A few weeks ago, our puppy, Ella, celebrated her 6th birthday. It’s hard to believe that she has been ours for 6 years. It seems like just yesterday we met her for the first time and she could fit in the palm of my hand! If you have been following along for awhile, you probably already know that our world revolves around Ella. You can read a little more about Ella in this post. From Halloween costume contests (post here) to trips to the wineries (post here) and to the beach, Ella is one spoiled pup!

A birthday isn’t complete without birthday cake, dogs included! I found this recipe for a dog birthday cake and knew I had to make it for Ella. Given Ella’s size, I decided to make them into “pupcakes” so she could enjoy them across several sittings and give them to some of her dog friends. Ella’s Birthday Pupcakes were a hit! And now she has added a new word to her vocabulary: birthday cake.

Ella’s Birthday Pupcakes

I have made Ella treats in the past (see the Valentine’s Day Conversation Hearts here) and they have always been a hit. However, Ella has a pretty sensitive stomach. While looking for recipes, I always avoid dairy. One bad dog “ice cream” experience and we learned our lesson! When I discovered this recipe, I knew it would be perfect for Ella. With peanut butter in the cake, or in this case, the pupcake, and a peanut butter frosting, I knew she would love it.

As I mentioned, the recipe I found makes an actual cake. If you have a larger dog, this could work well, but since Ella is only 15 pounds, I thought the pupcake route would work best. Let me tell you, she devoured it! Along with the “6” candle and peanut butter “frosting”, I garnished the pupcakes with her favorite peanut butter treats. We discovered these treats in a BarkBox and they are her very favorite. They are a great size for training, too. You can buy them here.

Ella’s Birthday at the Beach

Each year, we take Ella to the beach for her birthday. She loves running around in the sand — it’s one of the few times she acts like a dog! We typically go to the beach closer to her actual birthday (March 27th) but with Richard’s work travel, this past weekend was the first weekend we had available. We were looking forward to it because the temperatures were suppose to be in the 80s on Friday and Saturday. Usually when we take Ella to the beach in March it’s freezing. It even snowed once!

Unfortunately, the weekend didn’t go as planned and after having a little too much fun at the beach Friday afternoon, we ended up in the dog emergency room. Thankfully, Ella is ok! I won’t get into too many of the details, but we headed home early Saturday morning and she seems to be doing a lot better in her familiar surroundings. It looks like we will have to find a new birthday tradition for Ella. Any ideas? One that does not involve the heat or sand! And hopefully soon her stomach will be back to normal and she can enjoy more of her pupcakes. Thankfully they freeze well. Just all the pupcake to thaw before “frosting” with peanut butter and serving.

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Print Recipe

Ella's Birthday Pupcakes

Cuisine

Dog Treats

Servings

pupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup peanut butter, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 egg

Cuisine Dog Treats Servings pupcakes Ingredients 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup peanut butter, plus more for garnish 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup honey 1 cup shredded carrots 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place desired cupcake wrappers in the muffin tins. Whisk the flour and baking soda together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the peanut butter, vegetable oil, honey, carrots and egg to the flour mixture. Use a spatula to mix until combined. Scoop the batter into the wrappers, until about 3/4 full. Cook for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Allow the pupcakes to cool before "frosting" with additional peanut butter. Garnish with dog treats, if desired. The pupcakes, minus the peanut butter frosting, can be stored in the freezer. Bring the pupcake to room temperature before frosting.

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