Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Grain-Free Peanut Butter Apple Doggy Cake

By

11 years ago…

This guy was born.

My sweet, lovable, hairy, lazy, fluffy, attention-hogging, golden retriever, Pudder!

Happy Birthday! I love you, big guy!

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Grain-Free Peanut Butter Apple Doggy Cake

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 1 large doggy cake

Serving Size: Varied. Depends on dog\'s size.

Grain-Free Peanut Butter Apple Doggy Cake

~Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, soy-free, and sugar-free.

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 3 Tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1/2 apple, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350*.
  2. Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
  3. Grease a ramekin or a jumbo muffin tin. Fill with batter.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  5. Let cool for a couple minutes, and then slide the cake out of the baking container. Cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before serving to your dog.
  6. You may frost with extra peanut butter, if desired.
https://www.spoonfulofsugarfree.com/2012/05/01/grain-free-peanut-butter-apple-doggy-cake/

Pudder loves peanut butter, a dog after my own heart! He also likes to eat apples, so I combined the two ingredients to make this cake. Last year I made him a similar cake, but it contained brown rice flour and no eggs. This year, I made it grain-free because he switched to a grain-free dog food. If you want to see last year’s cake, click here.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day: 

Do you have any pets? Tell me about them!

If you do have pets, do you celebrate their birthday?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Awww, he is gorgeous!! Happy Birthday Pudder! 🙂

    We have a brindle English Bull Terrier named Ozzie who is so charming that even people who don’t like dogs – or thought they didn’t! – fall in love with him, and a little black and white cat called Alex who was abused as a kitten so hides when anyone knocks on the door, but after several years is now pretty loving with us 🙂 We don’t really celebrate their birthdays, as we treat them so well it’s kind of like their birthday every day 😀

      • You should do your research. Baking soda and powder are highly toxic to dogs. Please don’t feed them this.

        • Baking soda should never be directly fed to dogs. But a 1/2 teaspoon being cooked in a treat is fine….. I did my research before making this for my baby’s birthday. Even called and spoke with my vet.

    • Happy birthday Pudder! Peanut and Jelly loved it! Jelly just turned 9 and Peanut will be 10 on November 2! So they will get another one thanks! They only eat grain free it was perfect.

  2. Happy birthday, Pudder! My mom had a cat named Pudder!

    I have a grey kitty named Maus. She just turned 3 on March 1st, and you can bet we celebrated…and by celebrate, I mean I told her happy birthday and gave her some extra treats. =)

  6. Awwww just when I didn’t think it was possible to love you and your blog more, Alex, this post comes along <3 I always bake my pooch's treats for their birthdays. For our last dog, Derby, I used to make homemade treats all the time and I made her birthday cakes every year, etc. Our current dog, Seri, ironically (like me) seems to have issues with grains, therefore she is on a fully raw meat diet, with some fruits and veggies. Last year for her first birthday I made her coconut milk ice cream, but now I cannot wait to make her this cake for her 2nd bday in August. Thanks so much for sharing and Happy Birthday Pudder!

    • Beth, you are too sweet! I love you and your blog, too!!!!

      Seri and Derby are such cute names!!! I hope they like the bday treat 😀

  7. What a sweet doggy…..happy birthday Pudders & what a special cake! We do not know When Mr. Buttercup’s birthday is but celebrate it on May 1st with an extra treat…..we celebrate the anniversary of when I found our black kitten, Polk-a-Dot, a little spot in the middle of the road….I found him on what would have been my grandpa’s 100th birthday so he has the same middle name as my grandpa, Goodpasture…..BTW, your blog is wonderful!!!!! Thank you for all your healthy inspiration!

    • Zelda,

      Awww 😀 Happy birthday to Mr. Buttercup (cute name). And to Polk-a-Dot when her birthday is! Cuties…and thank you so much for the sweet comment!

  12. This looks delicious! Well, I mean if I was a dog, but I work at a dog groomers as a bather and I thought that I could make this as a special treat to the owners dogs that I bathe and one of our customers is allergic to grain so this is just absolutly perfect. Thanks for the recipe and happy birthday to Pudder.

    • Tyler,

      Awesome! I am sure they will enjoy it. Let me know if you make it!

  13. I am having a birthday party for my furry best friend and I have invited a lot of his friends. I need to make a lot of these for them but your recipe is for one big one. Can you tell me how to make a lot of them? Thank you Melissa

    • Melissa,

      Simply multiply the recipe by how many people you need. This recipe probably makes enough for 2 or more dogs. You can double the batch for more dogs and use a muffin pan instead for puppy cupcakes!

