The Great British Bark Off: Five tasty treats for your dog

The Great British Bake Off is back! This year we’ll watch on as another 12 hopefuls enter the famous white tent. And the return of Bake Off means the return of some Instagram-worthy homemade bakes. From cakes and bread to buns and tarts, us Brits love donning our aprons and heading to the kitchen for a good ol’ bake-along.

And if you’re anything like the team at YuMOVE, you’ve probably got a canine quality controller inspecting your every move. But how many of your bakes can your furry best friend eat, too? Never fear, we’re here with a list of some of our favourite dog-friendly bakes to try at home. Here are five simple recipes that are sure to be love at first bite for your pup… bone appétit!

Our chef’s tip

Before you get going, we recommend that you always check the labels of any ingredients used before baking. For example, some brands of peanut butter contain Xylitol – an artificial sweetener that’s highly toxic to dogs.

1. Good-dog biscuits

Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Servings: 25 biscuits

Every dog loves a treat, so what better way to start this list than with the ‘Good-dog biscuit’ recipe – courtesy of The Great British Bake Off themselves! Just so you know, these don’t have to be bone shaped, you can use whatever cookie cutter you want. But what dog doesn’t love a bone?

What you’ll need:

• 175g wholemeal flour
• 100g Xylitol-free peanut butter
• 25g dried cranberries, chopped roughly
• 25g porridge oats
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into even chunks
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Step-by-step method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/Gas mark 3
2. Boil the sweet potato chunks until tender, then drain and mash until the mixture is smooth before leaving to cool
3. Spoon 125g of the mashed sweet potato into a large mixing bowl (any leftovers can be saved for another time – or used in a human recipe!)
4. Add the peanut butter, egg, dried cranberries, parsley and oats into the bowl with the sweet potato and stir together
5. Put in the flour and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined
6. Lightly flour your kitchen side before rolling out the mixture until about 2–3mm thick
7. Using whatever cookie cutter you have – we recommend a bone-shaped one – stamp out as many shapes as you can. Re-roll the trimmings as necessary (you should get about 25 bone shapes).
8. Arrange the dog biscuits on a lined baking tray
9. Bake on the middle shelf for about 15 minutes – or until crisp and starting to turn a pale brown at the edges
10. Leave to cool on the baking tray
11. Store in an airtight box or tin and serve as a treat for good doggy behaviour!

2. Pupcakes

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Servings: 12 cupcakes

Essentially, this is just a very healthy banana bread recipe for dogs. Plus, you can enjoy them too, as there’s nothing in there that you wouldn’t eat – minus the dog treats, of course!

What you’ll need:

• 150g Xylitol-free peanut butter (smooth works best!)
• 125ml water
• 100g wholemeal flour
• 75g honey
• 75g rolled porridge oats
• 2 ripe bananas, peeled
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)

For the topping:

• 12 teaspoons low-fat cream cheese
• 12 dog biscuits

Step-by-step method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas mark 4
2. Place 12 cupcake cases into your cupcake try
3. Put the banana in a bowl and mash
4. Add in the peanut butter, eggs, and honey and mix until combined
5. Mix in the flour, oats and baking powder – it should be quite thick at this point
6. Add in the water a little at a time whilst mixing until all the water is gone
7. Divide the mixture evenly into the 12 cases
8. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes until browned on top
9. Leave the Pupcakes to cool fully, then remove them from their cases (so your furry friend doesn't accidentally eat them)
10. Spread over a teaspoon of cream cheese per Pupcake and place a dog biscuit on the top as decoration!
11. We recommend feeding one a day and eating within a few days of baking. Feel free to cut the ingredients in half if you don’t want to make as many!

3. Dog Birthday Cake

Prep time: 15–20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins to 1 hour | Servings: 6–8 slices

Just like us, every dog deserves to be pampered on their birthday (or adoption day!) And what better way to celebrate than with a delicious dog-friendly cake?

