Don’t look at me like that. You know you want to bake a birthday cake for your dog. I suppose you could go all basic and buy one from an overpriced boutique, but boopsters are overachievers and that’s why you’re here. Full of healthy ingredients and easy to make, our homemade cake recipe is a birthday dog’s dream come true.

Besides, “I made this peanut butter brownie banana cake for my dog yesterday” is just so satisfying to say, especially when you inform your friend that’s not chocolate, Carol, it’s carob, calm down.

Print Recipe

Brody’s Banana Brownie Birthday Cake

Peanut butter, bananas, carob, cream cheese and honey make this birthday cake for dogs one he’ll never forget! He’ll never know the brownie comes from carob, and not chocolate.

Keyword: dog treats

Ingredients

Brownie Cake

3/4 c vegetable shortening or oil
5 tbsp honey
6 eggs
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
6 tbsp carob powder
3/4 tsp baking powder

Frosting and Filling

2 packages cream cheese, 8 oz each softened
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp peanut butter NOT sugar free! These often contain xylitol, a toxic ingredient
1 medium banana, thinly sliced
1 tsp carob powder optional
dog cookies optional, for decorating

Instructions

Make the Cake. Preheat oven to 350 and prepare a 9 x 13 pan. Cream shortening and honey in your mixer. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat well.
Bake. Pour the batter into your lightly oiled pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake removes cleanly. Turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.
Shape the cake. Cut the cake in half along the short axis so you have two rectangles, each 9 x 6.5 inches.
Using the template and a serrated knife, cut one piece into a bone shape. Stack on top of other layer before cutting second layer so the shape is uniform.
Make frosting. Beat the cream cheese and honey until it reaches desired spreading consistency. Add a small amount of milk if needed. If you will be decorating the cake beyond just frosting it (to add lettering or other decorative touches in a different color) reserve up to ¼ of the frosting for later use. You can add food coloring or carob powder to this frosting and then use with decorator tips.
Assemble cake. Frost top of one layer with a thin layer of frosting, then top with sliced bananas. Put second layer on top of this, then cover entire cake with a thin layer of frosting to crumb coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so crumb layer firms up, then frost a second coat.
Decorate! If you’ve reserved frosting, stir in the carob powder or food coloring and add writing or shapes with decorator tips. A plastic bag with the corner cut off will do in a pinch (your dog can’t read, it’s fine.) Cover the sides with dog bones or crushed dog cookies to make it extra extra.