Too bad Simple Simon never met a cake man. His nursery rhyme might have had a happy ending.

The Daily Gazette and its cooking partners expect a batter outcome on Thursday, Nov. 13, when 10 cakes — made from scratch recipes submitted by readers — will be sampled at Schenectady County Community College. The Autumn Cake Party is also being sponsored by the college’s nationally accredited American Culinary Federation culinary arts program and Price Chopper Supermarkets.

As in past culinary challenges — pizza, pasta, soup and chili have been savory subjects in recent years — Capital Region residents will be the real stars. We need a list of contenders before SCCC culinary professors and students begin mixing the frosting.

Because cakes have always been the center of birthdays, weddings, holidays, graduations, retirements and other celebrations, we’re hoping for bunches of recipes that feature vanilla, lemon, strawberry, carrot, chocolate, rum and butter in primary roles. And other favorite flavors.

So here are the instructions:

We’re looking for easy-to-make, practical and affordable desserts. We’re hoping people will be creative with their cakes. Sorry — we will not accept recipes from professional chefs or restaurants.

We want homemade cakes, and that means cakes made from scratch. Recipes that include help from Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker will not be considered. We’ll put it another way — do not submit recipes that require packaged cake mixes and store-bought frosting.

Please submit recipes for Bundt, layer, sheet and jelly roll-style cakes. Cupcakes also will be allowed.

Cheesecakes and flour-less cakes will not be allowed.

Send your recipes to the newspaper by mail or via Internet. Entries should be sent to Autumn Cake Party in care of The Daily Gazette, P.O. Box 1090, Schenectady, NY 12301-1090, attention Jeff Wilkin. The e-mail address is wilkin@dailygazette.com.

Recipes can be written or typed but are preferred on 8-inch by 11-inch pieces of paper. If you are writing longhand, please make sure all words are legible.

All entries must be received at The Gazette by noon on Friday, Oct. 17.

Six chances to win

A maximum of six recipes may be entered. Each recipe must be submitted on a separate sheet of paper. And please use measured amounts. Each recipe must contain the chef’s name, address and telephone number. That means every recipe — do not send in six recipes and just sign your name on the first one.

Remember, have fun: Give your cakes names.

A team of Gazette editors and writers will judge the recipes and choose 10 favorites. From there, recipes will go to culinary arts students at SCCC. The students will cook each recipe chosen, and other college personnel will prepare for the taste test from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 13.

The public will sample the cakes — yes, we’ll have milk at the party — and vote for five winners.

People must buy tickets, which will be priced at $9, in advance. They will be available, starting Monday, Oct. 20, at The Daily Gazette, 2345 Maxon Road Ext.; SCCC’s bookstore on the college’s Washington Avenue campus; and at the Price Chopper Supermarkets at Eastern Parkway and McClellan Street in Schenectady, Altamont Avenue in Rotterdam, Balltown Road in Niskayuna and Route 50 in Glenville.

Proceeds will be given to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.

Winners and their recipes will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 3, on The Daily Gazette’s food page. Each winner will receive a gift certificate good for $50 worth of groceries at Price Chopper supermarkets.

Family members of Gazette employees and Schenectady County Community College culinary faculty personnel are not eligible for this contest.

People with questions can call Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124.