What you’ll need:

• 250ml oat milk
• 210g plain or wholemeal flour
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
• Half a grated carrot

For the decoration (optional):

• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
• Dog treats
• A dog chew stick

Step-by-step method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C/Gas mark 6
2. Line a small cake tin with greaseproof paper
3. Put the banana into a bowl and mash with a fork
4. Add the lightly beaten egg, grated carrot, coconut oil and oat milk
5. Mix all the ingredients together with a spoon, then stir the flour into the mixture
6. Spoon the mixture into the lined cake tin and level out using a spatula or the back of a spoon
7. Bake the cake for 45 minutes to an hour until completely cooked through, then leave it to cool in the tin. (Don’t worry if it doesn’t rise much as there’s no baking powder in this recipe.)
8. Whilst your cake is cooling, make the icing. Boil the peeled and chopped potato for around 15–20 minutes until soft.
9. Drain the potato and leave to cool before mashing until smooth
10. Add a little bit of water to the mashed potato and spoon into a piping bag, ready to decorate your cake
11. Cut the cooled cake into two even layers. Put some of your mash onto one half and sandwich the cake layers together.
12. Pipe the remaining mash on top and decorate with your dog’s favourite treats. You can even add a dog chew steak in place of a candle!
13. Serve up a slice to your dog as a celebratory treat

4. Cheesy Marmite stars

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Servings: 120 small biscuits

These tasty treats are made with potato flour, perfect if your dog is gluten-intolerant! Plus, if you’re a lover of marmite, they make for a tasty savoury snack for us humans, too. If you’re unsure where to buy potato flour from, most health food stores will have it, such as Holland & Barrett.

What you’ll need:

• 250g potato flour/starch
• 50ml cold water
• 50g finely grated mature Cheddar
• 2 heaped teaspoons Marmite
• 1 large egg

Step-by-step method:

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C/155°C fan/Gas mark 3
2. Line a large baking tray with a sheet of baking paper
3. Beat together the water, Marmite and egg in a jug
4. In a large bowl, mix together the flour and grated cheese
5. Add the beaten Marmite/egg/water mixture to the bowl and combine to make a stiff dough. (You may have to add a little more water... but only add it a tiny bit at a time. If it ends up too runny, just add some extra flour.) 
6. Once your dough is ready (it should be slightly sticky, but not too wet), place onto a floured surface and roll out until it’s around 2.5–5mm thick
7. Use a small star-shaped biscuit cutter to stamp out the dough before placing onto the lined baking tray. Chef’s tip: Do this one at a time, or else the individual stars will stick to your work surface!
8. Bake at the top of the oven for 30 minutes, then cool on a wire rack
9. Once cooled, store in an airtight container and serve up as a delicious treat

5. Cinnamon Dog Doughnuts

Prep time: 15–20mins | Cook time: 20 mins | Servings: 6–8 large doughnuts

Looking for a delicious dessert that both you and your dog can share? Look no further. Chow down on these cinnamon doughnuts which can also be eaten by your furry sous chef!

What you’ll need:

• 120g wholemeal flour
• 100g apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• Warm water

Step-by-step method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas mark 4 and grease a baking tray
2. Mix together the flour and cinnamon in a large bowl
3. In a separate bowl stir together the wet ingredients (the apple sauce, egg and honey)
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients in the large bowl to form a thick batter. (If it’s too dry, add some warm water. If it’s too wet, add more flour.)
5. Use the batter to form a small ball and place onto the greased baking tray
6. Make a small hole in the middle of the batter using your hands – or use a doughnut mould if you have one!
7. Repeat until all of the batter is gone
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. They should be a nice golden-brown colour.
9. Leave to cool and serve as a treat to your four-legged friend. We recommend cutting the doughnuts into smaller chunks for a healthier portion.

Think your dog deserves a Hollywood handshake? Share your bakes with us on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #TheGreatBritishBarkOff, we’d love to see the results! On your barks, get set – bake!