If there’s any kind of person I never thought I would be, it would definitely be “that dog mom.” (If you are already rolling your eyes, you probably shouldn’t read the rest of this post.)
Honestly, I never thought I’d love a dog more than life. I never understood the whole “dog love” or unconditional love because I didn’t grow up with any sort of pet. I think I surprised everyone around me with how much I love Winston. Jason is the most surprised because it took him three years of convincing me to finally let us get a dog!
So when you see a photo like this, YOU KNOW I’M OBSESSED WITH MY DOG.
The love I have for Winston is something totally indescribable. My whole world just lights up and my heart kind of aches because I love him so much it hurts. Winston is our world and we are his world. I can’t even formulate into words the love we have for him so this whole post is kind of pointless.
There are so many little key phrases we say to him that’s like our little family language and he totally gets it because his big pointy radar ears perk up when we say those key words. He does so many cute things that it’s hard to ever truly be mad at him. My phone is now filled to the max with photos and videos of him. Prior to him, it was all food and now he’s like 100% majority of our lives.
I never thought it would pain me to travel or be away from him for an extended period of time, because after all, everyone says, “he’s just a dog.” I hate when people say that. Just a dog doesn’t even describe him. It’s like downplaying someone’s love for a family member and yes, dogs are part of the family.
Prior to Winston, we were never outdoors as often as we are now. We specifically go on dog-friendly outings every weekend so Winston doesn’t get “bored” of just sitting at home.
Car rides. Oh so many car rides. His entire face lights up when we say that word and his little butt and little nub of a tail wiggles with excitement.
Walks? He’s not much of a fan!
He loves other dogs even if they don’t love him. Whenever he gets excited and sees another potential play friend, his entire butt wiggles and his little nub of a tail doesn’t stop wagging.
His one annoyance: chuffing and barking at every little noise. We know it’s because he’s an alert dog but it does get super annoying at times :)
I love the way his paws twitch when he is in a deep sleep.
And finally, his main goal in life is to love and be loved. And oh how he is so so loved!
He is literally my favorite part of my day. Waking up in the morning knowing I get to see him and cuddle with him before we head downstairs to start our day will always be my favorite.
He is so ridiculously spoiled but I won’t have it any other way.
It still pains me to think that a year has already gone by already. Time, please slow down so we can have more time with our little guy.
Here’s to many more silly and rambunctious years! Happy first birthday, Winston!!!
So yeah, I made a grain-free dog birthday cake for Winston. I HAD TO! What kind of food blogger would I be if I didn’t?!
Grain-Free Dog Birthday Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpea/garbanzo bean flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter, stir to incorporate any oil on top
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup shredded apples (about 1 large apple peeled)
For the frosting
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heavily grease the insides of two 16-ounce oven-safe ramekins with melted coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda.
- In a medium bowl, stir together peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, eggs, and water.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients bowl and stir until everything is incorporated. Gently fold in the shredded apples.
- Divide the batter evenly amongst the prepared ramekin dishes.
- Place ramekins on a baking sheet then bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- In the meantime, stir together the ingredients for the frosting in a small bowl and set aside.
- Once done baking, let cakes cool completely then using a sharp knife, run it around the edges of the cake then invert.
- Slice cakes in half horizontally. Alternate frosting layers then gently frost the outside of the cake.
- Serve to your sweet puppy!
Notes
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Oh my gosh this is the cutest ever!! Happy bday to your Winston boy! Fun to have a doggie cake recipe too!!
Thanks so much, Jenny!
Aw happy birthday Winston! I know exactly how you feel about that love for him. I hate leaving Kaya to go to work every day. In fact I usually go back and kiss her approximately 500 times before I can even get out the door. She and the two boy kitties are my children and if anyone said “oh it’s just a dog/cat” I would probably never talk to them again.
LOL that’s how I feel when people say that stuff to me! I’m like ‘uh no. he is not JUST a dog.’ and thank you!
Happy birthday, Winston!
This post is 100% how I feel about our 8 month old puppy. I NEVER thought I could love him as much as I do. People without dogs will never understand the love we have for dogs and vice versa. They are truly a member of our family and you cannot down play that.
100% agree! I used to be a complete hypocrite about this stuff but I am on board now and TOTALLY get it.
Happy birthday Winston!
Thanks, Maria!
Awww! Happy birthday Winston!
I love seeing pictures of your sweet boy. We dog lovers have a special bond with our pups that non-dog owners understand. I can honestly say that I love my dog as much as I live my kids. It’s a little silly but a dog is someone loves you unconditionally, listens to everything you say, puts up with all of your crap, and still gives you wet kisses every day without being asked. A girl’s best friend, no doubt.
<3 <3 I love that this is coming from someone with children. It really does make me feel a little better that I'm not crazy when it comes to my dog :) xoxo
Oh, that picture in the birthday hat just kills me! What a sweetheart! Happy Birthday, Winston :)
Thank you!!! xoxo
Oh my goodness!!! I couldn’t agree more and found myself nodding, “mmhmm”ing and tearing up as I read this. I, too, didn’t quite get it before having a dog. Now I happily wake up early to walk our 7mo. old golden retriver Tate and take her to daycare. Oh, the looks I get when I tell people she goes to daycare!! To love them and cuddle them is like nothing. THANK YOU for a wonderful recipe and wonderful post!!!! Winston is so stinking adorable!! My coworkers and I are oggling him… and his eyebrows!! :)
<3 thank you!!! Haha, Winston goes to daycare too and people think we're weird and that he's "just a dog" and can stay home all day by himself. We don't like doing that, thank you very much!
