Cake Zine’s next issue, Ice Cream Time, will explore the relationship between ice cream and time. Ice cream is ephemeral. Your only responsibility is to eat it before it melts. 

We’re interested in stories that use frozen dessert to think about time: the historical, the futuristic, the seasonal, and the ephemeral. Nostalgia is fair game but don’t give us anything too saccharine. Think: A review of the ice cream counter at Berghain after 12 hours of dancing, an oral history of the violent NYC soft serve truck turf wars, a whirlwind tour of discontinued ice creams (looking at you Choco Taco). Delve into the tools and technology that are reshaping the industry to predict what we’ll be tasting in 2050. Ask a flavor scientist: Why does melted ice cream never become ice cream again? 

We interpret “ice cream” to broadly include all manner of frozen desserts. We’ll know it when we see it. Whatever form your story takes, the strongest pitches will use ice cream to tell us something about time and culture.

We’re also looking for inventive frozen dessert recipes, especially ones that do not require an ice cream maker, whether using store-bought ice cream as an ingredient or are desserts unto themselves. But, if you think you have a really special ice cream recipe that requires at-home churning, you can try your luck.

Print ads are available for this issue! Get in touch: hellocakezine@gmail.com

Essential details

All pitches for Ice Cream Time are due by 9 a.m. EST on Sept 25th.

We prioritize adherence to and subversion of theme—ie, an unexpected but clearly connected take on “Ice Cream Time.”  

We have a rigorous editorial process with multiple rounds of revision over a number of weeks.

Accepted editorial pitches will be contacted by mid/late October.
Accepted illustrators will be contacted by mid November. 

Acceptances will not be issued until all pitches are received and reviewed. We are a small print publication with very limited space and a very high volume of submissions—unfortunately, we are no longer able to respond to every pitch we receive. 

Ice Cream Time will be released in late spring/early summer 2027.

 

Types of writing

You are welcome to pitch us on any of the themes explicitly outlined in this pitch call’s introduction or your own interpretation of the theme.

Formats include:

• Historical deep dives that pair solid research/reporting with a critical eye
• Personal essays, especially ones rooted in an unexpected POV or expertise 
• Cultural criticism (literature, film, art, and pop culture) 
• Unexpected interviews 
• Short lists, taxonomies, etc 
• Recipes for inventive frozen desserts accompanied by a short headnote/essay
  

We are not accepting poetry or fiction pitches for this issue.

 

Types of visuals

If you would like to be commissioned to create art to accompany an accepted pitch, please get in touch. While we welcome all visual mediums that we can print, we have a particular preference for traditional media. We do not publish stand-alone visual pieces.

 

Rates

We pay creators. We’re a small, self-funded publication with flat rates based on length. All commissioned contributors will receive a copy of Ice Cream Time.

Shorter pieces (350 words or less), poems, and recipes: $175-$225
Mid-length (500 to 1K words): $250
Longform (2K words - plus or minus): $350
Visual art: $250

Instructions & What to Include 

Send pitch emails to pitches@cakezine.com with “WRITING PITCH — Last Name” or “VISUAL PITCH — Last Name” in the subject line.

All pitches for Ice Cream Time are due by 9 a.m. EST on Sept 25th.

For all types of content: please tell us about yourself and provide a few links to relevant work that demonstrates your style, voice, and tone, whether in a major publication or personal blog. We are committed to publishing burgeoning voices and care more about your talent and ideas than your resume. We also prioritize work by and centering BIPOC, women, and queer people. Please include the entire pitch in the body of your email. If you are pitching multiple pieces please include them in the same email. 

For Written Pieces

Include a sample headline (to demonstrate the angle) and estimated word count. Provide a few sentences about your story idea. It’s not enough to share a topic—what is your take on the topic? How does it advance, complicate, or expand what we know or how we think about the subject of your piece? Feel like you have the silhouette of a piece, but don’t feel like you’ve fully nailed the crux of it yet? Feel free to include some reference links to articles/media/content that capture the approach you’re hoping to take and an explanation of how you’ll make it your own. For reported pieces, provide a few sample sources. 

For Recipes

Please include a recipe name and a one paragraph explanation of your dish, what ingredients it uses, how it relates to the theme of the issue, and why you should be the one writing/developing this recipe. If possible, include reference photos.

For Visual Contributors

Please link to a website, Instagram, or portfolio with work samples. If you don't have work online to share, attach 4-8 images to your email. Either as individual image files (no bigger than 3 MB each) or a single pdf (no bigger than 15 MB).