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!
This simple cake has three layers of tender cake loaded with shredded carrots, crushed pineapples and chopped pecans. The fluffy and rich cream cheese frosting is infused with orange zest and Grand Marnier orange liquor.
This easy to make frosting is by far the best cream cheese frosting I have ever had! I can guarantee you will want to use this addicting cream cheese frosting in other cakes and cupcake recipes.
Carrot cake is a dessert most people tend to make only around spring or as a special Easter dessert. At home we love this easy cake so much that we make it all year round, after all, we know that this carrot cake is always a crowd pleasing dessert – and the frosting is dreamy!
I decided to keep the cake decorating to a minimum by keeping this cake naked! The rich and creamy cream cheese frosting is spread only in between the layers and on the cake top.
What Kind of Pans To Use To Make This Carrot Cake Recipe
- You will need three 9-inch pans to make this recipe.
Can I Use Pre-Shredded Carrots To Make This Cake?
- Pre-shredded carrots sold in bags at the supermarket are too thick and crunchy and may change the delicate texture of the cake. I recommend you shred your own carrots with a grater or in the food processor.
Carrot Cake Recipe Tips
- Do not add the frosting until the carrot cakes are completely cool.
- If you want to decorate the cake, you can always freeze the cakes for about 30 minutes.
- Carrot cake will keep refrigerated for about a week.
- You can use walnuts instead of pecans for this recipe
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Carrot Cake with Orange Grand Marnier Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Equipment Needed
- 3 (9-inch) round cake pans
- Electric mixer
- 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
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Spray 3 (9-inch) round baking pans with non stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- 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.
Chef’s Tips
- Cool the cakes completely before spreading the cream cheese frosting.
- Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on brands of ingredients used
Selina Rawal says
Hello Kathy,
I made this cake and it was a great success. My cousin who it was for said it tasted like something from a coffee shop you would buy your coffee from so definitely making this again. Thank you for posting.
I had a question also, can we use the same batter to make muffins?
Kathy says
Hi Selina! Thank you. I am glad you and your cousin liked the cake. I think you can definitely make muffins with this recipe. However, I haven’t tried it myself.
Lindsey says
What a great birthday cake for my mom it had been!! Now everyone in the family put me in charge of the cake for the rest of the year and beginning of the next hahaha!! I never have problems with any of your recipes and I’m so impress with your blog, thank you Kathy from my heart!!
Kathy says
So happy to hear Lindsey! Thank you for the feedback.
Christine says
Gosh, this cake looks amazing! Definitely wish I had it right now. Especially with that cream cheese frosting – heavenly!
Jennifer A Stewart says
I am so glad that naked cakes are a thing! My grandmother decorated cakes for years and she would be horrified at my decorating skills. I love the rustic look better anyway! I love the savory flavors of the carrot cake and I imagine that the pineapple helps to balance it out nicely! Grand Marnier is genius in the frosting!