Man’s Best Friend Birthday Bundt

Man’s best friend birthday Bundt is a special “cake,” made with kibble, beef, cheese, egg and bacon, very dog-friendly, baked especially for our four-footed family members of the canine variety. 

If you’ve been reading my posts for a number of years, you might recall seeing occasional photos of my kitchen “helper,” a beautiful fawn Boxer named Beso. He was our third Boxer and, for now, our last. He was born in Waller, Texas and lived in his 11 ½ years in Houston, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, KL again, Cairo and, finally, Dubai. 

Beso was a precious boy and best friend. In true Boxer fashion, he was quite a lively character and active up until … he wasn’t. In his honor, and that of his two brothers before him, my husband and I now foster rescue Boxers until they can find their forever homes. 

Every year on Beso’s birthday, I baked a dog-friendly Bundt cake so we could celebrate the occasion and sing him the happy birthday song. He was thrilled with his special meal! We miss him a lot but fostering helps fill our need to have a Boxer in our home. 

Man’s Best Friend Birthday Bundt

I baked this in a small Bundt pan with a volume of 2 ½ cups or 590ml. Use whatever dry kibble your pup normally eats. This is best served outdoors since it won’t stay on the plate long! Beso LOVED tomatoes but if your dog doesn’t, choose another decorative garnish.

Ingredients

1 cup or about 125g dry kibble

1 cup, packed, or 235g ground beef

3 ½ oz or 100g grated extra sharp cheddar, separated

1 large egg

2 slices cooked bacon, chopped

1 teaspoon canola or other light oil, for greasing the pan

To decorate: several slices tomato, cut in half, or garnish of your choice

To celebrate: 1 birthday candle and something to stick it in, in the middle of the Bundt – the something doesn’t have to be edible, since you will remove it with the candle.

Method

Pour boiling water over the kibble, just enough to cover it. Leave to soak until all the water is absorbed and the kibble is cool again. 

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease your Bundt pan well. 

Mix the cool kibble with the beef, egg and about three quarters of the cheese. 

Add the chopped bacon to the greased Bundt pan. 

Spoon the cake mixture in on top of the bacon. Cover with a bit of cling film so you can really press it down. 

Remove the cling film.

Bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and pulling away from the sides. Internal temperature should be at least 160°F or 71°C to make sure the ground beef is safe for consumption. (There are many websites that claim it’s safe for dogs to eat raw beef, but there are also many, including the FDA which says it is not. I’d rather err on the side of caution, especially with ground beef.)

Loosen the sides of the Bundt and turn it out onto a plate or board. 

If any bacon stays behind, use a spatula to fish it out and pop it on the Bundt. Leave to cool completely, then decorate around the edges with the halved tomato slices. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheddar. 

Add a candle, if desired, but do be careful when lighting it. 

Our dogs were always a bit wary of flames so we were able to safely light the candle and sing before blowing it out for them. Hold your dog back, if they tend to rush in when food is set down or skip the candle altogether. 

Remove the candle, if using, (and holder) and let your pup enjoy! 

Now you see why I said it's best to serve this outside! That said, Beso tidied up the floor as well as the plate. Licked it all clean! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today our group is sharing Bundt recipes in celebration of National Bundt Cake Day. All but mine are for human consumption so make sure you take a look at the list below. Many thanks to our host Camilla from Culinary Cam for this great theme and for giving me approval to share a dog-friendly recipe! 

• Air Fryer Eggless Mava Bundt by Sneha's Recipe
• Cinnamon Sugar Donut Bundt Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Mini Bundts by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Eggless Sugar Free Ragi Banana Bundt Cake by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Fuyu Bundt by Culinary Cam
• Man’s Best Friend Birthday Bundt by Food Lust People Love
• Root Beer Bundt Cake by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sour Cream Coffee Bundt Cake by Making Miracles

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Windfall Apple Tart

Baking a lovely windfall apple tart, with a puff pastry crust and a sweet custard filling, makes certain that none of our edible apples go to waste! 

