Meatloaf cake layers

The day before

• Use 3 eight inch cake pans for the cake layers. Cover the cake pans with foil, making sure to flatten the foil against the surface to make the foil as smooth as possible.
• Place a parchment paper circle on the bottom of the cake pan to prevent sticking. Set aside until needed. You do not need to brush the pan with any type of fat.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
• Grate the carrots and apples, and chop the parsley and set aside until needed.
  150 g grated carrots, 150 g grated apple, 50 g parsley
• In a large bowl, place the ground meat, and add the grated carrots, apples, parsley, turmeric, black pepper, and oats.
  150 g grated carrots, 150 g grated apple, 50 g parsley, 1 tsp turmeric, Generous pinch of freshly cracked black pepper, 3 tbsp oat flour, 900 g ground beef
• Gently mix to combine the ingredients, but do not squeeze the meat or over-handle it.
• Halfway through mixing, add the eggs and mix the meat mixture well until the eggs and meat are distributed well. At this stage, you should have a meatloaf mixture that holds well together.
  2 eggs
• Weigh the meat mixture and then split this meatloaf mixture into 3 portions (by weight).
• Place each portion inside each of the cake pans.
• Flatten the meatloaf portion into the bottom of the cake pans. Make sure the meat mixture is evenly thick throughout and the edges are neat as well. The cake layers will shrink as they bake, so this will prevent the layers from being too thick in the middle and thin at the edges.
• Bake the cake layers in the preheated oven for about 20 - 30 minutes until the layers are cooked through. It usually takes only about 20 minutes in my oven, so check on them at the 15 minute mark. If needed, rotate the cake pan halfway through the baking time (~10 minutes).
• Remove the pans from the oven and let the meatloaf cake layers cool down until warm or at room temperature.
• Next, take 3 large pieces of paper towels (or equivalent), and place the cake layers on the paper towels. This will absorb any excess oil from the meat. Stack the cake layers (along with the paper towels) and place them on a plate and let them chill in the fridge until you’re ready to use them. Wrap them in plastic wrap OR place them in a container if they are going to be stored overnight.

Frosting

The day before

• Cut the sweet potatoes into thick rounds.
  300 g steamed sweet potatoes
• Steam the sweet potato pieces on the stove or microwave until they are softened. Do not boil the sweet potatoes, as they will become waterlogged.
• To steam them, add about 1 - 2 inches of water to the bottom of a large pot. Place the sweet potatoes in a steamer basket.
• When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer basket in the pot and lower the heat. Cover the pot with a lid and let the sweet potato pieces steam until a fork can very easily pierce the sweet potato. This can take 10 - 20 minutes, depending on how thick the sweet potato pieces are. Remember to check the water level, and top up as needed.
• Allow the sweet potatoes to cool completely and then store them in the fridge in a container until the following day.

The following day

• Peel the sweet potato pieces and weigh them to get 300 g of sweet potato. Place the sweet potato in the bowl of your mixer.
  300 g steamed sweet potatoes
• With a paddle attachment, mix the sweet potatoes until it becomes mashed and fairly smooth.
• Next, add the softened cream cheese, and mix until the cream cheese and sweet potatoes are nice and smooth. If the cream cheese is very soft, it can be added as a block. If it's not as soft, then add the cream cheese in small portions (about ¼ block at a time).
  450 g low fat cream cheese
• If the frosting is too stiff, you can add up to ¼ cup of plant-based milk or regular milk. Add a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you like.
  60 mL milk
• The frosting is now ready to be used.
• Notes - If you want to use two types of frosting (one for the filling, one for the frosting), then split the recipe in half. Use half of the cream cheese with half the amount of sweet potatoes, and mix the other half of cream cheese (226g) with 100g raspberries.
  100 g raspberries, 226 g low fat cream cheese
• You can also use the steamed potatoes to make mashed potatoes for the frosting as well. Use beetroot juice or beetroot powder to color the mashed potatoes. See recipe notes.
  226 g steamed potatoes, 60 mL milk, Beetroot powder

Assembling the cake

• Optional - Trim the edges from the cake layers. Use a small plate or bowl that is slightly smaller than the size of the cake layer. Place it on top of the cake layer and use it as a guide to trim the edges, while retaining a circular shape.
• Take a piece of parchment paper as the base of the cake. Stick this parchment paper onto a flat plate or cake decorating turntable using a small dollop of the frosting.
• Next, spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the parchment paper to stick one cake layer.
• Place the first cake layer on this parchment paper and make sure it's secure using the thin layer of frosting.
• Spread a layer of frosting on top of the cake layer. Make sure the frosting layer is evenly thick.
• Place the second layer of meatloaf on top of this. Repeat with the frosting, and then place the third and final meatloaf layer on top.
• Spread the sweet potato frosting all over the cake layer top and sides in a thin layer to form a “crumb coating”. This layer will help to smooth out any bumps and uneven surfaces on the cake.
• Next, spread another layer of frosting with an offset spatula, and use a bench scraper to create a smooth surface. Alternatively, you can use a cake comb to create a pattern, or keep it rustic and create small swirls with the spatula instead.
• Place the remaining frosting in a piping bag with a frosting tip (I used an open star tip here), and pipe a decorative border on the top and/or bottom of the cake.
• OPTIONAL - Mix the remaining cream cheese with a little milk to form a pipeable mixture. Place this in a small piping bag and snip a very small hole at the end (or use a small round tip). Use this to pipe out “happy birthday (pup’s name)” on the cake surface.
  115 g low fat cream cheese
• If you prefer, you can also sprinkle the dog-friendly sprinkles on the cake.
• You can serve the cake immediately, or let the cake sit in the fridge for the frosting to set.

Dog friendly sprinkles (optional)

• First, you should decide how many and which colors of sprinkles you'll be making.
• Place ¼ cup of the shredded coconut in a plastic ziploc bag for each color you want to make.
  ¼ cup Unsweetened shredded coconut, 1 sandwich ziploc bag
• Yellow - In a small bowl, mix the turmeric with 1 - 2 tsp of water. Add this to one of the bags and mix the coconut until it's yellow in color.
  ¼ tsp turmeric, Water to create the dye
• Pink - Grate the piece of beetroot and mix it with 1 - 2 tsp of water. Squeeze the piece of beetroot in the water to get the color into the water. Place 1 - 2 tsp of the colored water in another bag of shredded coconut and mix until the sprinkles are colored a dark pink.
  Small piece of beetroot, Water to create the dye
• Purple - Repeat the same process as above with frozen blueberries, except you can simply crush the blueberries well to get the blue color.
  A few frozen blueberries, Water to create the dye
• Red - Repeat the same process with frozen raspberries and the shredded coconut.
  A few frozen raspberries, Water to create the dye
• Green - Place the spinach in a mortar and pestle and grind it with a little water to get green colored water. Mix the water with the coconut to create green colored sprinkles.
  A handful of spinach, Water to create the dye
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and spread out the colored sprinkles in a thin, even layer. Allow the sprinkles to dry for at least 1 day. Keep them out in the sun if possible for them to dry up faster.
• Mix the dried “sprinkles” together and use as rainbow sprinkles on your pup’s birthday cake.