Rather like the Queen, Poppy has an official Birthday. Unlike the Queen, this is because we don’t actually know when she was born. When she arrived, weak and worm-ridden, the vet guessed her age to be around four to four and a half months, so we counted back, and decided that September 1st would be a good date to put on her passport. Maths was never my strongest point. Upon mature reflection, we revised the date to October 1st. She didn’t seem to mind. Her passport shows the wrong date, but as long as her vaccinations are up to date, I don’t think officialdom will be breathing down our necks any time soon.

So what does a normal household do to celebrate the official birthday of a canine family member? I have no idea. While I do not hold (generally) with anthropomorphic sentimentality, I think a Birthday cake is in order, and would like to share the recipe here, for any friends who don’t want to feed unhealthy, human-type cake to their four-legged chums.

Ingredients:

• All the bits you can pick off a chicken carcase after you have removed the bits you want to eat. This includes skin, gristly bits, any giblet goop, unattractive bits of meat etc.
• Boiled rice
• Liver pâté (smooth)
• Leftover vegetables from last night’s dinner, e.g. carrot slices, potato, peas

Equipment

• Plastic tub or mould with lid
• Chopping board and knife
• Cake decorating icing bag or syringe with appropriate nozzle
• Canapé size pastry cutters
• Candles

Method

• Press a layer of the cold rice onto the bottom and sides of the mould. Around 1cm thick will do, but must be packed firmly (Try to choose a mould that will be full when you have added your ingredients)
• Chop the chicken mixture fairly finely and pack into the remaining space in the mould.
• Put the lid on the mould and press down firmly
• · Leave to set in the fridge for an hour or two

To decorate

• Remove the lid of the mould, put a plate upside down over the chilled ‘cake’ and carefully invert it. Then tap the top of the mould and remove it cautiously. (Think sandcastles!)
• Take a moment to savour your success thus far
• Fill your icing bag with pate and decorate your cake. Best not to slather pâté all over it, but use it for edging, flourishes and wording
• Slice any potato into rounds and cut out shapes with canapé cutters
• Add potato shapes and any other vegetable embellishments
• Add candles

Poppy’s 2nd Birthday cake, about to be consumed. This was decorated with pate, potato and carrot. This year’s has dog treats and dry food pellet decorations.

This basic recipe can be played around with, depending on what you have in the house. This year we don’t have a chicken carcase to pick over, so Poppy’s cake is filled with pate-style tinned dog food. She loves a little bit of sheep cheese, so I grated a small amount over the dog food, before putting the mould in the fridge to set.

Sadly, last night’s dinner plates were scraped before I retrieved the leftover potato and carrot, so this year’s cake was decorated with bone-shaped dog treats and one or two food pellets, which serve the same decorative function as chocolate buttons. She enjoyed it anyway 🙂