Whoever said diamonds were a girl’s best friend… never owned a dog. Meet Bella! I adopted her about 6.5 years ago from Columbus Humane and we’ve been severely obsessed with each other ever since. I have always been a dog person and grew up with dogs, so when I moved out on my own at 23, it was inevitable that I would soon have one of my own.
I still remember the day we met like it was yesterday. On a random Sunday (April 14, 2013) my best friend and I woke up hungover and decided to go to the Humane Society after brunch to ” just look” at dogs. “Just looking” turned into “JUST LOOK AT THAT DOG I NEED HER”. Spoiler alert: I got the dog!
We took Bella for a little walk outside and instantly fell in love. I immediately paid a $5 deposit to put her on hold until I could bring my mom back that afternoon to meet her/ hopefully get the stamp of approval. I knew at the time my mom was 100% against my decision because she didn’t want to become responsible for a 3rd dog. We all knew that they would (and still do) help watch her when I was gone. 😉
The rest of my afternoon was spent buying the essentials to help Bella adjust to her new home.
Bella fluctuates (just like her momma) between 36-38 lbs. and is said to be a Collie Retriever mix. Hey, if you’re not fluctuating, you’re not living! I believe she has a little golden in her despite her coloring. The Humane Society said she was around 4 years old when I adopted her which makes her around 10 now. She is extremely loyal, loves her walks, and is protective of me and our yard. She loves when kids ask to pet her on walks and has mastered begging all adults for cucumbers and carrots.
And with that, Bella’s “Gotcha Day” became April 15th, a day we now celebrate as her birthday every year with a homemade cake. This year I made a carrot-apple cake with a banana-cream icing. It’s the perfect size for sharing with a few other dog friends, or dog cousins too, even though she prefers people over other dogs, which is why we typically celebrate alone – we all have our flaws. 🙂
I was young and naïve, but Bella was the best impulse buy I ever made. In fact, she has brought so much joy to my life, that I chose to volunteer at the same Columbus Humane Society to walk dogs until they find their furever home too!
Are you a dog lover? Do you make your pups birthday treats? Leave a comment and let me know how you celebrate your pets!
Bella’s Birthday Cake
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 3/4 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 apple peeled and grated
- Treats and flowers for decorating
Icing Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 oz banana baby food
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease two 4" cake pans with a bit of melted coconut oil and set aside. (I used bigger ramekins).
- In a small bowl combine flour and baking soda; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, honey, applesauce, and melted coconut oil. Whisk all ingredients together until blended.
- Fold in shredded carrot and shredded apple.
- Add flour mixture and stir until incorporated.
- Pour batter evenly into the two pans. Place the cake pans on a baking sheet and the baking sheet in the oven. Bake cakes for 35-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cakes sit in the pans for 10 minutes before running a knife along the edges and flipping them over onto a cooling rack. Wait until cakes are completely cool before
icing. - For the icing: whip cream cheese, yogurt and baby food together.
- To assemble, slice the tops of both cakes off (the "dome" part) and then lay the cut edges together. Place a layed of icing in between. Top the cake with additional icing. Decorate your cake with sprinkles, treats, flowers and number candles!
What a pretty and lucky dog! 💕
Thank you! She is one spoiled pup! 🙂
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Definitely making this for Huckleberry’s third birthday. Thanks for the awesome recipe! #woof
Huck will love this cake! Hopefully he will share with Millie ♥️