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….
Happy belated birthday Dozer, one of the most gorgeous and expressive pooches out there. I think I’d better make these for my little girl this weekend, birthday or not, she’s 18.5yrs old. Thanks Nagi
AWWWW…I MISSED IT …..!!!!
BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOZER!!!
HUGS AND LOVE TO YOU BOTH
Thanks so much Gail ❤️
Happy 8th birthday Dozer – wishing you many happy returns ! Love reading about you and seeing your photos at the end of Nagi’s recipes 🐶
Thanks Maria!! N x
Made these for Bella’s 7th birthday! She loves them and they look fabulous. We’re going to do a door drop to her buddies while in ISO!
Wahoo, Happy Birthday Bella! N x
Made a trial batch of these for my pig’s 11th birthday and they were a hit! Plan to make again…..do they freeze well? I need them to keep for 9 days. I would do the frosting fresh
Could you tell me what is wrapped around the dog biscuit on top of your fabulous cupcake ? I assume it is bacon ? Could you give me a quick note as to how much and how you make it.
Thanks
Hi Leslea, the bones are simply treats purchased from the store – I will have homemade dog treats coming soon!! N x
What a lucky dog.
When I’m six feet under the clover
And my reincarnation is over
I’ll be pampered to death
By a gourmet chef
Cause I’m coming back as Dozer
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Don!!!!! ❤️
My Angel and Louie will be having these pupcakes in July when they both have a birthday. And they’d like to wish Dozer a very happy birthday! He is, indeed, a wonderful pup!
Thanks so much Connie, wishing your pups a happy birthday in advance! N x
Happy Birthday Dozer
Thanks Ivy! N x
Grattis på födelsedagen (happy birthday) Dozer!!! You did an exceptional job in helping mom produce such cute and yummy looking doggie treats. I know our Chloe girl is going to love these pupcakes as well!
Thanks so much! N x
Thanks for the pic of your studio along with Dozer!! It’s quite educational for us photography wanabees. I’ve always been impressed with the high quality of your stills and videos!
Hi Nagi,
My sister in the UK is a canine hydrotherapist and is trained to do different exercises in the pool to help strengthen the muscles needed to correct any issues a dog has.
Given Dozer obviously loves the water, he would likely respond really well to this sort of therapy! I know she has many dogs who have a much improved way of life due to better mobility and less pain.
Might be something worth looking into xoxoxo
Great to know Christine, Dozer gets LOTS of water therapy 😂
O DOZER, you lucky boy! Doesn’t your mum spoil you, as she should, you are so worth it! Happy Birthday to you Darling 🎂🍗🍰🌭🍖🍔🎉🎈🎀🎁🎊. D xxx.
Thanks so much Deanna! N x
Wow…Happy Birthday to you Dozer. Mama Nagi spoiled you with these pupcakes. Was awesome to see how you helped your mama & to see you just dive into that whole one at the end of your video. Sure brought a smile to my face today. I lost my furbaby Missy last Aug. so I can’t be making these, however always have your mamas recipes in my emails. Wishes for you & mama to stay safe way down your way all the way from me up here in Canada.
🥳🎉Happy 8️⃣th Birthday🎁 precious Dozer💙🐾
Those cupcakes your Mum made for your special day look amazing!!! Our doggos always learnt the word “CAKE” very quickly and these will definitely be at the top of Belle’s list.
Tell me Dozer, did you sabotage any shots so there’d be re-takes?? Be honest now!! 😆
Happy Birthday darling Dozer 🎂🎁🎉
I hope Mummy Nagi let you lick the bowls clean.
Of course!! 😉 N x
Happy birthday Dozer! You have the best mama! Your pupcakes look delicious and I can tell that you thoroughly enjoyed them. I will attempt to make them for my doggie’s birthday in September (Lexie). Stay safe and well!
Thanks so much June! N x
Happy bday Dozer. Feliz cumpleaños, Grattis födelsedag 🙂
Thank you! N x
Dozer has the life!!! I love the 3rd photo when he’s licking the outside of the glass batter bowl. Precious!!! This is so mean…so years ago, we played an April Fools joke on my daughter and used mashed frosting on her cupcakes. We all had a great laugh. My 8 1/2 year old fur baby will be getting these doggie cupcakes for his birthday in August. Would love to meet you and Dozer. Too bad we’re continents away.
Happy birthday Dozer! Hope you and your family are staying safe
Thanks so much Rebecca! N x
Happy Birthday, Dozer. I thoroughly enjoyed this post. What a wonderful dog you have, Nagi. What a wonderful owner you have, Dozer. Happy Day to all.
Thanks so much Mary ❤️