Cacao (or cocoa) beans are technically not beans or legumes, but rather the seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. The pod shaped fruit is botanically classified as baccate-like (berry-like) and each pod produces approximately 35-50 seeds surrounded by a sweet pulp [2]. The pod and the pulp surrounding the cacao seed in this case constitute the fruit of cacao. After harvest, cacao seeds and their surrounding fruit pulp are typically placed in heaps or boxes and fermented under the influence of naturally occurring microbes that multiply using the sugar from the pulp as an energy source. The seeds are then dried in the sun or in wood fired ovens and shipped to cacao processors. Cacao seeds next have their thin coats removed from the embryonic tissue, which is then roasted, and milled into what is referred to as chocolate liquor. Cocoa powder is produced by mechanically pressing most of the fat (cocoa butter) from the chocolate liquor and thus represents an extract of the cacao fruit’s seeds.1
Typically, a recipe will call for one of two types of cocoa powder: natural or Dutch process. Though both of these cocoa powders start from cacao beans, the steps that go into making them are a little different. In natural cocoa powder—sometimes also labeled as unsweetened cocoa powder, natural unsweetened cocoa powder, or pure cocoa powder—the dry cocoa solids remain unprocessed after being ground. Cocoa beans are acidic, with a pH level between 5 and 6, and so is natural cocoa powder, which is light brown in color with an almost reddish tint. In its raw state cocoa powder tastes sharp, fruity, and bright.
In Dutch process cocoa powder—a.k.a alkalized cocoa powder or Dutched cocoa powder—the cocoa beans are soaked in an alkali solution that neutralizes the acidity and renders a smoother, earthier taste and rich flavor. “When it comes to baking, I prefer Dutch process cocoa powder,” says former BA food editor Claire Saffitz. “The alkalizing process darkens the color and typically deepens the flavor.” Dutch process cocoa powder produces baked goods that taste more intensely chocolatey. Dutch processed cocoa powder is a result of adding alkaline to do away with bitterness also resulting in a more deep, rich and intense chocolate flavor.2
Most cocoa powder is naturally processed, (like Hershey’s), meaning that it is dried and ground after the Broma process of defatting. But some cocoa powders (like Fry’s) are Dutched, or created using the Dutch process. This means that the defatted cocoa nibs are immersed in an alkaline solution to help neutralize some of their natural acidity before being dried and ground. Natural cocoa is reddish brown in color. Dutch process color is a dark grayish brown.
Cocoa powder is produced from the slabs of roasted cocoa bean particles left behind when cocoa butter is extracted. As the pressing does not remove all the cocoa butter, so the particles remain coated with a thin layer of cocoa butter, all in all fat content of cocoa powder varies from 8% to 26%. These solid particles (the cocoa powder) are the basis of chocolate’s flavor (and not as one might imagine—the cocoa butter). As a result, cocoa powder is the most concentrated version of chocolate there is. It is also very versatile in both cooking and chocolate making, it also has a pH of around 5 (McGee, 2004; Wolfe and Shazzie, 2005). Sometimes (especially in Europe and the United States), cocoa beans are treated, either before or after roasting, with an alkaline substance like potassium carbonate after which they are ground into cocoa powder. This treatment is sometimes called “dutching” after its inventor—Conrad van Houten—the Dutch chocolatier. The process effectively raises the cocoa’s pH to between 7 and 8. This has the effect of reducing the levels of astringent, bitter phenolics, and the roasted, caramel-like molecules (pyrazines, thiazoles, pyrones, and furaneol). The effect is a cocoa powder with a less bitter and astringent tone and one that is milder in flavor and darker in color than traditional cocoa powder. “Dutched” cocoa can come in shades ranging from light brown to near black each with their own mild flavor profiles.3
Find a selection of fine Guittard Cocoa products here.
Points to help in baking:
- Alkalized powders have the advantage of a darker color but usually require the addition of slightly more sugar to a recipe.
- To combine cocoa powder with water use a whisk. When the cocoa powder melts, it will come together.
- When making hot cocoa over the stovetop, always add vanilla last because it is more volatile and will just boil out.
- Cocoa powder will keep for approximately two years. Higher quality cocoa powder will not have a long shelf life because they contain more fat.
- Cocoa powder can be substituted for baking chocolate. Use three tablespoons cocoa, and one tablespoon butter, for each ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate needed.
- Use Dutch processed whenever there is not enough fat in the recipe to foil the acid in natural cocoa powder.
Sources Cited
- Crozier, Stephen J., et al. Cacao seeds are a “Super Fruit”: A comparative analysis of various fruit powders and products. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnical Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038885/. Published 2011, Feb 7.
- Hopkins, Tiffany. “The Best Cocoa Powder for the Chocolatiest Brownie and Cakes.” https://www.bonappetit.com/story/best-cocoa-powder. Published 2021, September 22.
- Mark Gibson et al., in Food Science and the Culinary Arts, 2018.
