Single Serving Dog Friendly Cupcake

There was a point in time when I proudly bragged about being a dog person. Since then, I'm glad to say that I have met many different cats that I have completely fallen in love with. Since moving to England I have found myself constantly surrounded by a colorful assortment of feline friends who've all added their share of humor and affection to my day to day life.

At least twice a week I walk into the kitchen to find Felix, the cheeky little black and white cat who lives a few doors down, stealing Stanley's dog food. Every open window is an invitation to Felix. One time I caught him on the counter polishing off the left over shrimp curry I made for Mike. Basil, the ginger cat across the road also likes to find his way in through open windows. I remember one evening in particular when Basil somehow managed to jump up through the kitchen window above the sink. Once he found his way up on the window ledge, he realized the only way down was into the skin. I don't even know how he managed to jump up to the window in the first place - I can barely reach that window to open it most of the time.

I can go on listing stories about our own cats, Rita and Mabel. Rita has more personality in one paw than most people I've ever met. Feisty doesn't even begin to describe it. As for Mabel - bless her we're almost certain she has a case of feline schizophrenia. She has to take a small dose of natural anti-depressants daily to calm her nerves. I love both our cats immeasurably.

As much as I adore all the cats in my life - deep down, I'm still a dog girl. There are very few times that I can remember not having at least one dog growing up. Just  thinking about what all my dogs have meant to me, I get emotional. Whenever I felt like I was going through a particuarly rough time in my life, I always had a dog to look at me with their big dumb smiles, wag its tail, and remind me that things weren't so bad after all because here in front of me sat a creature who loved me just as much as I loved him/her.

I'm reminded of a quote I once heard about dogs (and pets in general) that went something along the lines of, 'they may only be a small part of our lives, but to them we are their wholes lives'. It's the heartbreaking fact that at some point we have to realize that we're going to outlive our pets. They give us nothing but love and affection, and in some cases a lot of fur around the house and probably a few 'accidents' here and there, so why not give them just as much love in return and make their lives as special as they can be?

Bosco has had more than his share of bad hair cuts

Today is Stanley's 4th birthday. I know how much Stanley means to my new family and all the joy he has brought into their lives by being his unadulterated self, so I thought I would make it extra special for him by making him his very own dog friendly birthday cake.

Instead of making an entire cake for him like I have seen many people do, I thought it best I just make him his own little cupcake instead - that way he couldn't over do it with the food. This recipe makes either one jumbo size cupcake, or two regular sized ones. It's aimed for dog tastes, but it's certainly edible if you want to share one with your hound. Just make sure you don't leave any apple seeds around because those aren't good for dogs.

PS Mom & Dad - you better believe Bosco is getting his own cupcakes when we visit in the winter!

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Doggy Peanut Butter Cupcake

by Sarah Rose June-11-2015

A dog friendly, single serving cupcake to celebrate the special hounds in your life! Grain free and no added sugar.

Ingredients

• 1/2 finely diced Apple
• 3 tablespoons + more if desired for frosting Peanut Butter
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 teaspoon optional Baking Powder
• optional Bacon

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F 2. In a small bowl mix together all of your ingredients until combined. 3. Spoon the mixture either into a cup cake sized ramekin or into a regular cupcake tins. You can make either one jumbo cake, or two average sized cupcakes. 4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. 5. Allow the cupcake to cool completely. You can leave it as is, or frost with peanut butter and sprinkle with bacon bits.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 1 jumbo cupcake or 2 regular sized cakes

Omm nom nom