Carrot and Oat Dog Cupcakes for Their Birthday
Dog cupcakes (pupcakes) with carrot, oats, kefir and egg, topped with ricotta frosting. No sugar, no baking powder, baked in a mini muffin pan.
- Time
- 43 min + 40 min resting
- Makes
- 30 pieces
- Type
- Treat
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 28 % rolled oats
- 16 % carrot
- 15 % egg
- 13 % plain unsweetened kefir
Follows THE RULE. All 7 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
These dog cupcakes, the pupcakes of every dog birthday party, are made with grated carrot, rolled oats, whole wheat flour, egg and kefir, and topped with whipped ricotta and a blueberry. They contain no sugar and no baking powder or yeast, and they're baked in a mini muffin pan so every guest gets their own without overdoing the calories.
They're more practical than a cake when there are several dogs: there's nothing to cut or share out, and any leftovers freeze well without the frosting. They're denser than a bakery cupcake, moist inside thanks to the carrot and kefir, and with the white topping they look the part in photos.
Why it works
Grated carrot adds moisture, fiber and beta-carotene, and it's what keeps the crumb tender without added fat. The oats and whole wheat flour form the structure; soaking the oats in the kefir first softens them so they don't turn dry. The well-beaten eggs are what make the batter rise a little, in place of a leavening agent. The ricotta frosting adds protein and a creamy layer dogs lick before they bite.
Step by step
Soak the oats
Mix the oats with the kefir and let them sit for 10 minutes, until they swell. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F (conventional, top and bottom heat).
Beat the eggs
Beat the eggs with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes, until pale and doubled in volume. That air is what will make the cupcakes rise a little.
Mix the batter
Add the soaked oats and the carrot to the eggs and stir with a spatula. Fold in the whole wheat flour in two batches, gently and without overmixing, until no dry flour is visible.
Fill the pan
Divide the batter among the cups of a silicone mini muffin pan, filling each almost to the top (a heaping tablespoon per cup). If the pan isn't silicone, use paper liners.
Bake
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely
Unmold after 5 minutes and let them cool completely on a wire rack. If you frost them while warm, the ricotta melts and slides off.
Decorate
Whip the ricotta with a fork or a mixer until smooth. Put a teaspoonful on top of each cupcake, spread it with the back of the spoon and top with a blueberry.
How many a day?
As a treat, keeping under 10% of what they eat each day.
— pieces a day at most
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pieces/day | ½ | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 30.5 kcal/piece
- Protein
- 21 % dry matter
- Fat
- 11 % dry matter
Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). A treat: keep treats under 10% of what they eat each day.
Storage
Frosted: in the fridge, in a container, 2 days. Unfrosted: fridge 4 days; freezer up to 2 months, wrapped individually or in a bag. Thaw them in the fridge and frost them just before serving.
If you don't have…
- Your dog doesn't tolerate wheat
- Oat flour in the same amount
- You don't have kefir
- Plain unsweetened yogurt in the same amount
- You don't want dairy in the frosting
- Very smooth cooked sweet potato purée, in the same amount
Cooking tips
- The 10% rule: each frosted mini cupcake has about 30 kcal. One is enough for a 5 kg (11 lb) dog; a 20 kg (44 lb) dog can have up to three. The table in the recipe gives you the number by weight, and on party day trim their meals a little.
- If the guests come in very different sizes, cut the cupcake in half for the small ones.
- For a photo with a number, spell out their age in blueberries on the birthday dog's cupcake.
Safety
- If you put a candle on it for the photo, take it out before bringing the cupcake to your dog, and always remove the paper liners: an eager dog will eat them.
- Never give your dog bakery cupcakes: they contain sugar and, depending on the flavor, chocolate or raisins, and "sugar-free" ones may contain xylitol.
- If it's their first time having dairy, give them just one: kefir and ricotta have less lactose than milk, but they loosen some dogs' stools.
- At a party with several dogs, hand out the cupcakes one at a time and with the dogs apart: food is the most common cause of fights.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of cake can a dog eat on their birthday?
A homemade one made with safe ingredients, like these carrot and oat cupcakes or a banana and egg cake with a ricotta or quark frosting. No bakery cakes, which contain sugar, butter, sometimes chocolate or raisins, and in "sugar-free" versions possibly xylitol. And in a small portion: it counts as a treat.
Can you use yeast or baking powder in dog treat recipes?
Baker's yeast in raw dough is dangerous: if a dog eats the dough, it ferments in their stomach and produces gas and alcohol. Baked batters don't need it: in these cupcakes, the beaten egg gives enough volume. Whenever you're unsure about an ingredient, it's best to leave it out.
How do you make frosting for a dog cake?
With a thick, unsweetened dairy product: ricotta or nonfat quark, whipped until smooth. A very fine purée of cooked sweet potato or pumpkin also works. For color, blend a couple of strawberries or raspberries into the ricotta. Frost at the last minute and keep any leftovers in the fridge.
What's in it, in detail
If they liked it, try
The fridge list
The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.