Pupcakes piled high with dog friendly frosting to celebrate Dozer’s 8th birthday! Easy dog cupcakes made with banana and peanut butter – the smell drives them crazy! The crowning glory is fluffy frosting made with no butter, no cream cheese, sugar free. Aren’t you dying to know the secret?? 😉
Pupcakes – dog cupcakes with fluffy frosting!
Dogs eat anything, but in my world, that’s no reason to lower the bar! So these cupcakes are everything you want in YOUR cupcakes – except they’re sugar free and made with dog friendly ingredients 😂:
Tender crumb that’s soft and fluffy
Moist, not dry – no pooch will ever choke from dry cake in MY house!
Peanut butter banana smell that dogs go crazy over
As for the frosting? The secret ingredient is potato made creamy with yogurt and sweetened with honey! Far better for dogs than using copious amounts of butter, cream cheese and icing sugar used in normal fluffy frostings.
The thought of potato frosting mightn’t appeal to US. But pooches love it!
What you need for pupcakes
Here’s what goes in these cupcakes – these are all dog friendly ingredients. It won’t upset your dogs’ stomache and you won’t have a mess to clean up on your lawn tomorrow (sorry to gross you out 😂).
Dozer ate 5 of these yesterday, and 4 the day before (many photo and video retakes!) and it didn’t affect his digestion at all.
How to make dog cupcakes
The making part is no different to making your favourite blueberry muffins – ie super duper easy. Except you might have extra unwanted “help” in the kitchen if you let your pooch get involved…. (wait until you see Dozer “helping” in the recipe video!!)
Frosting for dog cupcakes
The secret ingredient in the creamy, fluffy frosting you see on these cupcakes is potato. A proven hit used in last years’ birthday cake for Dozer’s birthday!
You’ll see plenty of dog cakes and cupcake recipes online with sky-high swirls of frosting made with loads of high fat ingredients like cream cheese and peanut butter. Looks great. Bad for dogs.
At most, you’d limit it to a smear on each cupcake – which pooches wouldn’t complain about, but lacks the wow factor visually.
So I use potato instead. Made creamy with yogurt plus water, and a touch of honey to sweeten it = perfect piping consistency, looks totally authentic and far better for dogs than cream cheese so you can use plenty.
You and I wouldn’t eat it. But your dog is going to LOVE it!
What goes in dog friendly “frosting” for Pupcakes
Here’s what you need:
How to make Pupcake frosting
The trick here is to cook the potatoes until very, very soft – literally fall apart – so when you “whip” it up with yogurt, water and honey, it will become smooth with a fluffy buttercream frosting consistency!
Looks so real, humans will eat it!!
After last years’ hilarious incident when my friends’ husband ate Dozer’s Birthday Cake because it looked so REAL (while my friend watched silently, just for the amusement of seeing his reaction 🤣), I decided I better play it safe this year and top it with dog biscuits!!!
But actually, dog biscuit aside, these cupcakes are perfectly safe for humans to consume. They just taste rather…….interesting!!!
Virtual doggie birthday party!
Given that children aren’t allowed to have birthday parties in this new world order, it didn’t seem very fair that Dozer should have one. Also because after experiencing the carnage at last years’ party (which ended with me having to dive in to grab the cake and run away with it), I knew that the frenzy of excitement created by taking treats down to the beach with 20+ golden retrievers would cause chaos that would likely lead to inadvertent breaches of social distancing requirements!! 😂
So this year, I packed up the pupcakes and distributed them among his friends – here are a few pics of Dozer’s buddies enjoying them!!
Happy Birthday Dozer!🎉
Happy 8th birthday Dozer!! I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you, that fateful day when I went out “just window shopping” for a puppy. As a pure bred golden retriever, you’re riddled with flaws with your double joints, your long legs, and your abnormally large size.
But to me, you’re perfect – and I wouldn’t have you any other way! – Nagi x
PS Wait, I lie. If you could just stop shedding fur everywhere, that would be terrific. That’s the only thing I’d change about you!
PPS Also, picking up your own 💩
Watch how to make it
Dozer “helping” me make Pupcakes….(not!)
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Pupcakes! (dog cupcakes with “frosting”)
Ingredients
Pupcakes:
- 2 ripe bananas (150g/5oz after peeling, ~2/3 cup mashed)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter , smooth or creamy (Note 1)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups flour , all purpose/plain OR wholewheat/wholemeal (Note 2)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup oil , vegetable, canola, peanut or olive oil
- 3/4 cup water
Fluffy dog friendly "frosting":
- 500g / 1lb potatoes , peeled and cut into 2 cm/1″ pieces
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup yogurt, plain low fat (any unsweetened type) OR sour cream
- 2 – 4 tbsp water
- 12 small dog bone biscuits , for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Place bananas in a bowl and mash with a potato masher until smooth as you can get it.
- Add peanut butter, honey and eggs. Whisk well until smooth.
- Add flour, baking powder, oil and water. Whisk until smooth.
- Divide between cupcakes until 3/4 full. Bake 22 minutes until the top is golden, or skewer comes out clean.
- Transfer to cooling rack and cool for 30 minutes before topping with “frosting”
Frosting
- Place potato in a large pot of water. Bring to boil, then cook potato for 20 minutes until very, very soft and starting to crumble on the edges.
- Drain, then return into empty pot. Add yogurt, honey and water (starting with 2 tbsp). Beat with electric beater for 1 minute on speed 3, increasing to speed 5, for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy. Add more water if needed – it should have a soft consistency like frosting.
