Dr. Wayne McMullen recommends:
For those who have an appetite not only for eating cake, but also the "how" and "why" of cake-baking, you will find a useful resource in Harold McGee's culinary classic, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. [See chapter 10 for cakes, pastries, and breads.] The text was revised in 2002, which is the edition I recommend; this tome is a standard reference for many cooking professionals and home cooks alike. It's a lot of fun to read, and may make you want to go straight into the kitchen, dust off those burners and start your oven!
(1st Collier Books edition: Vairo Library TX651.M27 1988)
(Revised and updated edition: Penn State Libraries TX651.M27 2004)