Steamed Dog Birthday Cake with Purple Yam Cream Cheese Frosting

Meet Pepper – Our Shy Little Star
If you've ever watched one of my cooking videos and heard barking in the background… yep, that's Pepper. He’s our fluffy Coton de Tulear — a small, white ball of sass, sweetness, and selective barking.

Fun fact: Pepper's parents were both award-winning show dogs, with ribbons and trophies. But Pepper? He prefers the couch, the kids, and barking at Amazon deliveries. So no, he’s not exactly following in their paw-steps. 😂

Why the name Pepper? I’m from Sichuan — I love spicy food! Even though he’s white, he’s definitely not white pepper.

A Chinese Mom–Approved Dog Cake
To celebrate his third birthday, I made him a proper steamed birthday cake — no oven, no fuss, just pure love and wholesome ingredients. It’s dog-safe, adorable, and totally Cookingbomb-style.

This cake is:

• Steamed (like many Chinese savory dishes)

• Frosted with naturally purple yam + cream cheese

• Adorable for photos

• And approved by the pickiest dog in our house — Pepper!

 Pepper eats homemade dog food made by me and my husband — ground meat, veggies, bone broth, steamed rice… you name it. So when he approves of a dog cake? You know it’s good. 😆

📝 Ingredients

For the Cake Layers:

• 1 lb (450g) ground beef

• 1 egg

• 100g chopped carrot

• 100g chopped apple (peeled and finely diced)

• 3 tbsp rice flour

For the Frosting:

• 1 medium purple yam, steamed and mashed (this gives the cake its beautiful color!)
  If you can’t find purple yam, you can substitute with 1 cup canned pumpkin

• 225–300g low-fat cream cheese, softened

• 1–2 tbsp warm water or milk (optional, to thin the frosting if needed)

🍳 Instructions

1. Make the Meat Cake Batter
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, chopped carrot, chopped apple, and rice flour.
Mix everything together with chopsticks or your hands until fully combined.

2. Shape and Steam the Cake Layers
Divide the mixture into three equal portions (about 240–250g each). Shape each one into a thick round disc — like a burger patty.
Place in a steamer basket lined with parchment paper. Steam over high heat for 20–25 minutes, or until fully cooked through.
Let the patties cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up before decorating.

3. Make the Frosting
Mash the steamed purple yam until smooth. In a bowl (or stand mixer), beat the mashed yam together with softened low-fat cream cheese until silky and spreadable.
Add a little milk or warm water if needed to adjust the texture. Chill until ready to frost.

4. Assemble the Cake
Stack the cooled meat patties with frosting between each layer.
Frost the top and sides using a spoon or piping bag.
Decorate with dog-safe toppings like banana slices, blueberries, carrot flowers, or a biscuit “candle” on top! 

This recipe is a celebration of family, flavor, and the little fur baby who brings so much joy into our lives — even if he barks at the neighbors every single day.

Happy Birthday, Pepper!
And no, you’re still not going to a dog show. 😆