The Whimsical Bakehouse

The Whimsical Bakehouse, by Kaye & Liv Hansen

This is a really fun cookbook with LOTS of pictures (which is a must for cookbooks in my opinion) and really yummy recipes. The cakes are very playful... the author includes lots of ideas and techniques that you can adapt to fit your own needs. I also learned some cake basics (such as "crumbing" a cake before icing it and assembling tiered cakes).

Here are some of my favorite bits:

1. Kaye's Italian Meringue Buttercream Recipe, pg.37
2. Cookies & Cream Filling, pg. 65
   
3. Multicolor Chocolate Method, pg. 78
   

Where to find it:
At the library (when it's not checked out to me... which is often)