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Carrot Cake with Orange Grand Marnier Cream Cheese Frosting

This carrot cake is moist, perfectly spiced and topped with a creamy and delicious Orange Grand Marnier Cream Cheese Frosting. This is definitely the best carrot cake recipe ever!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
55 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 785 kcal
Course: Dessert , Baked Goods , Brunch
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Equipment Needed
  • 3 (9-inch) round cake pans
  • Electric Stand mixer 5 Qt
  • Pastry bag with round tip (optional)
For the Cake
  • Non stick cooking spray
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 1/2` cups brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon grand marnier liquor
  • 4 cups grated carrot
  • 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained and squeezed from its juice
  • 1 cup Chopped Pecans
For the Orange Grand Marnier Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 2 cups powder sugar
  • 2 tablespoons grand marnier liquor
  • zest of 1 orange plus more for garnish

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 
  2. Spray 3 (9-inch) round baking pans with non stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.
  4. In another bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and oil just until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla and Grand Marnier until combined. 
  5. Add in the flour mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the carrots, crushed pineapple and chopped pecans until well blended. Don't over mix the batter.
  6. Distribute the batter evenly into 3 (9-inch) round baking pans. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the cake is fully set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool cakes in the pans for about 1 hour.
For the Grand Marnier Cream Cheese Frosting
    Cup of Yum
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and powder sugar. Add the Grand Marnier and orange zest and mix for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Assemble the Cake
  1. When completely cool, remove the cake layers from the pans. Place one layer on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula, spread a quarter of the frosting over the top of the layer, taking care to spread it all the way to the edges. Top with a cake layer and repeat with the frosting. Add the remaining cake layer and smooth the remaining frosting neatly over the top. Garnish the top with orange zest.

Notes

  •  
  • Use parchment paper to line the cake pans, then grease the pan including the parchment paper bottoms with cooking spray.
  • Use freshly grated carrots for best texture and to keep the cake moist.
  • Use walnuts instead of pecans, if preferred.
  • This cake can be made ahead of time. It usually tastes better the second day in my opinion.
  • For the frosting, replace Grand Marnier with orange juice, if preferred.
  • If you want to omit the Grand Marnier in the cake batter, simply skip it.

Nutrition Information

Calories 785kcal (39%) Carbohydrates 97g (32%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 40g (62%) Saturated Fat 20g (100%) Cholesterol 175mg (58%) Sodium 518mg (22%) Potassium 460mg (13%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 69g (138%) Vitamin A 8250IU (165%) Vitamin C 2.6mg (3%) Calcium 165mg (17%) Iron 2.9mg (16%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 785

% Daily Value*

Calories 785kcal 39%
Carbohydrates 97g 32%
Protein 10g 20%
Fat 40g 62%
Saturated Fat 20g 100%
Cholesterol 175mg 58%
Sodium 518mg 22%
Potassium 460mg 10%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 69g 138%
Vitamin A 8250IU 165%
Vitamin C 2.6mg 3%
Calcium 165mg 17%
Iron 2.9mg 16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.