After lots of searching in bookstores I finally managed to find a copy of The Cake Bible...only to pick it up and discover that it was AU$92.95 AND that it doesn't have pictures I can't bring myself to spend that cash on a recipe book without pictures. (Half the enjoyment of recipe books is in the pictures! )

So my questions are: Are the recipes so extraordinary that I should overlook the lack of pictures?

And...Is it really worth that much?

I use the CB for recipes, but what I like best about it is that it explains the science of things- like why she uses hot water instead of milk in her chocolate cake recipe. There are some photos, but it's packed with info- the pictures are sort of secondary and not step-by step tutorials.

If you want it for the science then ok. But I have not found the recipes to be good....a bit on the dry side. I am very picky though. I am looking for moist and flavor in every recipe.

I love the Cake Bible and got a lot of Base recipes from there. It's very detailed, and I love how it discusses the science of baking.

It seems people either love it or hate it.

Contrary to sweettoothmom i find the cakes are awesome. Very good flavor and very moist. Years of repeat clients back this up. Three caveats: you must follow recipes exactly, be mindful of overbaking and use the best quality ingredients. But then again, you can say this of every cook book.