I think you'll find RLB's Cake Bible doesn't have many pictures, but it is THE book for cakes, frosting, etc. It offers that basic building blocks for anything you could want to make as a cake. It falls short with decorating technique illustrations. For decorating--look for books by chefs or bakers whose cakes inspire you. Some are good with fondant and some are better with buttercream. Go to a bookstore or library and look over a few books. Amazon also has that look inside feature, very helpful for getting an idea of what the book offers. The number of pages vs the number of illustrations/color plates is going to tell you if the book has a large ration of pictures. | 
Cake books 
