bake my cake 2012: let’s get judgy

First off, I’d like to say that I’m totally stoked that so many of you took time out of your busy schedules to Bake My Cake. I’m not sure what that says about the quality of your lives, but whatevs. I know how much time, money, sweat and swearin’ goes into these things, and I appreciate it more than I can let you know without getting all creepy about it.

I will not be competing. That’s because I didn’t want to bake my own birthday cake, doofus. But I’ll be bringin’ it to Pumpkin Carve-Off 2012 (October) and Ginger 2012 (December). So if you wanna go head to head with me, I’d recommend that you start putting some blueprints together now – it’s gunna be epic.

So, here’s how the voting in this here competition is going to work: there will be two groupings of cakes to vote for tomorrow (Sunday, April 29th), and two on Monday (April 30th). I like to call these matches heats because it sounds very olympian. You will see the cakes organized according to the date they hit my inbox. That means you’ll see them in the same order that I did. I figured that was a random and fair way to group everyone. I hope you’ll squeal with delight just as I did.

Here is your voting schedule. Please plan your lives accordingly.

• Sunday, April 29th, 2012 – voting for Groups 1 & 2 – polls will open at about 8 am AST (7 am EST) and close at 8 am AST (7 am EST) on Monday, April 30th. The winner from each group will proceed to the final round.
• Monday, April 30th, 2012 – voting for Groups 3 & 4 –  polls will open at about 8 am AST (7 am EST) and close at 8 am AST (7 am EST) on Tuesday, May 1st. The winner from each group proceeds to the final round.
• Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 – The Finals – the top four cakes will duke it out in one final round of voting. Polls will open at about 8 am AST (7 am EST) and close at 8 am AST (7 am EST) on Wednesday, May 2nd.
• Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 – winner announced, national holiday declared.

As in past competitions, you will be allowed one vote per poll/grouping, per interweb device. During Ginger 2011, some clever competitors discovered that you can vote from your laptop, then your iPhone, then your tablet… Yes, I get that means rich people will screw you over. But I’m going to have to ask you to get over it. Or go to the library and vote on every single computer they’ve got. If you find a shortcut, have at it. I don’t have time to manage you, my hair and the interweb.

Competitors, I encourage you to use any means possible to win. Email yer family. Blog it. Tweet it. Facebook it. And tell your supporters to do the same. All’s fair in love and war. Remember, it’s not necessarily the best cake that wins, people. It’s a freakin’ popularity contest. Like high school! You’re playin’ with the big kids now.

So, meet me back here tomorrow. Let’s buttercream someone’s ass…