Bananas Foster Hoe Cakes with Raspberries

Would you believe this is actually breakfast and not dessert? Just go with it.
Hoe cakes are a Southern treat sort of like a pancake with cornmeal. Traditionally you would cook these off as you would pancakes, but when the thought of standing over a hot griddle making hoe cakes for four came to mind, I decided to see if I could bake it off in a dish in the oven.
The end result was a great, dense but still fluffy biscuit-like treat that I finished with bananas foster and fresh raspberries.

Savory cornmeal hoe cakes folded with raspberries and topped with caramelized bananas flambeed with coconut rum and dusted in powdered sugar.

Hoe Cakes with Raspberries
serves 6-8
2 cups self rising flour
2 cups cornmeal
1 tbl baking powder
2 tbl organic cane sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable shortening, melted
2 1/4 cup oat milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
canola spray
organic powdered sugar, for garnish

Place a 8x8 baking dish (or cast iron skillet) in the oven and preheat to 425.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt. Create a well in the middle and add the remaining ingredients. Gently whisk together the batter until just combined. Fold in 1 cup raspberries.
Take the baking dish out of the oven and grease with canola spray. Pour in the hoe cake batter and flatten to even out the top. Bake for 20 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 20 minutes more or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.
Cut out squares, serve with bananas foster, fresh raspberries and powdered sugar.

Bananas Foster
1/4 cup earth balance vegan butter
1 cup organic light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup water
3 bananas, sliced
1/2 cup coconut rum
1 tsp banana extract

Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and toss to coat the sugar with the butter. Cook for 3 minutes until the sugar starts to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the bananas and toss. Cook until the bananas start to soften, 3 minutes. Add the coconut rum and flame. Once the flame dies down, add the extract.
Serve over hoe cakes.