Love this post! I’m such a dog lover and the days go by way too quickly. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one in the world who feels this way about their dog. Our dog, Harley, is a precious boy, much like it sounds Winston is. Happy Birthday Winston! Thanks for sharing your family with us, Julie.
Aww thank you!!!
My dog child just turned 4 on August 8th and yes to everything you wrote in this post (Except, my boy loves walks; it’s a chance to pee on more stuff after-all)
I really never understood loving a dog until I, on impulse, became a dog mama. He drives me absolutely crazy and he’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made (because I love him so much that the realization that nobody will ever love him like I do and that he can’t live forever makes me cry) and I have no regrets about it at all!
I didn’t make him or get him any treats this year because the last few birthday treats he’s had gave him not so happy poop… How was Winston’s poop with this?? lol! I know that’s a funny question but if you had no issues i kind of want to make him a cupcake as a belated bday treat! lol
Haha! Happy belated to your sweet dog child! Winston’s poop was fine after he had the cake :)
I love making Organic pet treats. Send me more please.
Awww that doggie is such a cutie! We have had our Forest just over a year and I feel the same way. I love him so much! He is my fur baby and I wish I could bring him everywhere.
Thank you! We wish we could bring ours everywhere too :)
Julie,
Thanks for the doggie birthday cake recipe. Our adopted rescue dog’s birthday is 2 days after mine. It didn’t seem right that I had a bd cake but not Lucy. Next year I’ll be sure to make it for her.
Winston is almost as cute as Lucy!
Omg, this cake was fantastic! I just finished making it for my pugs’ birthday and they LOVED it! And it was so easy to make. Thank you for this great grain-free dog cake recipe!
Is the batter liquid or chunky just because my batter was chunky and was falling apart a little.
definitely not supposed to be chunky. the batter is supposed to be like cake batter – not terribly thick but not super thin liquid. i’m going to guess yours was chunky because one of two things: it wasn’t thoroughly mixed enough to break up the chunks of flour or peanut butter…or the coconut oil hardened a bit in the batter when you added eggs from the fridge. if that’s the case, heating up the batter in the microwave for 10 second intervals will help. hope that helps!
I’m going to try this recipe and make it for Toby’s 3rd birthday next month. Toby is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the love of my life.
Toby and I are very connected and I understand the unconditional love and bond between dog and owner. He is always there for me, never judges, doesn’t care if my hair is standing straight up, or if I’m wearing sweats or no makeup. I just can’t say enough about how amazing my sweet boy is.
I love dogs :) they’re simply the best! Happy birthday to Toby next month!
I was moved when I read your post. Especially when you said ” Waking up in the morning knowing I get to see him and cuddle with him before we head downstairs to start our day will always be my favorite” I too love my puppy so much and tomorrow is his 2nd Bday! I am going to make this delicious cake for him. Thank you for the recipe. He likes bananas more…so I am going to substitute the apples. CHEERS!
Awww!! So sweet!!! Happy happy birthday to your puppy!!
This recipe looks delicious! If we wanted to use a traditional cake pan, would it still work? Do you think the baking directions would be any different?
Yes, it should still work but you might have a thinner cake. I don’t know what cooking time would be since I didn’t test it to be used for a traditional cake pan.
I love your article and our dog loves this cake!!! OMG!!! Thank you so much for sharing it, it was a total success last night!
Aww thank you!! So glad you made it!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! My boy Jacques Pierre’s birthday is in just a few days and he is a grain free boy. We are excited to be able to make him a real cake! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
Does the cake by itself need to be refrigerated? I’m making it the day before. I won’t frost it until the day of though.
Just to be safe, I’d refrigerate it and then bring it out to room temperature the day of!
Can’t wait to make my Bebe Bella a Spoiled Dog Cake for her 2nd Birthday on September 22,2017 will have to make a 2 layer cake because she’ll be having her party down in Florida with all her cousins
Love this post. Have you tried using coconut flour instead of bean flour? I haven’t been able to find bean flour…
You can’t use coconut flour as a substitute. It is not the same ratio and it would be hard as a rock. Coconut flour is extremely dense and soaks up a ton of liquid so your batter would probably be like cement. You can find the chickpea flour on amazon!
I used coconut flour but only used about a 1/2 cup because it is dense and very absorbent so you only need 1/4-1/3 cup per cup in the recipe. I also whipped my egg whites to stiff peaks with a little cream of tartar and that made the texture lighter. I also baked in an 8 inch cake pan and it was ready in about 25 minutes. It was a hit!
LOVEEEE this recipe! We added applesauce instead of sliced apples and also some pumpkin purée. Had to add a bit more water as well. I made this into cupcakes instead of a cake and baked for about 25 mins. They came out great! So excited. Thank you!
Yay!!! Happy happy birthday to Finn!!
Hello!
Thanks for the doggie birthday cake recipe! My dog is turning 14 in two weeks and I think she’ll really ike this cake!
Where did you get the gorgeous birthday party hats and napkins???
Thank you,
Susy & Boo
I got them at this party store in our town. I think it was Party City or something like that! Happy early birthday to Boo!
Made this cake for my little guy Chubby’s 3rd birthday!! He and all my other 5 dogs LOVED it!! Thank you so much for this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill almond flour and it came out perfect!! Highly recommend this recipe!
Great!!! Happy birthday to your little guy!
Almond flour was a good substitute? Did you have to adjust any liquids?
THIS IS A WONDERFUL SITE. I COOK FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD PUPPIES.