Christmas & Chocolates: Chef Kainaz Messman-Harchandrai’s Christmas Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

As part of our series on Christmas special chocolate recipes, we spoke to Chef Kainaz Messman-Harchandrai, the co-founder of Theobroma Patisserie, India.

Chocolate is often hailed as the food of Gods and quite rightly so. Be it any occasion or moment, a bar of chocolate just makes it even more special, doesn’t it? There’s something to chocolate that can only be felt when had. Some call it pure decadence, while some call it bliss. Chocolate’s versatility as an ingredient makes it all the more popular today among chefs and food connoisseurs.

With the ongoing festive season, chocolate recipes galore. From puddings to cakes and hot chocolates to fondues, it’s time to savour some of the innovative chocolate dishes prepared by chefs and bakers round the world.

As part of our series on Christmas special chocolate recipes, we spoke to Chef Kainaz Messman-Harchandrai, the co-founder of Theobroma Patisserie, India.

Any nostalgic food memory of yours that connects Christmas and chocolate?

“Christmas is my favourite time of the year, because we make strawberry tarts and chocolate-orange stollen in December.

Stollen is a spiced cake-bread of German origin. It is made with yeast, water, flour, candied dried fruit, nuts and spices. As soon as it comes out of the oven it is brushed with melted unsalted butter and sprinkled with icing sugar. It often has a marzipan log in the middle which is said to represent baby Jesus swaddled in a blanket.

I remember eating Stollen for the first time on a cold winter morning in London. I had just finished a long run and my body possibly craved the sugar but I was in heaven when I first bit into the gently spiced dough, marzipan, candied fruit and powdered sugar. I was so surprised by the pillowy goodness, the subtle orange and almond. My fingers were wrapped around a mug of warm coffee and I had found a new favourite.

This was a good few years ago and now at Christmas we sell hundreds of loaves of stollen each day. My biggest compliment came when a German lady walked in and I offered her my stollen. She smiled and bought 6 loaves, returning many times over the season.

Stollen is my favourite thing to eat all through the Christmas period. A warm piece of stollen with coffee is the perfect way to start my day, or warm stollen and ice cream for dessert. It does not need a time or reason, a few stray pieces do somehow get consumed without me noticing!”

Is there a signature recipe of yours that you think celebrates Christmas and chocolate in the best possible way? Would you like to share it with us?

Christmas Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Ingredients (Cupcake base)

• Sugar- 125 gms
• Butter- 125 gms
• Flour- 115 gms
• Cocoa- 10 gms
• Baking powder- 5 gms
• Eggs- 4 no.s
• Chocolate chips- 50 gms
• Zest of 2 oranges
• Orange juice- 40ml

Method (Cupcake base)

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Cream butter and sugar till smooth.
• Sieve together the flour, baking powder and cocoa twice.
• Beat eggs and orange juice together till homogeneous, slowly add it to the beaten butter mixture.
• Fold in flour mixture and chocolate chips and zest.
• Pour into lined cupcake moulds and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Ingredients (Spiced Orange Ganache)

• Dark chocolate 55% -180 gms
• Fresh dairy cream- 120 gms
• Cinnamon sticks- 1 no.s
• Star anise- 1/2 no.s
• Nutmeg powder- 1/2 tsp
• Butter- 30 gms
• Zest of 2 oranges
• Orange extract - 1/2 tsp

Method (Spiced Orange Ganache)

• Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
• Heat the cream along with the spices except the nutmeg powder. Bring to the boil and turn off the gas. Cling wrap the vessel and leave the cream to infuse for about 2 hours. Strain the cream, then weigh it. Bring back to boil and pour over the chopped chocolate along with the nutmeg powder. Leave for 15 minutes.
• Whisk the mixture from the middle towards the outside of the vessel to get a smooth chocolate ganache. Add the butter and blend it in with a stick blender.
• Add zest of one orange and the orange extract. Leave to cool.
• Once cooled, top the cupcake bases with chocolate ganache and sprinkle remaining zest to decorate.