thin to run off the cake. Transfer into a plastic squeeze bottle or piping bag and drizzle around outside of your cake.
Decorate with puppy treats and any leftover frosting.