Say My Kitchen: Birthday Cake for Our Dog

Our dog (Betty) had spent a few good years fending for herself on the streets before settling into our home. This wonderful girl has given us so much joy and laughter, especially with her unique sheepishness that she showers us once too often. For instance, she keeps thinking that elevators and cars are the best teleporting machines in the world. She gets really upset if we get into one without her. And you will never find another dog that loves the collar as much as her. She will delightfully stick her head into one anytime. As nobody knew when she was born, my husband and I decided that her birthdate would fall on 16 August - the day (in 2013) that she first set foot into our home...and never left.

My husband and I just wanted to give her the best on her 6th birthday. We brought her for a nice morning outing, bought her pressies, gave her a spa standard bath and baked her a birthday cake that she absolutely adored.

The cake was baked with the following considerations :

incorporating her favourite indulgence : carrot, peanut butter, cheddar cheese
must be textured...so the cake cannot be too soft
relatively small size and thin...so that she can finish it in 2 days
the cake should suit the taste and health requirements of the dog than us humans

Ingredients (for a 9-inch baking pan) :

1.5 cup flour
1 cup carrots (finely chopped)
1 egg
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1.5 tsp baking powder (Note: I deliberately used baking powder instead of baking soda so that the cake would not rise too high. It would rise only to about 1/3 height compared to using baking soda. Your choice.)
1 pc cheddar cheese (for decorating)

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon)

Method :

Preheat oven at 175 degrees celsius for 15 minutes. Combine 1 egg, 3 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tbsp honey, 3 tbsp cooking oil and 1 tsp vanilla essence into bowl.

Mix ingredients well.

Add finely chopped carrots and mix well.

Then slowly fold in flour and baking powder or soda. Remember to sieve your flour and baking powder beforehand.

Continue to mix till a nice batter forms.

Grease your baking pan.

Fill the pan with the cake batter. As this is a recipe for dogs, the batter would not be as moist and soft compared to our human cakes.

Bake in oven at 175 degrees celsius for 40 minutes.

Remove cake from oven after 40 minutes. Let it cool for about 5 to 10 minutes in pan and transfer to wire rack for further cooling.

As our dog adores cheddar cheese, I decorated the cake with a piece of cheddar cheese (cut into shapes and bits). You may also decorate with other favorite food of your dog(s) such as banana slices, apple dices, treats etc.