Take the cake

Include your furkids in the Yuletide festivities with wholesome doggy cakes that are fit for your Christmas table. Our pet models, Ohana and Buddy, lend their discerning palates to a few festive creations.
Justina Tan 14 December 2017

Our criteria

° How does the cake look?
° How’s the taste and texture?
° How enthusiastic was Fido when eating it?

1. Christmas Log Cake
from The Barkery Singapore (sgbarkery.com)
Price: $30

The cake: The classic log cake receives a dog-friendly spin with this version made of premium minced meat (choose from beef, fish, chicken, mutton, or pork), wholemeal flour, rolled oats, eggs, celery, pumpkin, potato, beetroot, sweet potato, carob and molasses. At 450g, it’s a convenient size for your pooch to savour over three days, which is how long the cake can be kept in the refrigerator.

Verdict: Naturally coloured by carob, the potato frosting had a pleasant sweetness to it. The meat was mixed with flour, making it a cinch to slice but giving it a denser texture and a less meaty flavour than we would’ve liked. However, our furry testers clearly loved it. They devoured their portions within a minute or so.

Score: 4/5

2. Rudolf
from Barking Good (barkinggood.sg)
Price: $113 to $148

The cake: Made from potato, sweet potato, cranberries, thyme and one of four meat options—beef, pork, chicken, lamb or salmon—this 1kg reindeer cake is handcrafted with an intricately piped mane of potato and sweet potato. The horns and ears are made from oat flour, cheddar, apple sauce, and olive oil. It caters 12 to 16 portions for a small dog, and four to eight portions for a large dog 

Verdict: Rudolf ranked high on both taste and appearance. The combination of colours was spot-on, while the decorative technique rivalled those of a patissier’s—no mean feat considering that it’s frosted with potato. Once cut, the interior revealed a scrumptious mix of cranberries and meat lightly flavoured with thyme. Salmon was our favourite as it had a natural sweetness to it. If we had just one grouse, it’s that chunks of meat crumbled as the cake was cut, making it challenging to get a clean slice. Ohana and Buddy gave their stamp of approval—they gobbled up their portions within seconds.

Score: 4.5/5

For more festive doggy cake reviews, turn to Tried & Tested (pg 28) of our Dec 2017/Jan 2018 issue!