Carrot cake is a delightfully popular dessert that blends decadent richness with healthy ingredients - carrots! Recipes vary from simple baking ingredients to fun additions of cream cheese frostings and nuts.. With its safe and healthy ingredients, many dog owners love to make carrot cake as a special treat for their pups.
In its most basic forms, carrot cake is safe for dogs, albeit in small quantities. It provides carbohydrates, Vitamin A, calcium, healthy fats, and other nutritional benefits. While it doesn’t add anything a dog doesn’t already get from its regular food, carrot cake can make for a sweet birthday dessert or a special occasion.
Look no further if you’re looking for a safe, delectable carrot cake recipe. This recipe includes beneficial ingredients safe for your four-legged companion, including honey, carrots, and peanut butter.
Can Dogs Eat Carrot Cake?
Carrot cake is perfectly safe for dogs in small quantities when it lacks preservatives or additional ingredients like nuts or dried fruit. However, too much carrot cake can upset your pooch’s stomach thanks to its high sugar content. If your dog swipes some human-intended carrot cake from the table, keep an eye on them for the next couple of days to ensure they don’t get sick.
Besides over-eating or some unsafe ingredients, carrot cake provides plenty of nutritional benefits for dogs. Vitamin A, calcium, fats, and carbohydrates are essential to your dog’s diet. However, these nutrients should already be a part of your dog’s daily food intake, though adding a little more doesn’t hurt.
One thing to be aware of in feeding your dog carrot cake is the added calories on top of their everyday food. Even carrot cake made for dogs should be provided to your pup in small amounts as a special treat to avoid nutritional imbalances or even prevent your dog from gaining too much weight. Especially in small dogs, every pound matters – it’s important not to vary too far from your dog’s regular meals.
Potential Dangers of Dogs Eating Carrot Cake
Added ingredients such as raisins or nuts are the primary dangers in feeding your dog carrot cake. These two ingredients are considered toxic by ASPCA and can cause painful symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, kidney failure, and pancreatitis.
If your dog eats carrot cake with raisins or nuts, contact your vet immediately and - when in doubt - take them to an emergency clinic. Monitoring your pup for the next 24-48 hours is crucial to ensure they don’t react poorly to ingesting these toxic ingredients.
How to Make Carrot Cake for Dogs
More often than not, dog-friendly carrot cake recipes are even more straightforward than ones for human cakes, as they avoid sensitive ingredients that might harm your dog’s stomach. They use fewer ingredients than regular recipes, so while it won’t be much to look at from a human’s perspective, it will taste excellent to your four-legged friend.
Dog carrot cake ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup of peanut butter, separated into two halves. Make sure it’s free of xylitol, which is toxic to dogs
- ⅓ cup of honey
- ¼ cup of neutral oil, such as olive or avocado oil
- ¼ cup of water
- 1 cup of whole wheat or oat flour
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt
- * Optional (for an anti-inflammatory boost) 1-2 teaspoons ground turmeric
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/175 degrees Celsius, and line two 6” round baking trays with spray oil or parchment paper.
- Combine egg, ¼ cup of peanut butter, honey, oil, and water in a large bowl. Whisk together and fold in the shredded carrots.
- Add flour and baking soda to the wet ingredients and fold into the batter. Avoid overmixing, then gently spoon into the greased pans.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick into the center and pull it out clean.
- While the cake bakes, make the frosting. Mix Greek yogurt with the remaining ¼ cup of peanut butter in a medium bowl. Use a fork to stir until the mixture is evenly combined.
- Cover the mixture and refrigerate until the cakes are ready for frosting.
- Remove cakes from the oven when they’re done baking and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto a wire drying rack, remove the lining, and allow to cool completely.
- Frost the cakes once cooled, decorate as desired, and they’re ready to serve.
Notes
You can make this cake up to one day in advance. Keep them refrigerated, or you can wrap them in food wrap, place them in a tight bag, and freeze them for up to three weeks. Transfer the unfrosted cakes to the refrigerator the day before you want to serve, and make the frosting when you’re ready to eat.