My husband and I were on our way home from picking up some auction items this fall when we came across an abandoned German building – dating back from when Jersey was occupied during World War II - that we had somehow never noticed before. 

We pulled over to explore and discovered not just the historic building but a huge stock of windfall apples – that is to say, apples that have fallen from their trees because of wind or stormy weather. These were good Bramleys that are perfect for baking. 

I picked through them and left with five lovely ones. Windfall apples! Free fruit! It reminded me that I had forgotten to check the Mirabelle plum trees we found last year but, sadly, we never made it over to the east side of the island in time. It’s on my calendar reminders for next year. I love free windfall fruit!

Windfall Apple Tart

If you can find it, all butter puff pastry is the best. I like the French Marie brand. I stock up when I find it and pop it in my freezer. Just thaw in the fridge before baking. My tart pan is big - 12 inches or 31cm across.

Ingredients

1 puff pastry circle to fit your tart pan (Mine weighed 230g.)

For the apple filling:

¼ cup or 60ml lemon juice 

¼ teaspoon citric acid

4-5 baking apples – mine weighed about 680g or 1 lb 8 oz whole

¼ cup or 56g sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the custard filling:

2 large eggs 

1/2 cup or 120ml heavy cream 

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

Method

Wash the apples thoroughly in cool water and set aside to drain. Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°F.

While the oven is preheating, you can start preparing the apples. Mix the lemon juice and citric acid together in a large bowl. Core and slice your apples into slices, adding them to the lemon juice bowl and tossing occasionally, as you progress. Discard any badly bruised pieces.

Fit your puff pastry into a tart pan lined with baking parchment. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. 

Blind bake the puff pastry in your preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

Remove the crust from the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 350°F or 180°C. 

Sprinkle the sugar and cornstarch on the apple slices and toss to coat. 

Arrange the apple slices in a neat circle or fan pattern inside the puff pastry crust.

Whisk the egg, cream, sugar, vanilla and spices together in a bowl or jug until smooth.

Pour the liquid custard evenly over the arranged apples. 

Bake at 350°F or 180°C for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden and the custard jiggles just slightly in the center. 

Let the tart cool completely so the custard sets fully before slicing. It also settles down making the slices easier to cut neatly. 

My husband ate his first slice with cream poured over it and subsequent slices – till it was gone! – with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 23rd edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter W. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the W recipes below:

• Alcohol White Christmas Cake from Sneha’s Recipe
• Creamy White Bean Pesto Dip from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Grilled Buffalo Wings from Blogghetti
• Italian Sausage & Whiskey Butternut Squash Stew from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Levain-Style Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Mediterranean White Bean Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pahadi Mooli Ki Kadhi from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Vintage Avocado-Orange Fruit Dip from A Messy Kitchen
• Watermelon Quinoa Salad with Lime & Chilli Vinaigrette from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Windfall Apple Tart from Food Lust People Love
• Wurst-Mania: All About German Sausages from Culinary Cam

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

J. Jägersuppe - Hunter's Soup 

K. Easy Chicken Kapama 

L. Easy Lamb Shoulder Roast 

M. Miso Chocolate Cookies 

N. Duck Egg Narjissiya 

O. Marinated Apéro Olives

P. Bacon and Pork Patties 

Q. Baked Quail Egg XO Sauce Appetizers 

R. Roasted Stuffed Chicken Parcels 

S. Scallop Roe Bottarga 

T. Garlic Lemon Tuna Steaks - Sous Vide 

U. Ugali - Savory Maize Meal Porridge 

V. Spicy Goat Vindaloo 

W. Windfall Apple Tart - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

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Ostesnurrer - Danish Cheese Twists #BreadBakers

Lovely little rolls full of two kinds of cheese, crushed red pepper, black pepper and garlic, these ostesnurrer or Danish cheese twists are great for breakfast, snack time or dinner. 

