Banana-Orange-Chocolate Cake

I made this dessert for date night with Vegan Mom by combining the methods from my pudding cake and cobber recipes. The base is sauteed bananas and Grand Marnier, topped with a fluffy cake with hints of orange and bursts of chocolate. It's not as oozy as the pudding cake, and not as fruity as the cobbler. And it's freaking delicious.

INGREDIENTS
- 1/3 cup margarine
- 2 large bananas, thickly sliced
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier

- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water

- 1 cup flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 1/2 cup orange juice, minus 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp Grand Marnier
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips

METHOD
Heat oven to 350 degrees
1. Heat a frying pan over med-hi heat. Melt butter then add sliced bananas. Fry for a few mins per side, until they are a nice golden brown. Add Grand Marnier. It will bubble like crazy. When it stops, remove from the stove and transfer into an 8 x 8 baking dish. Make sure the banana slice are spaced evenly.
2. Put sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to bubbling, without stirring, over medium to med-hi heat. Let bubble for a minute, then remove from the heat.
3. While sugar mixture is heating, make the cake. Whisk together dry ingredients, then add soymilk (don't mix yet). Place the two tbsp of Grand Marnier in a 1/2 cup, then fill up with orange juice. Add to dry ingredients along with extract and zest. Whisk together.
4. Pour cake batter over the bananas, then sprinkle chocolate chips over the batter.
5. Spoon the sugar mixture over the top of the batter. Bake for 35 mins, or until the top has reached a nice golden brown and the bananas are bubbling on the bottom.