Your baking course begins with a section called Just Stir and Bake, and includes some all-time favorites such as Perfectly Easy Chocolate-Chip Butterscotch Blondies (your friends will love you). The chapters move on through "No-Roll Crusts with Simple Fillings" (try the Glazed Fresh Raspberry Pie and everyone will think you're a pro) to chapters on mixing, frosting (how about a Cranberry Eggnog Cake with Bourbon Butter frosting?), rolling, whipping, "Baking with Chocolate," and even "Melting Sugar for Caramel and Praline" (one taste of Pumpkin Pecan Praline Cheesecake and you'll be convinced you're ready to open your own bakery!).

Klivans sets you up for success throughout Fearless Baking. Her instructions are detailed, she assumes nothing, and her explanations are clear and useful. This is truly a baking book that no kitchen should be without. --Leora Y. Bloom

Each chapter introduces a new technique for making these delicious treats. Try everything from simple drop cookies and delicate hand-shaped treats to colorfully decorated cut outs, elegant cookie sandwiches, and baking pans full of decadent brownies and bars. Whether preparing classics such as Triple-Chocolate-Chunk Cookies and Toasted Hazelnut Biscotti or sophisticated favorites such as Cream-Filled Pecan Lace Cookies and French-Style Macaroons, you'll find the perfect cookies, brownies, and bars for every occasion.

Williams-Sonoma Mastering Cakes is a complete baking course in a single volume. The opening describes the different types of cakes you can bake, including simple cakes, sheet and layer cakes, and cakes for special occasions. Basic recipes and indispensable technique sequences then illustrate dozens of key culinary building blocks, such as how to whip egg whites to the proper loft or how to cut a sponge cake into even layers before filling. Troubleshooting tips show you what can go wrong and how to fix it without having to start all over again.

The recipes lead you step-by-step, with friendly text and instructive photographs, through every stage of preparation. The variations in each chapter help you to continue practicing your newfound skills, building your repertory and your confidence at the same time. Finally, a guide to equipment and a glossary of ingredients will help you stock your kitchen with all the essentials.

In these pages, you will discover more than fifty classic recipes that tell you, in both pictures and words, how every cake you bake should look and taste from start to finish. Whether you are an aspiring novice or an accomplished home baker, this book will guide and inspire you every step of the way.