“Red Velvet” Pupcakes for Valentine’s Day

If you are on the hunt for the perfect gourmet dog treat, these red velvet pupcakes are, without a doubt, your winner. I created this dog friendly recipe for Valentine’s Day, but it would be perfect for any celebratory occasion like a birthday, adoptiversary, or just to show your dog how much you love them. The girls gobbled up these pupcakes in a matter of seconds, and to be totally honest, I took a small nibble and thought they were fairly tasty myself!

It’s not real red velvet, of course, but this dog friendly version is just as decadent. I did a lot of research to ensure the ingredients were safe and healthy, and I worked to make the recipe as allergy-friendly as possible. As a result, these red velvet pupcakes are wheat-free, sugar-free, fat-free, and dairy-free!

While I prefer the cupcake format, you could easily make this recipe into a cake, too. Just make sure you keep your portion sizes appropriate for the size of your dog. If you end up making these red velvet pupcakes, I’d love to see how they turn out! Leave a comment or share on social media and tag us @thedinkdogmom!

Dog-Safe Ingredients

These pupcakes start with dog-safe, healthy, whole ingredients. The brilliant red-velvet color comes from beets, a healthy source of vitamin C, fiber, folate, manganese, and potassium. Beets cans support healthy digestion, boost your dog’s immune system, and even aid with a healthy skin and coat.

Of course, chocolate is toxic to dogs, so we use carob powder instead! Carob is a fruit that is related peas, and it functions very similarly to cocoa in baking. Happily for dogs, it lacks the toxin theobromine that makes chocolate poisonous to dogs, and it’s also caffeine-free. Carob is a good source of fiber, pectin, Vitamins A, B, and D, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and protein! Talk about a nutrient power house, right? I had never used it prior to this recipe, and I was delighted to find it had such a rich, chocolate-y scent when I opened up the container. Can’t wait to try it in some human recipes, too!

Oat flour makes this recipe grain free, though you could easily swap for whole wheat if that isn’t an issue for your dog. I used applesauce to keep the pupcakes moist without the use of added oils, which also keeps the calorie count down. Plus, applies are another great source of nutrients for your dog! Just make sure it’s no sugar added. Last, but not least, the strawberry slice on top is not just a cute decoration; in fact, strawberries are full of antioxidants, high in fiber and vitamin C, and they contain an enzyme that can help whiten your dogs teeth!

All in all, these decadent red velvet pupcakes are a great way to spoil your dog without compromising their health. They look good, taste good, and are good for your dog, relatively speaking. Nevertheless, remember to feed these treats to your pup in moderation to avoid digestive upset and weight gain.

Red Velvet Pupcakes

Decadent, beautiful, and easy to make! These Red Velvet Pupcakes are the perfect celebratory treat. The yield of this recipe varies depending on the size of your muffin pan. I only had a large muffin pan, so I filled them up a little over halfway and got 6 pupcakes. You could also use a mini cupcake pan (which I thought I had, but I did not) to create smaller, bite-sized servings.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

Pupcakes

• 1 cup beet puree (see notes below for how to make your own!)
• ½ cup plain, unsweetened/all natural applesauce
• ¼ cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseeds mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water. Let sit 5 minutes to thicken)
• 2 cup oat flour (grind rolled oats in a blender to make your own. Be sure to grind into a fine powder)
• ¼ cup carob powder
• 1 tsp baking powder

Icing

• Fresh strawberries
• Plain, non-fat Greek yogurt or mashed bananas

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a food processor, combine pureed beet, almond milk, and applesauce. Blend until smooth.
• Add flax eggs and pulse until combined.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add to the food processor and pulse until combined.
• Spoon batter into cupcake pan and smooth the tops.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Run a butter knife around the edges to release them from the pan, and allow to cool slightly before gently popping them out.
• Cool completely before frosting.

Icing

• Slice the stems off the strawberries and carefully cut a notch in the top to create a heart shape. Slice into hearts and set aside.
• If your pups can enjoy dairy in small quantities, smear plain, no sugar added Greek yogurt onto the tops of the pupcakes. For a dairy-free option, mash a banana and add a dollop on top. Use a spoon or butter knife to smooth around. The banana icing will be slightly more yellowed and will obviously brown a bit as it oxidizes. You can see the difference in the photos at the beginning of this post.
• Decorate pupcakes with a sliced strawberry heart or two. You can also add blueberries as “sprinkles” or even blend the yogurt or banana with blueberries or strawberries to color the icing.
• Serve immediately!

Storage

• The pupcakes will keep for about 2 weeks in a sealed container in the fridge. I would not recommend icing the pupcakes until you are ready to serve them.

Notes

* To make your own puree, wash fresh beets and chop into large chunks. Put in a food processor and blend until pureed, adding a little water if needed. Alternatively, you can buy pureed beets, just make sure there are no other ingredients added.