- Transfer to piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm / 3/5" round nozzle (Note 3 for other nozzles). Pipe in swirling motion onto cupcakes, top with dog biscuit.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Just because this ENTIRE post is dedicated to Dozer, doesn’t mean I’m going to skip the Life of Dozer section! 😂 Here he is, on the job during this recipe video shoot. He scored many, MANY Pupcakes in carrying out his job….
I could actually eat that myself minus the potato frosting..or maybe with a sweet potato one!
😂 I don’t see why not!
Happy 8th Birthday Dozer!!
I can’t believe another year has gone by. Isn’t great that you have such a super Mommy who bakes you wonderful treats to celebrate every year?
You are such a special treat to me every time Mommy posts – I read about you first (don’t tell Mommy but thank her sharing all her delicious recipes with us).
Sending you great big hugs and lots of love! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Thanks so much Bev ❤️
Magi, I just love the way you love your Dozer! It’s the way every dog should be loved 😊.
Thanks so much – Nagi X
What a great life Dozier has! These pictures are sooooo cute. Have you considered publishing a book on “The Life of Dozier?” Thank you and Dozier for sharing your lives with us.
Hi Barb – that’s “Dozer” 🙂 N x
Nagi,
I haven’t made these yet, but I’m planning on serving them to my dog, April 🐾, for her birthday in July. She will be seven. She is a working girl, a therapy dog, that visits many locations. She has been working for five years making young and old smile. She is a rescue, “ pound puppy “, a mix of Papillon + Chihuahua. Just a little ball of soft fur, with a heart as big as Texas.
I’m sure she and her dog friends will love these pup-cakes! Thanks again, and stay safe.
She will love them!!! N x
Makes me wish I had a dog to spoil. I hope that Dozer and you have many more happy years together.
Thank you so much Lisa ❤️
Happy Birthday Dozer! We have an 11 year old black lab who loves when I bake for him. I’ll have to make him some pupcakes. Thanks for all the great recipes. It’s really helping out during this socially distant time, and your recipes ALWAYS turn out great. Pets to Dozer.
How sweet – give him a big belly rub from me!! N x
Happy Birthday Dozer! I too have an almost 8 year old goldie, Josie! And Nagi, thanks for the wonderful recipes…
Thanks so much Bev, give Josie a belly rub from me!! N x
Love, esp the video! May I ask, why do the bananas have red tips? Does that mean something?
Hi Bette, these ones are organic that have red tips 🙂 N x
Happy Birthday, sweet Dozer! You bring joy to so many, including my husband and me. Thank you, Nagi, for sharing him. And for sharing your delicious recipes and practical tips.
Thanks so much Carla! N x
Happy birthday Dozer!! You are a celebrity and we’ve watched you grow up into a very handsome Golden Boy. You are one Lucky dog. To have your Mom…glad she decided to go window shopping! These Pupcakes look like humans would enjoy too! 🙂
Thanks so much Melody! N x
Today my Golden Max turns 11. He has had a tough start to this year with injuries (has had a cone on for months due to eye injury for one). Your recipe is exactly what I need to make his day a good one! Thanks!
PS. Happy Birthday cuddles to Dozer
Happy Birthday MAX 🎂
Please : supermarket honey is NOT recommended. So be careful about this. They tend to be over processed , “ultrafiltrated”, and some contain corn syrup. Stick to local or organic honey to preserve the health of your pup
Great tip Sera!! Thanks for that 🙂
Happy birthday to beautiful Dozer. I just love him and I love the way you include him in everything Nagi. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes and tips that you include. You really are in a league of your own, and always bring a smile to my face when I get your emails. I will try these pupcakes for my Foxy who will be turning 13 in June. Thanks again 😋
Thanks so much Nicole, give Foxy a belly rub from me! N x
Just wanted to wish this beautiful boy Dozer a Happy 8th Birthday. Love seeing his photos included with each and every recipe. Stay safe and healthy everyone.
Thanks so much Carol! N x
Oops, forgot to mention in my post……Happy Birthday big boy.
Thanks Janice 🙂 N x
I don’t have a dog, Nagi.. But I did forward your pupcakes to my best friend and her furrbaby, Coco. Nagi, I love your recipes. Cooking is my hobby and your ingredients and recipes are just my tastes. Perfect. Your Creamy tomato bean soup is in my fridge right now …. for the second time. I can’t tell you how many people I have recommend you to, love every recipe you put on my computer. Thank you, thank you. Janice Schwab
You’re so welcome Janice 😍
Happy birthday Dozer!! You are a celebrity and we’ve watched you grow up into a very handsome Golden Boy. You are one Lucky dog. To have your Mom…glad she decided to go window shopping! These Pupcakes look like humans would enjoy too! 🙂
Happy Birthday Dozer!! Your cupcakes look delicious and I am going to make them for my ‘grandpuppy’. You have such a great mommy!
I hope they are a hit Theresa! N x
Happy birthday, Dozer!! And thank you Nagi for this recipe! Sparky the Beardie has his tenth birthday coming up, and I wasn’t sure what to do about cake since so many stores are closed right now…. Best to you both, and stay safe and well!
Thanks so much Cathy – N x
Happy birthday beautiful boy! My baby will be 12 in a few weeks and I’m going to make your pup cakes for him. I know you are a joy to your wonderful mum!
Thanks so much Lisa!! N x