Grand Marnier Cream Cheese Icing Food

GRAND MARNIER CREAM CHEESE ICING

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until soft.
• Add cream cheese and beat until blended and smooth.
• Blend in confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and orange-flavored liqueur.
• I added 3T of orange zest (1 medium CA navel orange) , then chill.
• Used as a dip for thin ginger snaps.

GRAND MARNIER CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt; set aside.
• Pour mandarin oranges with juice into blender or food processor and pulse a couple times just until oranges are roughly chopped; add enough freshly-squeezed orange juice to make 1 1/4 cups chopped mandarin orange-juice blend; set aside.
• In mixing bowl, beat eggs and add sugars; stir in oil, the mandarin orange-juice blend, liqueur, and orange zest; then stir in carrots, coconut, and optional nuts; add dry ingredients and stir well to combine.
• Pour batter into a 9x13" baking pan that has been greased and floured or just coated with no-stick cooking spray; a half-batch may be baked in either an 8x8" or 9x9" baking pan.
• Bake at 350°F for about 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean; a 9x9" cake will be done in 35 to 40 minutes; cool cake completely before frosting.
• For frosting: Beat together butter and cream cheese; stir in liqueur; gradually add powdered sugar, stirring well after each addition and gradually adding the freshly-squeezed orange juice; adjust powdered sugar and orange juice amounts as needed for proper spreading consistency.
• Because of the cream cheese it's best to keep this cake refrigerated after frosting, but for maximum flavor you may want to bring the cake back to room temperature after refrigeration. The frosted cake freezes well.
• *Note: The simple to make recipe halves very easily. Applesauce may be substituted for half of the canola oil and reduced-fat cream cheese may be used.
• **Note: The Recipezaar Kitchen Dictionary provides the following substitution: 2 tbsp unsweetened orange juice concentrate or orange juice + 1/2 tsp orange extract = 2 tbsp Grand Marnier.

WHIPPED CREAM WITH GRAND MARNIER

Steps:

• Whip all the ingredients together until the cream forms peaks.
• Serve on fruit, pie, with cookies or anyway you like!

MARTHA STEWART'S GRAND MARNIER ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and let boil 3-5 minute until sugar dissolves, uncover and continue boiling until syrup reaches 238° on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage).
• Meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry; do not overbeat.
• When syrup reaches 240 degrees pour 1/4 cup of syrup into egg white mixture. With mixer running, add syrup to whites in a stream, beating on high speed until no longer steaming, about 3 minutes. Add rest of syrup slowly and beat for 8-12 min., or till cool, so butter will not melt.
• In seperate bowl cream butter. Add butter bit by bit, beating until spreadable, 3 to 5 minutes; beat in vanilla and Grand Marnier. If icing curdles, keep beating until smooth, may still be too warm. Use Immediately!