In the eighth of the River Cottage Handbook series, Pam Corbin offers an appealing guide to baking perfect cakes

Baking is the most comforting and entirely satisfying of the culinary arts - making a cake is not only a sumptuous process in its own right but the end result is entirely delicious.

Pam Corbin offers the voice of experience, setting out basic techniques and recipes that will guarantee success. This is traditional baking at its very best, with over 75 adaptable recipes including Macaroons, Meringues, Fairy Cakes (and their counterpart - Gnome Cakes), the classic Victoria Sandwich, Rhubarb Pudding Cake, Walnut Cake, Banana Breakfast Muffins, Orange Cake with Earl Grey Icing, and the glorious Battenberg Cake with its distinctive pink and yellow checks. As a finishing touch, there is a section devoted to sweet embellishments like feather icing, crystallised violets and chocolate leaves.

Say goodbye to sinking sponges and brittle brownies with this comprehensive guide to the heavenly world of cake making, introduced by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.