Orange you glad...

that those little mandarin oranges that come in a can are so darn tasty? They're great on salads, in fruit tarts, and most certainly, in cake.

Robin ordered a truly custom birthday cake for her husband, Craig, and boy, was it fun to concoct. She requested a confetti cake [a.k.a. Funfetti to friends of that famous little Pillsbury dough boy, myself included (oh, we go way back)] with Grand Marnier, Craig's favorite liqueur. Having never worked with Grand Marnier, but knowing how delicious it is, I was excited. My assistant (ahem, my less adventurous half) was a bit skeptical: "How do you reconcile something as fancy and grown-up as Grand Marnier with something as casual and kid-friendly as confetti cake?"

What is there to reconcile?
Funfetti cake: good
Grand Marnier: great
Funfetti + Grand Marnier = FANfrickinTASTIC

And that's what I did in this Grand Mandarinier Cake

Confetti cake layers with Grand Marnier in the batter, a Grand-Marnier-infused custard center with neatly-arranged mandarin orange slices, and a Grand-Marnier buttercream frosting topped with fresh raspberries and--you guessed it--more mandarin orange slices

The fragrant orange flavor of Grand Marnier weaves through every bite of this cake, which is sure satisfy the most sophisticated of tastebuds, while the colorful sprinkles that dot the cake layers are sure to bring out the kid in you. Seriously, who doesn't like sprinkles?

Thanks, Robin, and happy birthday, Craig. I hope you both enjoyed the cake!