  15. Hi I just googled grain free dog cake recipes and yours was the first to come up! It looks really good, and simple, I am going to try baking it on March 5th for my Luna’s 1st birthday. She is a Siberian Husky, and I also have another dog who is probably a Golden Retriever mix of some kind, named Lucky, who is about 8 years old. They both enjoy peanut butter and apples so they are sure to love this! Can’t wait to try it!

  16. This recipe looks really good!. I signed up for your newsletter, but I haven’t been getting it lately.

  17. Tomorrow is my dog Otto’s 10th birthday… He’s a beautiful and feisty German Shepherd… We recently put him on an all raw food diet so I am extremely happy to have stumbled upon this recipe.. I’m a little curious to see how it rises though.. I’m sure he’s going to love it.. Thank you !!

  19. If I quadrupled this cake recipe, could I bake it in round pans? My dog is allergic to EVERYTHING and this recipe is perfect for her. We’re having a doggy birthday this weekend and I’d like her to have some of this wonderful cake to share with her friends.

    • Yes! I’m sure that would work perfectly. Hope your dog enjoys, and happy birthday to him!

  20. I have these in the oven now. I’m throwing my pup a party tomorrow wit his doggie friend. This is our first year with him so I’m going balls to the walls with it.

  21. Hi just wondering if you can recommend an alternative for bananas? I’m not sure my guys like them and I’m baking this tomorrow for my eldest 10th bday party. I can’t seem to think of anything with the same consistency and sweetness.

  22. Made this as pupcakes today for my Lacey’s 3rd birthday- she loved it!! Glad to have a new grain-free treat for her!

  23. Looks wonderful. If I made mini muffins with this recipe, how well do you think it would freeze?

  24. Third time making these cakes. My German Shepherds love them!!
    Began using this because my make developed food allergies;(
    I baked a third for my grand puppy Strider for tomorrow,
    Just because he is so cute!!!

  26. Awww Pudders is darling! And this recipe looks like a winner! :3

    I have a 10 month Belgian Shepherd puppy named Sariel and a 9 month Maine Coon kitten named Yohji, and you bet I’ll celebrate their birthdays. //_^ They’re both already spoiled rotten, but really nice treats like this aren’t so common, so this with a few big raw meaty bones? Haaaaaappy puppy!

  27. Oooh I’m really excited to try out this recipe for my Juku and Kami (Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apso). Does the apple need to be peeled? Can I also grate the apple?

    • Deney,

      The apple does not need to be peeled, and yes it can be grated. Enjoy!

  28. I made this for my gluten free Lhasa Apso for his birthday. i was skeptical if he would like it, but he absolutly loved it! I was surprized at how easy it was to make, it did look a bit weird when i put it in the oven but if he likes it then thats all that matters. I would definitly recommend it to anyone with a dog, gluten free or not.
    It was also perfect because we had the all the ingrediants, very simple, no planing needed.
    Thanks for such a great recipe!

  29. Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! 🙂 We’ve had our boy Circus for a year now, and he is allergic to most foods. He turns 4 next week and we’re having some of his doggie friends over to celebrate. I really wanted to do something special as a treat, but have been having a heck of a time finding something that wouldn’t make his allergies flare up. This is so simple and perfect, thank you!

  30. I just made this for my puppy, Hammy’s second birthday! I tried a bit and it’s not bad! He loved it. Thank you!

  31. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!! My weiner dog, Bae, is celebrating his 1st birthday (he’s a rescue dog who’s turning 2, we think). He has grain allergies, and I wanted to make him something special to celebrate his 1st year with us, and this cake is PERFECT!! Thanks again!!!

  32. Thanks for this recipe! Just made this cake for my welsh terrier Madoc’s first birthday tomorrow! He loves peanut butter and apples, so it’s bound to be a winner, especially with a light pb frosting 🙂 and I feel much better about it than I would have buying the $20 dog cake at the pet shop in my neighborhood.

  33. Been a few years since you posted this, but Google brought me here. 🙂 I just wanted to add in that apple seeds are toxic for dogs, and the apple skin typically is covered in chemicals, so it would be wise to remove both of these parts from the apple!

  35. Your dog is absolutely gorgeous and what a sweet face!!!! I am going to try your recipe for my Charlotte’s 1st birthday party next month. One of my girls requires all grain-free foods so this recipe will be a wonderful treat. Thank you, and kisses to your fur baby.

  36. My boy turns 2 tomorrow and I was looking for a recipe that wouldn’t spoil his diet (grain free) this looks great thanks!

  37. The cupcakes (didn’t have a jumbo muffin tin) are in the oven baking right now. The aroma of apples and peanut butter is so warm and inviting. Not sure who is more excited – Goldy, the golden retriever, my 7-yr old son, or me! Thankso much for sharing this recipe!

