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!)
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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 made these today for my pug’s golden birthday! She is 16 years young today. I thought they were very easy to make, and the cupcakes smelled delicious while baking. I did have some trouble with the “frosting” though. I did not add any water and it was still too runny to pipe on the cakes. I just dolloped some on top of each cake. The pups did not complain at all 😉
So cute! I’m going to try making these for all the dogs at the shelter for an event I do each year with my Subaru dealership (last year I made doggy fro-yo). Do you think the frosting recipe could be used with sweet potato?
Hi Chelsea, yes definitely! N x
Love this idea for potatoes as an icing. If I was to ice an entire cake, sides and top spread on, would the potato need to be warm in order to stick to the cake?
Hi Fiona, no it will stick even when cold 🙂 N x
Made these for my pups first birthday! She loved them! I don’t have a hand mixer so I had to mix the frosting in my Thermomix but I think it was to powerful I had to mix in a bit of flour to thicken it up
Hi there-thinking about making this recipe for my puppy’s 1st birthday. Would sweet potatoes work for the frosting instead of regular potatoes?
Hi Carly, yes you could use sweet potatoes! N x
I dont have a muffin tin but I have a cake tin, what can i adjust to make this into a cake? I would use the carrot recipe from last year but my dog likes peanut butter more than carrots !
I made a double batch of these for my dog, Molly’s birthday and am distributing to her doggy friends. The frosting looked fine when I beat it, but then I realised I hadn’t added the water. Added half the water quantity but it got too runny to pipe and even after being in the fridge overnight, somewhat slides off the pup cake. That said, they look fantastic! In shades of your friend’s husband, Nagi, one dog owner said she would eat it when she got home and was very surprised when I told her they were for the dogs. I even found the same bone biscuits, as in your pictures, but added a number 1 and a bone-shaped name tag I made, both on toothpick for decorations. The verdict from all the doggies so far is “where’s the second one?”. Definitely a hit and will definitely make them again.
Hi Nagi! I am a big fan of yours. I have tried a lot of your recipes, and they all came out wonderful. My 15 year old daughter follows you now 🙂
I have a question. I want to make this pupcake for one of our dogs as his birthday is just around the corner. I was wondering if I could use almond butter instead. Our house is peanut free due to allergy.
Sure can Yuki! N x
Hi! I absolutely love the frosting recipe (I used the one from the cake last year) but I’m wondering if there’s a recipe you have up your sleeve that doesn’t require refrigeration? I would imagine having potato’s and yoghurt you’d need to refrigerate it?
Can this recipe also work to make a doggie cake?
I am going to make some cake for my dog
Hi Elaina, try this one: https://discountspot.info/dog-cake-recipe/%3C/a%3E N x
Hey I am so excited to make these for my two pups but when I make the actual cupcake mix do I boil the potato then mix with the banana?
Hi Lila, the banana goes into the cake mix & the potatoes are used in the frosting. 🙂
Made these today as it’s my boys 8th birthday scoobie is a black pug I make pup cakes every year but thought I’d try this recipe out.
Will be sharing them with the neighbour’s dogs too as it nice to share 😁
That’s lovely Toni! Happy birthday to Scoobie! 🎂
Made these for my girl Sandora and her friend Lexi for their birthday’s and they loved them. I’d send you a pic but I don’t know how.
Sounds great Joanne, I’m so glad they were a hit! N x
My doggo Gavin the bulldog ADORED these! I made them so he could join in the celebration of hubby’s 50th birthday – lemon meringue pie for the 4 legged people, pupcakes for the 2 legged.
ABSOLUTE WINNER!
Oh that’s so sweet Tania!! N x
These look so adorable! I’m bookmarking for my sweet dog’s next birthday. This year we gave her a dog biscuit with some whipped cream on top, so your recipe would be a big step up. 😂
Happy 8th Birthday Dozer! Even if we are a little late. Besides the recipes, you are the reason I love my emails from your mom. You are one beautiful dog. My pups, Sara McCraken and Roxie LaRue wish you another great year and many, many more pupcakes. They are hoping I will try that recipe for them and as soon as I get some bananas I will. Thank you for all the great recipes and best of all Dozer!
Thanks so much Mary! ❤️
Happy Belated Birthday Dozer sending virtual hugs and treats … hard to believe you are 8 already… I absolutely love all your mums recipes and I am cooking so many wonderful meals at home thanks Nagi 😍
Thanks so much Janice! N x
Happy Birthday Dozer! Tell your Mom to add fish oil to your vitamins and your shedding won’t be as bad.
He has plenty of fish oil Bridget! 😂
Dozer – could you get more adorable – many Happy returns for your Birthday. I have loved all the photos, and stories of you over the years – keep up the good work. ps – i recently tried mums salisbury steak and LOVEd it. Thanks Nagi.
Thanks so much Diana! N x
Belated Happy birthday Dozer. Hope many more to come.
Hi Nagi, I love reading all your delicious recipes
I hope you can also make recipe for cats, like small catcakes, like the pupcakes for Dozer.
Thank you.
Hi Bel, I don’t own a cat though! 😂