Perfect for any dog party – it’s healthy, nutritious and easy to make! And your dog will love you for it…

Since becoming the proud owner of not one but four dogs, I have taken to researching a nutritious diet for my pampered pooches.

I have a fabulous holistic recipe book for dogs (Home Cooking For Your Dog by leading veterinarian Christine M. Filardi). My sister in law bought it for me for my birthday and I’ve been hooked on it. It’s full of fantastic information about nutrition, behaviour, allergies, the perils of commercial pet food along with super healthy holistic recipes.

I find that my baking repertoire has now extended to making treats for my dogs – they even get the benefit from licking the bowl (and spoon!).

I decided that my little mischievous puppy Couscous should celebrate her first birthday in doggy style with a healthy birthday cake – no need to send out the invites as her brothers and sister were all happy to party with her.

I thought it would be appropriate to use couscous in the recipe so I opted for barley couscous as barley is a great carb for dogs which helps the dog’s nervous system. I also used buckwheat flour which is neither wheat or grain – it’s a berry. Dogs with grain allergies are safe to eat foods containing Buckwheat, it is also a very low glycaemic food meaning it will not spike the blood sugar when eaten which can lead to ailments such as canine diabetes. Buckwheat contains magnesium which relaxes blood vessels, improves blood flow and nutrient delivery thereby improving the cardiovascular system.

Fresh vegetables are an important source of vitamins and minerals for dogs – I pureed the carrots in this recipe as it breaks down the vegetables’ cellulose walls which allows for better absorption and digestion. Sardines are excellent for a dog’s health as they contain high protein levels, vitamins B3, B12 and D, selenium and healthy omega-3 Fatty acids. Sardines are also a good source of phosphorus and calcium – great for the skin and coat and for dogs with allergies. They are also anti-inflammatory – beneficial for dogs with arthritis and great for the brain, making it a perfect food for growing/developing puppies and senior dogs too.

The mixture is bound together with eggs, not only an excellent source of protein they also provide all of the dog’s essential amino acids. By the way, the shell is a great source of calcium – so whenever you put an eggshell in the bin put in in the dogs bowl instead (mine love them – like I love crisps!).

Finally I decorated the cake with natural organic yoghurt that contain live cultures that provide very important probiotics that help aid digestion – I strained the yogurt in a muslin bag overnight to make a thick cream cheese (lebneh…which I’m slightly obsessed with making at the moment).

I couldn’t resist the finishing touches of biscuit bones and hearts (homemade) with a little sprinkling of organic ground linseeds.

When I cut the cake, very much to the dogs delight, it actually looked delicious to me.

A good chef will always taste their creations so I had to give it a go…

…and yes it was surprisingly okay – a creamy velvety frosting, a hint of fish and a clean note of fresh carrots…WoooooF!!

Ingredients (makes 12 slices)

4 carrots (leave skin on)

100g Barley couscous

100g Buckwheat flour

2 tins sardines in olive oil – reserve the oil

2 free range eggs

50 ml sunflower oil (or flax seed or coconut oil)

50 ml water

3 tubs of natural yoghurt

Organic linseeds and dog biscuit bones to decorate

Method

1. Strain the yoghurt overnight (if possible) – you can use a clean jay cloth over a sieve.
2. Pre heat the oven to 180oc, and line a cake tin with baking paper.
3. Puree the carrots in a food processor. In a large mixing bowl pour boiling water 2cm over the couscous and cover with cling film and leave for 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork.
4. Add the buckwheat, eggs, sardines and mix well, gradually pour in the olive oil and then the water.
5. Spread the mixture into a cake tin and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely and spread over the thick yoghurt
6. Decorate with dog biscuits of your choice and an optional sprinkling of linseeds.
7. This cake is rich so little wedges are best, cover the leftovers and refrigerate for 4 days or you can pre-cut and freeze the cake up to 3 months.
8. You will become your dogs best friend forever x