Warm, moist slices of fresh-baked banana bread get a welcome twist of traditional sweet and eggy flavors of french toast at the Blue Dolphin Cafe. Their banana bread french toast is coated in powdered sugar—one bite is enough to lure you back to crisp, autumn mornings spent with the family.

Ingredients: 7 eggs; 1 ¼ cup sugar; ½ cup softened butter; 2 tsp. vanilla; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1 ½ cups ripe banana; ½ cup buttermilk; 2 ½ cups flour; 1 tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. salt; ¼ cup milk; ½ cup walnuts or pecans (optional).

Mix sugar and butter until smooth. Add two eggs into mixing bowl and mix slowly. (Mixing slowly is key here). Slowly mix in vanilla, mashed ripe bananas and buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients: baking soda, salt and the optional walnuts or pecans and mix slowly. Bake at 350 degrees for roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes in a bread baking pan. After bread has rested, slice loaf into ¾ to 1 inch thick slices.

For french toast batter:

Whisk ¼ cup of milk, five large eggs, a tablespoon of vanilla and a tablespoon of cinnamon. Dip the slices of banana bread in the french toast batter and cook on a well-oiled pan on each side of the bread until lightly golden brown. Top with powdered sugar, sliced bananas and whipped cream.

Blue Dolphin Cafe, 470 John Ringling Blvd, (941) 388-3566