Bakers have just five days to enter the National Cupcake Championships 2015 as we confirm events for the grand final.

The deadline of 17 July is fast approaching and all professional bakers are invited to enter their best cupcake in the competition that sits alongside National Cupcake Week (14 to 20 September).

There are six categories to choose from, including three brand new to the 2015 Championships. The new additions are Chocolate. Seasonal and Children’s, while favourite categories Classic (excluding chocolate, which should be entered in the dedicated category), Free From and Made With Alcohol make a return.

Ten finalists in each of the six categories will be chosen by a panel of industry experts during a paper judging round. The 60 finalists will be invited to the Bakels centre in Bicester for the grand final, where our judges will choose the winners.

Chocolate workshops

Barry Callebaut, which is sponsoring the event, will put on two informative workshops on the day, which are usually sold at a cost of £200-£300 per person. All finalists will be invited to join in and the first of the workshops will focus on decoration techniques using chocolates and transfers while the second will look at quick and easy chocolate tempering and centrepieces.

Bakers must have a registered UK business to enter and each entry costs £15+VAT.

Go to www.nationalcupcakeweek.co.uk for more information on category requirements and what the judges will be looking for, as well as entry forms.

National Cupcake Week is hosted by Bakels and sponsored by Barry Callebaut and online cake ordering company Hello and...