A James Beard Award-winning independent magazine exploring history, pop culture, literature, and art through the lens of sweets.

Cake Zine is an independent literary magazine that delves into art, history, and pop culture through the lens of food, particularly desserts. Established in 2022 by pastry chef Tanya Bush and editor Aliza Abarbanel, the magazine aims to reframe desserts as subjects worthy of intellectual discussion. Each issue is centered around a specific theme, exploring it through a mix of essays, recipes, illustrations, and photography. Notable themes have included "Sexy Cake," "Wicked Cake," "Humble Pie," "Tough Cookie," "Candy Land," and "Daily Bread." The magazine is known for its interdisciplinary approach, blending culinary arts with literature, history, and culture. It has gained a dedicated following and is available at over 100 stockists worldwide.

Cake Zine

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. <div><br></div><div>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? </div><div><br></div><div>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.</div><div><br></div><div>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.</div>

Cake Zine

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Featured Call

Call for Pitches: Ice Cream Issue