Happy Birthday Tahini! [a puppy-friendly petit birthday cake]
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Last weekend was Tahini’s first birthday! (And this weekend is Martin’s birthday so maybe I should be writing about how much I love him, but alas, Tahini has taken over our lives completely and this is just the way it is now.) A year ago, I had no idea that a fuzzy little puppy friend was what I needed, but here we are, 365 days later, and I’m very best friends with a rascal-y little dog and I’m not mad about it in the least.
If you know me personally, you know that I am not, and have never been, a dog person. They are fine, I suppose, but I never really wanted one. Martin and I had been talking about maybe adopting a furry friend on and off for years, but never actually considered the idea because 1) I am not a dog person and 2) they seemed like they would cramp my style. Then, the pandemic hit. I was already working from home so cutting off all social interaction was pretty isolating and the idea of adding something to our family started looking a little more appealing. I had very specific criteria if this whole thing was going to happen. Our furry friend needed to be small (but not too small), short-haired, a rescue, a puppy, and the name Tahini had to fit because I’d already picked that out. We spent a few days looking online and had just about given up when Tahini’s sweet baby face was posted on a humane center website and 24 hours later, he was mine {ours, I guess}.
This little boy is the sweetest thing in the world and he has been the perfect addition to our little family. He lets me carry him around on my hip like a small child, he snuggles like a champ, loves to curl up in front of the fireplace, and would spend all day sitting in the sun if he was allowed. He gives sweet little kisses, lets me put citrus bandanas on him on a daily basis, loves strawberries and sardines, and I just can’t remember what life was like before he joined our family. So happy birthday to the sweetest little puppy around!
tahini’s dog-friendly birthday cake
And of course, he got his own birthday cake. There are a lot of dog cake recipes out there, but I wanted something that was safe and nutritious for dogs while also being edible and tasty for humans. This petit layer cake is made with bananas, coconut or olive oil, yogurt, honey, an egg, whole wheat flour, and ground oats. The frosting is made of cream cheese, a bit of honey, and of course, tahini. He loved it (because he loves every piece of food put in front of him) and the humans enjoyed it too. :)
Tahini's Birthday Cake
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (75 g) coconut oil (melted) or olive oil
- 1/2 cup (170 g) honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 large, ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup (57 g) plain yogurt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup (90 g) old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup (85 g) white whole wheat flour
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp (42 g) honey
- 2 tbsp (32 g) tahini
- fresh fruit, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, pulse oats until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the white whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently whisk and then set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add the oil, honey, eggs, and yogurt and whisk until mixture is smooth and homogenous.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined and no dry spots remain. Transfer batter to the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cake is golden brown and the sides begin to pull away from the edge of the pan. Cool completely.
- When the cake has cooled, invert it onto a cutting board and remove the parchment paper. Use a 5” cake ring to cut two circles and two half circles.
- To make the frosting: Beat cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add the honey and tahini and beat until well-combined.
- To assemble the cake: Place one of the cake circles on a cake stand. Scoop a few tablespoons of frosting on the top and use an offset spatula to smooth into an even layer. Top with the two half-circles, pressed together to make one circle, and add another layer of frosting. Place the final cake circle on top and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake as smoothly as possible. Top with fresh fruit and serve.
