What baking book do you use all the time, I want to put one on my Christmas list

[ArtfulAardvark]

I will clarify I want the food to taste good but I dont care if it has icing butterflies and sparkles on

The ones I use all the time are the little BBC good food 101 cakes & bakes and the Mary Berry - Ultimate cake book.

Sweet or savoury, or both and I dont want them to be massively labour intensive, although I dont mind that occasionally.

An oldie but a goldie
www.be-ro.co.uk/f_about.htm

LOL are we the only people who bake?

Be-ro. It is my bible.

I do also use my GBBO Mary Berry one sometimes, but mostly Be-ro.

Nigellas how to be a domestic goddess. I go back to it time and again

OK its good to get some idea of ones which are usable the BBC Cakes & Bakes one gets used once, maybe twice a week but I have so many dust gatherers!!

I don't bake much, but when I do its Mary Berry every time.

I don't trust Nigellas recipes a great deal. There are plenty of people on here who have had some real disasters!

Another vote for domestic goddess. I havent had anything go wrong from it.

This is my goto baking book

www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hummingbird-Bakery-Cupcakes-Muffins/dp/1849750750/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1354217524&sr=8-3

nigella domestic goddess. i love it. use it for every occasion!

I was a bit wary about Hummingbird - one of their books god dreadful reviews as they obviously hadnt tested it on domestic ovens

I like Nigella but I know some people were saying on another thread that some of her newer books recipes had been unsuccessful still a 3 of you are recommending it.

Another vote for Nigella's Domestic Goddess - aka Nigella before she lost the plot

Hummingbird stuff hasn't worked for me. I gave my copy away.

I'm only a fan of domestic goddess, not keen on Nigella's other ones. I do love 'Desserts@ by James Martin, everything from it has been easy and successful.
Non-sweet although basic I do like Delia's How to Cook range.

Yep. Domestic goddess is the schizzle. Everything is yummy and if I can make it anyone can. I am, alas, not a domestic goddess :(

Domestic goddess, humming bird is crappola

Another Be-Ro devotee here but its only about £2.50, I think you could reasonably ask for another one as well.

Another vote for Domestic Goddess - its the most stained and battered book on my shelf! I also like Nigel Slater and Rick Stein (but the older books, not the faddy running-out-of-ideas ones!)

I think the Be-ro one is one I would buy myself.

I use Domestic Goddess. I think it's brilliant. The recipes are explained really simply and clearly and I've had very good results. I recently made the dense chocolate loaf with white chocolate custard and it was delish.

I agree with the comment "Nigella before she lost the plot".

I only use books that originate in the US. British baking books suck vole butt. I hate the mix of preening and inexactness.

So I use Sherry Yard's books and Rose Levy Beranbaum's, constantly.

Mary Berry's baking bible

And my Be-ro book.

sieglinde I only use books that originate in the US. British baking books suck vole butt.

Well, that's a pleasant reply. I've found plenty of US books that I wouldn't bother with either.

Although, it is far too late to answer the OP's question, I would also add Dan Lepard to the list. One book in particular that I would recommend is ''Short and Sweet''

He also has a regular column in the Guardian:-

www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/series/howtobake

Then another resource I use very often, although, it is a general cookery resource rather than specifically baking is Smitten Kitchen:-

smittenkitchen.com/

This is an American site - which I'm sure will keep sieglinde happy - and gives an interesting American take on recipes. BTW they also have a book if you find you like the site.

Came on to say 101 but you have it already! I use that a LOT. Ds likes to get up on a sat morning and pick one from the cake book!

Fwiw, I also use the first avoca one and I have found it v reliable.

The apple cake from tamsin day lewis kitchen bible is yum but takes twice as long to cook as she says it will.