Kokova Magazine

London bakery owner Emily Johnson has been crowned National Cupcake Champion 2012 in the annual search to find Britain's best cupcake baker.

Emily, who owns the Upsy Daisy bakery and tea room in Hammersmith, West London, beat off stiff competition from 55 other professional bakers to take the prestigious title at the championships, which are staged by British Baker magazine.

Her delicious Mojito Cupcake took the Best Cupcake Made with Alcohol award and was named the overall winner by a panel of celebrity judges at the finals held at the Institute of Contemporary Art in The Mall on July 2nd.

Emily worked in film and television as a set dresser for five years and managed a nightclub in Shepherd’s Bush before launching the Upsy Daisy bakery and tea room with her partner Matthew Warren two years ago.

It is amazing. I never expected to win the category let alone the competition itself. In fact I didn't tell many people that I was entering. I originally created the cupcake for a New Year's party and developed the recipe, adding a mint and lime buttercream, for the competition.

Being new business owners, it has been a steep learning curve, but we have stayed very focused on great products and great customer service and this has given us a good customer base.

Upsy Daisy bakery is located in King Street, Hammersmith. The tea shop has 30 covers and is run by a team of six. Emily is planning a tea themed cocktail party on July 14th to mark the bakery's second birthday - and also its new national title.

Now in their fourth year, the National Cupcake Championships celebrate and support the growth of an industry sector which has spawned a raft of new businesses across the UK and stimulated innovation in what has become a highly popular cake classic.

This year's National Cupcake Championships were once again a fantastic demonstration of a sector that is truly thriving in the UK, if not the world. Cupcakes are as popular as ever, with the quality of the products being driven up as a result. We've had some really wonderful entries in the competition and there were certainly a few debates between the judges when it came to the scoring, with some tough decisions having to be made.

All our winners and highly commended entrants really were the cream of the crop. Our overall National Cupcake Champion, Emily Johnson of Upsy Daisy Bakery, won with her exceptional Mojito Cupcake. It really was like biting into a Mojito in cake form - from the crunch of sugar, to the zingy hit of the lime and refreshing mint.

Georgi Gyton, associate editor of British Baker

More than 200 entries were received this year, with 56 bakers shortlisted to take part in the 2012 finals, each entry judged on its taste, style and appearance.

The six other category winners are: -

• Best Handcrafted Cupcake for Multiple Outlets - Best of British Bakewell Tart Cupcake, Adele's Cakes, Omagh, Ireland www.adeles-cakes.co.uk
• Best Free From Cupcake - Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcake, Rachel Price-Whittle, Rachel's Cupcakes, Wotton Wawen, Warks www.rachels-cupcakes.co.uk
• Best Classic Cupcake - Lime and Ginger Cupcake, Lindsay Horn, Swirls and Pearls Bakery, London www.swirlsandpearlsbakery.co.uk
• Best Micro-Modelled Cupcake - Teddy Bear's Picnic by Marianna Groves, Ria's Cakes, Waterlooville, Hants www.riascakes.co.uk
• Best Savoury Cupcake - Sales Verde Summer Cupcake by Kate Shirazi, Cakeadoodledoo, Crediton, Devon www.cakeadoodledo.co.uk
• Best Themed Cupcake - Tis the Season by Sabrina Collins, Lady Jayne's Cakes Burton upon Trent www.ladyjaynescakes.co.uk

The judging panel included Royal Wedding cake-maker Fiona Cairns, Great British Bake Off winner Edd Kimber, Konditor & Cook founder Gerhard Jenne, chef Will Torrent, Outsider Tart co-founder David Lesniak and Ms Cupcake.