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Storm in a cake tin over Bake Off star who's already a champion: Luis lets slip he's already won other competitions to prepare himself for the show

Published: 16:05 EST, 21 August 2014 | Updated: 16:33 EST, 21 August 2014

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His stunning Spanish-themed breads saw him labelled the week’s star baker.

And Luis Troyano’s culinary creations in The Great British Bake Off were described by judge Paul Hollywood as ‘pure alchemy’ – a phrase taken up by his increasingly avid Twitter following.

But the 42-year-old contestant’s fans might feel a little differently after finding out he’s not quite as amateur as he might seem.

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Confident: Luis Troyano admitted he won local competitions before entering the amateur home baking contest

For he let slip in Wednesday’s show that he has already won other baking competitions.

According to past winners, this is enough to give him a considerable edge over his fellow bakers.

While the BBC1 programme, which is three episodes into its fifth series, is meant to find the country’s best home baker, Mr Troyano, a self-proclaimed ‘perfectionist’, also said he put off his entry by a year to hone his skills and maximise his chances.

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Speaking to presenter Sue Perkins while making his lauded bake, a filled Spanish bread crown topped with gold-foiled olives, Mr Troyano said: ‘I have entered local competitions a bit recently and quite enjoyed that.’

Asked if he had won, he laughed and said that he had.

None of the past winners are believed to have previously entered competitions.

Jo Wheatley, 45, who won the second series, said Mr Troyano’s background could undermine fellow contestants.

She said: ‘It gives you the confidence, definitely, because if you haven’t ever won anything you won’t be as confident in your stuff.

Luis gets flustered in trailer for next week's Bake Off episode

Star baker: The 42-year-old (left) was awarded star baker by Mary (right) and Paul last week for his olive bread

Preparation: Mr Troyano said he delayed his entry to the BBC1 show so he could hone his skills and prepare

‘I remember the first night we all got together in our year and a couple of guys were talking about the structure and the science of bread and it really unnerved me.

‘But if you’re a good baker and you practise and make stuff you really love you’ll be fine. It’s when you try and do things you’re unfamiliar with that problems can occur. I suppose he does have a bit of an advantage there.’

Edd Kimber, who was only 24 when he became the show’s first winner in 2010, said Mr Troyano’s previous successes could explain his confidence with challenging recipes.

'Unnerving': Former winner Jo Wheatley said Mr Troyano's experience in local competitions could undermine the other contestants in the show

He said: ‘Being on the show, it made me think differently, a little bit more out of the box.

'So if Luis has done competitions, that could help him. It could be an advantage because it’s the same sort of pressure.’

Mr Troyano, who runs a graphic design company, has admitted he is very competitive.

In an interview with his local paper, he said: ‘I downloaded the application form for the last season but it was so complex it really highlighted the gaps in my knowledge, so I decided to spend the year filling in the gaps so I could fill in the form.’

While he does not cook professionally, this stringent preparation has sparked a debate over what could be defined as a ‘home baker’.

According to Mrs Wheatley, the amateur status of the competitors is at the heart of the show’s appeal.

She said: ‘It’s so good-natured and homely and people like it because the contestants are like the person next door.

'It’s attainable – although they push people, it still makes people think “Oh, I could do that”.’

Asked whether Mr Troyano has gone beyond home baking, she said: ‘Where do you draw the line? I did really well in home economics, am I still a home baker?

'Is it fair if you have a housewife who can practise all of the time and bake daily, when another contestant is a builder who is at work, so doesn’t have as much time?’

The show’s ratings have been steadily growing.

Wednesday’s audience reached 7.4million, up from the 5.6million for last year’s opening shows.

A BBC spokesman said last night: ‘Bake Off is looking to find the best amateur bakers in the country and as long as they haven’t had professional training or worked professionally in a baking environment they are eligible to apply.’