Not only does this book offer easy to follow and (so far!) Foolproof Recipes for so many of the sweet homemade treats you fondly remember, as well as some new twists on Those classics, it opens with a marvelous detailed overview of the tools every Baker needs and does not Necessarily need. The high quality tutorial Continues through each section of the book, where seeking fine points as the nuances of sponge cakes and butter cakes are involved. I've had this book just over a month and already, many pages have been happily smeared with ingredients - a sign of a great book to me!