The search for the "perfect" chocolate cupcake...

What a busy, fulfilling and drama filled week at Baked by Kate.

I have been searching for the perfect Chocolate Cupcake for a year now. After many failed attempts of too much rising, to much sinking, inadequate flavours and just plain old disaster which turned into a very nice chocolate pudding thank you very much - I have found "the one".

It is sooooooo fudgy and dense and just performs beautifully in the oven, not to mention the tummy.

There was only one fault - this one blew up my much loved mixer! Well to be truthfull, the icing for it did. The kitchen was full of kids, icing sugar and the smell of burnt mixer, and all just 30 minutes before a school run.

After a rushed email to the workaholic (aka my husband), as usual, the beautiful people of Alice Springs responded. Twenty minutes later I had a borrowed mixer and three offers of a old one I could have along with some money in an envelope after a whip round at hubby's work. Obviously, they saw the disaster in no more afternoon sugar fixes too!!

By the end of the day, the cup cakes were iced, although not to my usual standard and demolished by happy workers.

I have now been given a "keeper" of a very old Kenwood. It is heaven and stayed tuned for my first batch of cup cakes from it.

This is a huge departure from a brand for me. I have grown up with Sunbeam mixers. Three generations (that I know of) of our family have used the old sunbeam. Oh how I long for a sunbeam of old. Mine was at least 15 years old and still I longed for an older one. The one that sat on my Grandma's bench and whizzed around, turning out beautiful cakes (but much to my dismay, rarely a lick of the beater) for more years than she would want me to share with you. It left us around 2 years ago and the whole family could not rest until she got another one. However, after much surfing, from what I can tell from product review sites, the new versions are just not the same.

I will let you know how I go with the new/old Kenwood.

Until then, long live the Flourless chocolate cupcake!

Enjoy.