The name for these savory buns is a combination of two Scandinavian words, ost which means cheese, inherited from the Old Norse ostr, and snurrer, meaning twirls, twists or spins, referring to the method of cutting strips of dough, twisting them, and knotting them into intricate shapes.

The interwebs has soooooo many great recipes for ostesnurrer but they all contain at least one kind of cheese and are made either with wholemeal flour or a mix of wholemeal and bread flour. 

Ostesnurrer - Danish Cheese Twists

For the sugar, I used golden caster but white works just fine too. My recipe is adapted from one on Det Sote Liv and another on Skandi Baking, just two of the myriad I perused. 

Ingredients

For the dough:

1/2 cup or 120ml milk

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 

1 large egg

1 egg yolk (save the white for egg wash before baking)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons or 100g whole wheat flour

2 cups or 250g bread flour

¼ cup or 57g butter, softened

For the filling:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated on a microplane

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup, grated, or 120g extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup, grated, or 60g mozzarella cheese

For egg wash before baking:

1 egg white, lightly whisked

Method

Warm the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is lukewarm. If you are a thermometer using person, you are looking for somewhere between 105° to 115°F or 40.5° to 46°C. It should feel warm to the touch but not hot. 

Add your yeast to the milk and stir. Leave it for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble up. 

Whisk the egg, egg yolk, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. 

Add your yeast and milk mixture to the egg mixture and mix together then add the whole wheat flour and mix to combine. 

Add in the softened butter and mix until it’s completely incorporated. 

Measure out your bread flour in a separate bowl. Add about half of it to the dough.

Mix the dough and add more flour as needed. 

After half: 

And then a quarter more. 

And that’s it. I ended up with about 30g of flour left and switched to the bread hook for kneading. You want a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl when kneaded. 

Either by hand or using a stand mixer, knead the dough for 10 minutes until it passes the window pane test. Cover your dough with a shower cap or cling film and leave it to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Right before your dough is ready, you can make the filling. Mix together your olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and a few generous grinds of black pepper in a bowl.

Prepare two baking pans by lining them with baking parchment or silicone liners.

Once the dough has doubled in size, turn out it out onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle, about 12x16 inches or 30x40cm.

Spread the garlicky olive oil mixture all over your dough.

Distribute your cheeses over the top half of the dough.

Fold the bottom half of the dough over the top and press down gently. 

Cut your dough into 12 equal sized strips (about 1 inch or 2.5 cm in width).

To make the twists, start by holding one end of the dough down and twist the strip while it is still on the surface.

Once twisted, lift the strip and twist it around your index and middle finger about one and a half times. Tuck the end up through the middle of the twist. This will help keep the twists from opening as they rise then bake.

Place the twists on the prepared pans as you make them. Put any cheese that has fallen out – AND IT WILL – back on top of each twist.

Cover the twists with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel and let them rise for a second time, about 45 minutes. 

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

If any of the twists have come undone, tuck the ends back in and reseal in the center of the twist. Whisk the egg white with a little water to create an egg wash. 

Gently brush the egg wash on your twists. When this knocks some cheese off, just stick it back on. Dab a little extra egg wash in the middle and in the overlapping bits to help “glue” it all together during baking.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. The ones I cut from the middle of the folded dough were bigger, so they took longer. The ones I cut from the outside were smaller so they didn’t take quite as long, hence the time difference.

Let cool slightly on a wire rack. Enjoy warm!

It’s the second Tuesday of the month so that means it’s time for me and my Bread Baker friends to share our “dinner rolls with a twist,” both literal or recipe-wise. Many thanks to our host Swathi from Zesty South Indian Kitchen. Check out the links below.

• Beetroot Honey Oats & Semolina Bread Rolls from Sneha’s Recipe 
• Cranberry Cream Cheese Sourdough Dinner Rolls from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Fluffy Spelt Dinner Rolls from A Messy Kitchen 
• Lussekatter from A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Ostesnurrer - Danish Cheese Twists from Food Lust People Love 
• Pumpkin Milk Bread from Passion Kneaded 
• Small Batch Parker House Rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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