  38. I’ve made these “pupcakes” two years in a row for our border collie/pit mix Olive and she loves them! When I made them this year she must have remembered the smell because once they started baking she wouldn’t leave the kitchen or stop wagging her tail!!! My mom and myself are also grain intolerant and today I decided to make some for us adding just a bit of honey cinnamon and vanilla and they turned out amazing! Thanks for this family favorite!!!

    • Kerry,

      That’s awesome! So cute of Olive to remember, too. Glad you and your mom like it as well haha!

  39. I doubled the recipe and made 5 regular size cupcakes for my German Shepherds 1st birthday. She’s on a grain free diet because of a sensitive digestive system. She loved it! So did her 2 doggy friends who came over to visit. Thanks for the recipe.

  40. I made this cake for my 10 year old Pomeranian, Zoe. She LOVES it! Zoe is a very picky eater, she won’t eat store-bought treats and I’ve tried dozens of recipes for homemade dog treats that she just turns her snobby little nose up at. This was simple to make and a huge success. And my favorite part is that the ingredients are healthy. I figured she would like it because she loves apples and peanut butter. I used DogsButter, it’s just like our pb but it’s made with less sugar and salt. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. 🙂

  42. I made this amazing recipe last night for my Canaan dog mix, Taz, 7th birthday!!! He swallowed it whole! lol without a doubt my Tazzy loved your recipe (yay!) best part was no tummy issues the next day and I had all the ingredients already at home:) Pudder is gorgeous!!! He seems very happy and loved 😉

  43. I just made this….4regular-ish sized cupcakes for my 2 lil shihtzus. They love it!!!! So easy and good for them! I added some grated carrot and carrot, goat yogurt icing 🙂
    Thank you for an easy and yummy cake! It made a great birthday cake for Toshia- shih tzu #1. 🙂

  44. I found this recipe I think 2 years ago for my white German sheppherd’s birthday and he loved it. He is 2 years and 5 months old. The first time I made the recipe was as listed,but last year I had to modify it because our Zeus is vegetarian so I had to substitute the egg with a banana. I also decided to make him more so I thought I’d try using the whole apple, doubling the peanut butter and baking powder. I was surprised that it came out delicious!!! I always take a few bites myself. He is a spoiled doggy and I love celebrating his birthday with a cake. So having found this recipe makes me happy. Thanks so much for sharing your with us. 🙂

  45. Thanks so much for sharing! Our little princess Julie is turning 8 this weekend and of course she and her BFF Alpha each will have their own. Since Alpha can’t take the grain, this is perfect! Thanks again!

    • So I made this again for Madoc’s 2nd birthday! He loved it again! I think it’s out birthday tradition now 🙂 the recipe makes two ramekins, and I really only give him half a cake at a time–so he has treats the whole week 🙂 Im not much of a baker, so it makes me feel good to get him something I made myself. Thanks again!

  46. I have a black 7 pound yorkie poo named Tank who turns a big 1 years old tomorrow. We r going to try this recipe but doing mini cupcakes cause he is so little but i also have a female great dane mix named Tiny who will help her little brother gooble the rest up. Cant wait to try this tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe.

  47. Great recipe! I doubled it and added some carrot and cooked bacon I had in the freezer. I also topped it with greek yogurt “frosting”. Made it for my friend’s finicky French Bulldog and my Labrador. They both loved it!

  48. We are not sure when my puggle birthday
    is so we celebrate the day we got him. Which is today! Can not wait to give him this tonight. He is so excited. He seen it come out of the oven and started doing circles lol

  49. Hello!

    Stumbled across this recipe and it sounds great – but I was just wondering how it turns out to be such a big cake without flour and such few ingredients?

    Sorry about the silly question and thanks again for this awesome recipe 🙂

  50. Just made this for my 11 year old lab’s birthday…he LOVED it! Thank you so much for sharing this!!!

  51. wow I just made this for my dog as he just came back from the dog sitters and it came out so good. Thank you so much:~)

  52. My Golden Retriever, Marley, is turning 1 today. Just double checking – there’s nothing but eggs, apple, PB, and baking powder in this? No flour-like substance?

    Thanks!

  53. Update : I made this today for my Golden Retriever, Marley’s first birthday, and he absolutely LOVED it. I topped it with some pumpkin puree, and the whole thing was gone in about 3 minutes. So easy for such a big hit!

