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Anyone who's ever baked from scratch knows that there's no going back to a boxed mix.

For those wanting to take the plunge, there are several new books that are sure to tantalize the taste buds and inspire creativity. All are printed on high-quality paper and feature stunning photographs.

Rose Levy Beranbaum, the award-winning author of "The Cake Bible," tops her 1988 classic with the release of "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" (Wiley, $39.95). This book is a wonderful source of recipes and an excellent teaching tool and resource for novice and experienced cooks. The recipe ingredients are in graph form, with measurements in volume and weight, followed by clear instructions. Beranbaum's tips are scattered throughout the book, but especially useful is the "Ingredients and Basic Recipes" section where she shares more advice. And for those bakers who can't bear the thought of throwing away an egg yolk or egg white, the appendix breaks down the recipes that use only yolks and those that use only whites.

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"Absolutely Chocolate: Irresistible Excuses to Indulge," from the editors of Fine Cooking (The Taunton Press, $29.95): This amazing collection of 125 recipes covers cookies, brownies and bars, pies, tarts, frozen desserts, candies, sauces and more. There's plenty of valuable information scattered throughout, including how to choose the right chocolate for your baking needs, how to taste chocolate, how to decipher labels, getting perfect results when making chocolate chip cookies, and more.

Public television cooking show host Dede Wilson offers a confection for every occasion in "Unforgettable Desserts: More than 140 Memorable Dessert Recipes for All Year Round" (Wiley, $29.95). There are recipes for cookies and bars, pies and tarts, cakes and candies, custards, puddings, frozen desserts and sauces. Wilson ups the ante with her choice of ingredients: ribbons of melon on tartlets, passion fruit curd on pound cake, boozy raisins in brownies.

The debut cookbook by New Orleans pastry chef David Guas and food writer Raquel Pelzel has already won over Food & Wine magazine, which featured "DamGoodSweets: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth New Orleans Style" in its October issue. Guas shares recipes for favorites like beignets and bread pudding to spreadable sweets — curds, jams and preserves. The 50 recipes come with stories of growing up in the region. The book is $25 from The Taunton Press.