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Yesterday was a special day in this house. Black Lab #4, my Ruby, turned 10! When your a dog in this house and you make it to 10 years of age, that calls for a celebration! And if you know me personally, you’ll know that one of my favorite ways to celebrate a birthday is with cupcakes! So, PUPcakes it was.
These are so easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients on hand. For the cake I used a super-ripe mashed banana and some applesauce as the base of the wet ingredients. If you don’t have one of those ingredients, pumpkin purée or smoother puréed fruit would be fine. You might even stroll down the baby food isle. (I really don’t think your doggers will be too picky.) The frosting is simple a 1:1 ration of cream cheese and peanut butter (I just used traditional peanut butter, not the natural or organic). I don’t know one dog that doesn’t like peanut butter. As for the garnish, it’s just Milkbones and finely chopped bacon because I felt like getting fancy and let’s face it, even in the dog world, bacon makes everything better.
Now, I made these treats for my dogs, but really, there isn’t anything in the cake that a human couldn’t eat outside of any allergies. In fact, when my husband walked in he saw them on the table and asked if he could eat one. I said sure, but you might want to take off the Milkbone first😂.
There was a lot of smelling and drooling as I was making these, but if they could speak, I think they would say the wait was worth it!
Happy Birthday, Rubes!!
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Peanut Butter Banana Pupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cakes
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup mashed overly ripe banana, about 1 banana
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 extra-large eggs
For the Frosting
- 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup peanut butter
For the Garnish
- 4 medium Milkbones, broken in half (optional)
- 2 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place the oven rack in middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper liners; set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, oats and baking powder; set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the banana, applesauce, oil and eggs. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together just until moistened.
- Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, fill the cupcake liners with the batter. Bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 15-20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Meanwhile, using a spoon, stir together the cream cheese and peanut butter in a small bowl until smooth. Using an off-set spatula or a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, frost the cupcakes. Garnish with bones and bacon sprinkles if using. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