  54. Thank you for this great and EASY recipe! Made this tonight for my Nina’s birthday and it was a huge hit with both her and Jojo, plus totally edible for human guests as well (a bit bland but nothing a scoop of ice cream won’t fix). I just wish I would have read through the comments and had seen the suggestion of the pumpkin puree frosting-my pups are crazy about it 🙂

  55. Also, I doubled the recipe and it made 7 cupcake treats and the 20 minutes baking time was just right! I grated the apple instead of chopping and I was afraid it would be too wet but it was perfect.

  56. I’m so excited to find this recipe! My Charlie’s first birthday is 10/9 & I can’t wait to make this cake for him! He loves peanut butter & apple & is on a no-grain diet. He is a terrier mix/maltese & he rescued me… 🙂

      • Hello…yes he did! Thank you for this recipe & we shared a couple with some of his friends. I made them in muffin cups& the recipe made 4 regular muffins…followed your recipe instructions. Charlie thanks you & I do too..easy to make!! It was perfect for my Charlie’s 1st birthday!!!

  57. I can’t wait to try this for her birthday. So nice to find a grain free recipe for her….Thanks so much for this 🙂

    • WOW my dog loved this cake and so did my son’s dog. So happy to have found this so I can give her a special treat every now and then. Thank you so much for this 🙂

  58. I happened upon this recipe as I was trying to find a simple recipe to make a birthday cake for my Sheba’s 3rd birthday next week. I make it a tradition of baking her a special cake each year and this year it will be using your recipe!:) Thank you and Pudder for this!

  59. Like many, came here for a truly doggy cake for my dog. Made one and she loved it outright. Thank you for posting this!

  60. I made this for Sheba’s birthday in October and it was a hit! She loved it! I have two mini bundt pans that are probably the size of large muffin pans and this recipe was just enough. We shared with a dog relative and she loved it also! Thank you again for such an easy recipe! I am sure I will be making this again!

  61. today is my baby boy konas birthday and we have just recently changed him to a grain free diet and this was a hit among him and his dog friends.

  63. My dog just turned 1 so I I made this for him last night. He has a sensitive tummy but regularly has peanut butter, has apple in his regular food and occasionally has egg, however he has been vomiting for the last 8 hours since he had his cake. I’d probably suggest if your dog has a sensitive tummy best avoid this. Sorry, the recipe is fab, easy to make and turned out great. Most dogs would be fine and love it I’m sure, but my pup is really not a happy boy now.

  64. Ignore my last comment please – I’ve just found out why my dog got sick – a whole glove! I definitely don’t want people to think it was your recipe. So sorry for any inconvenience.

  65. My two dogs loved this cake, they are both obsessed with apples, it was perfect! thank you so much.

  66. Thank you for this recipe! I think it was our 7 year old standard poodle’s best birthday. She wagged for the entire 30 seconds it took to inhale her cake. I substituted almond butter b/c we have a peanut allergy in our house – she did not complain.

  67. Thank you for this easy, great & evidently delicious recipe. Celebrating my dog’s 8th birthday today. She devoured this cake, right down to the last crumb. She’s a picky eater, so of course I am really happy that I made something that she liked. Made her feel loved & special, I’m sure.

  68. Thanks for sharing this recipe! My pup is grain free and I’ve been searching for a cake to make. His 4th birthday is tomorrow so I can’t wait to make this cake!

  69. Love this recipe! It was so quick and easy to make. My dog was very happy to get this for her birthday treat, although I’m not sure if she even tasted it because she practically swallowed it whole.

  70. Just took this out of the oven!! Smells yummy! I’m anxious to see how my pups enjoy this. We are celebrating one of our dogs bdays today (it was Monday) he just turned one! Duke, hes a red heeler/ coonhound mix. I’m sure Our other two dogs Bella(pitbull mix) and Parker (blue heeler) will love it too. It has a favorite for all of them, peanut butter !! Thanks for this simple, healthy recipe!

  71. Things that are often included in recipes with other ingredients and cooked are not the same as things ingested raw from your cabinet by a dog. It is safe to use a small amount of baking soda in dog biscuits. You don’t want your dog eating baking soda straight, that can be very dangerous for your pet.

    I found a terrific site that gives reasons why things might be bad for your dog, but as always, consult your vet with any questions or emergencies you might have!

    http://www.dogfoodscoop.com/poisonous-foods-for-dogs.html#bakingsoda

  72. Most of my dogs and cats have be found at SPCA, friends of friends and rescues. I grew up with found dogs as well usually with other people’s problems. I haven’t done birthdays but I like to share the fun of Norwegian Christmas with something special. My old guy would have loved this, he would get ear infections from wheat. My new one is 5.2 lbs … no not a purse dog just a dog. He will play with a mammoth at the dog park like there is no difference between them.I might be able to make minis of your recipe and then he could have part of one when I celebrate the 24th.Clever recipe.

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