The Moist Maker

• Mayonnaise brings to banana nut bread much what it brings to sandwich bread -- moisture. At its most basic, mayonnaise is made of eggs and oil, two ingredients central to baking. The oil, in particular, keeps banana bread and other baked goods from becoming tough or crumbly. As a dessert ingredient, mayonnaise is most akin to sour cream or yogurt in terms of its creamy quality, tang and ability to combat dryness, although mayonnaise is egg-based and sour cream and yogurt are milk-based.

Recipe Regulations

• The spread's uniquely tangy taste needs to be balanced with the right amount of sweetness, while also keeping the degree of oiliness in mind. For that reason, using a recipe that specifically lists mayo from a trusted source is key because you'll know it's been tested. In fact, the mayonnaise brand you use is likely to have its own banana nut bread recipe on its website or packaging, developed to balance the specific qualities of that brand.

Mayo Method

• When you choose mayonnaise for banana nut bread, you will often be using fewer ingredients than in a traditional recipe. A basic recipe for banana bread calls for sour milk, vinegar, two eggs and shortening or oil. In mayo-included banana bread recipes, mayonnaise not only replaces the oil and the acidifying sour milk and vinegar ingredients, but also reduces the eggs from two to one. If the recipe uses self-rising flour, the only other ingredients you may need are the mayonnaise, the mashed bananas and sugar, as well as optional spices and nuts.

Spreading Out

• Mayonnaise works well in other sweet baked goods. Other tea breads, such as cranberry-orange, can be made with the spread. Paired with chocolate, mayo gives layer cake a decidedly moist texture, while also using its vinegar tartness to spotlight the chocolate. Similarly, the spread adds a special quality to white cake or cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting. Beyond banana bread and chocolate cake, mayonnaise company test kitchens develop a staggering amount of sweet treats using their product, including cookies, brownies, pies, coffee cakes and crisps.