Have you ever heard of cloud bread?
It’s basically a trick to make bread out of eggs, it’s used in a lot of Paleo recipes for people, but I thought it would work great for a recipe for a flour-free dog cake! So in a way – these muffins are just fluffy eggs with flavoring. I will say – I was hoping for a bit more “fluff” when making these – so I ended up doing a double layer of the cake to get them to be more substantial. But either way, these are a super fun (and tasty) treat for your pup, filled with lots of healthy protein, prebiotics and vitamins!
To make this fun I’ve made two different flavors – an apple or pumpkin.
Each one I decorated so make them look festive – but I’m definitely not a cake decorator. For the pumpkin cake I “frosted” it with pumpkin puree, and added on mint to create the steam and vines of the pumpkin. For the apple cake I decided to go more rustic, and added yogurt between the layers with sliced apple on top, with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon.
INGREDIENTS
Apple: Apples are an excellent source of many different types of antioxidants such as quercetin. Apples are also an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, and fiber – which works as a pre-biotic to help support healthy gut bacteria.
Pumpkin Puree: A good source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and works as an excellent prebiotic – to help feed your healthy gut bacteria – which supports the immune system.
Ceylon Cinnamon: though the research is still out as to the true benefits of cinnamon in dogs – it is not toxic to our pups, potential benefits currently being researched include – improvement of brain function through the reduction of oxidation within the brain, improve circulation, management of diabetes – through influencing blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, help with arthritis and sore joints. Note that for some dogs Cinnamon is TOO warming and may cause stomach upset – so if you have a pup with a sensitive stomach best to leave this spice out, or replace with flax seeds.
Eggs: A great source of vitamin A, folate, ribloflavin, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and essential fatty acids. Eggs are considered to be the most digestible and complete protein if consuming both the egg whites and the egg yokes!
Yogurt: A good natural source of probiotics for dogs – though not as concentrated as supplements or other milk based products like kefir – Yogurt can make a great healthy “frosting” for our cake recipe.
PUMPKIN PUP CAKE RECIPE
- 3 eggs, separated
- 3 oz canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree
- ⅛ tsp ceylon cinnamon OR flax seeds
APPLE PUP CAKE RECIPE
- 3 eggs, separated
- 3 oz unsweetened applesauce or apple puree
- ⅛ tsp ceylon cinnamon OR flax seeds
DECORATION
- Whole Milk Yogurt
- Pumpkin Puree
- Mint
- Cinnamon
CALORIES PER RECIPE
Without frosting
244 to 255 – divided by the number of cakes made
Since I have medium sized dogs I made three cakes out of each recipe (about 90 calories), however if you have a smaller dog you may want to make smaller treats. Remember all treats or additions should not be more than 10% of your pup’s overall caloric needs for the day!
INSTRUCTIONS
First set your oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit.
Next separate out your eggs and egg whites.
In one bowl add the (3) egg yokes, pumpkin, and cinnamon and mix together.
In a separate bowl you are going to use a mixer to mix the egg whites on high until they form stiff peaks.
Once the stiff peaks are formed you are going to slowly add the egg whites into the yoke mixture folding it in (do not stir!) you want to be as gentle as possible in order to maintain the air that you have added into the egg whites as they will create the fluffy texture of the “cake”.
<repeat for apple mixture>
Finally you can scoop these up into oiled muffin tins (or other mold), and bake for 40 minutes.
Once out of the oven allow to cool completely prior to releasing from molds and “frosting”
You can be as generous to sparse with the “frosting” as you would like.
I hope your pup enjoys these yummy muffins packed with protein, vitamins and prebiotics – if you end up making these for your dog make sure to tag me on Instagram and let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear about your experience with the recipe and if your pup liked it.
As always I hope you all have a wonderful time with your pups – until next time my Canine Health Nuts!
About the Author: Nikki is a Registered Veterinary Technician (Veterinary Nurse) and Dog Mom with over a decade of experience with dogs and cats. Since graduation from college (BS Biology, Dip. Animal Nutrition, AS Animal Science) she has adopted two mixed breed dogs – Ranger and Ash, and has focused her time learning about pet food and nutrition.
Nikki shares information on a range of dog nutrition topics: from how to create a homemade complete and balanced dog food recipes, to how to choose a dog food. Nikki strives to give dog parents the information they need in order to make the best nutrition decisions for their pup!
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CONTACT ME:
thecaninehealthnut@gmail.com
