This is edited material about cocoa (with Cooks Illustrated being the primary source).
Dutched vs. Natural Cocoas
Life used to be simpler -- all we had was Plain Cocoa (in the brown can with the PA city name on it) and we used it for everything, including great American classics like brownies, fudge, and devil's food cake. But then came modern sophistication and new desserts and truffles, and hand-dipped chocolate and European-style baked goods. So -- now we have to actually think more about cocoa. How is this powder related to chocolate and what are the differences between regular and dutched cocoas?
Cocoa is produced from chocolate liquor the professional term for completely unsweetened baking chocolate. Chocolate liquor is made from cocoa beans scooped from the pods of the tropical cacao tree. The beans are fermented, roasted, shelled, and then ground into a molten paste. This paste is half fat (cocoa butter) and half cocoa solids; nothing else is added. The paste is hardened in molds and can be remelted for use in baking.
Cocoa powder is chocolate liquor that has been pressed to remove half to three-quarters of its fat and then pulverized. A hydraulic press, designed by the Dutchman C. J. Van Houten in the nineteenth century, removes fat while leaving solids behind. Cocoa has a strong chocolate flavor and is easy to incorporate into other ingredients because it has a lower fat content, it decreases the likelihood of the batter or mix breaking or separating.
Is Dutched Cocoa Made Only in Holland?
In addition to designing the cocoa press, Van Houten also developed a process to reduce the natural acidity in chocolate and make it more palatable. Untreated chocolate is mildly acidic, (with a pH value of between 5.2 and 5.6) about the same as black coffee. By adding a small amount of an alkaline solution (usually potassium carbonate) to either the shelled cocoa beans or chocolate liquor, Van Houten was able to raise the pH to about 7 (neutral) or slightly higher. This technique, called "dutching" or "Dutch processing," has two main side effects:
1. darkening the color of the cocoa,
2. mellowing its flavor
Dutched cocoa was thought to dissolve in liquid better than undutched, but has since been proven to be false.
Today, European cocoas are generally dutched while American supermarket cocoas are not, although American manufacturers make dutched cocoa for professional use.
The effect of dutched cocoa on flavor is the most important factor for the home cook. The general rule is that Dutched cocoas taste better in liquid products (hot chocolate, ice cream, etc.) Part of this may be from just the appearance of a item with dutched cocoa in it since dutched cocoas tend to have a richer, warmer brown color, while natural cocoa items are usually paler or washed-out-looking. However, because the natural acids in the chocolate have been neutralized, the flavor of dutched cocoa is generally considered to be more mellow in blind tastings.
What's Best For Baking?
Dutched and natural (American-style) cocoa have very different pH values, which usually affects which leavener is used in a recipe and its amount. This is one reason why you should never just substitute one cocoa for another without also changing the leavener.
For example, cakes with natural cocoa (which is acidic) usually call for baking soda (which is alkaline) because the acid and base react together to produce carbon dioxide. Recipes with Dutched cocoa (which is neutral or slightly alkaline) usually require baking powder -- which contains both an acid and alkali.
Another issue is familiarity. Desserts, like brownies, have typically been made with natural cocoa. This unique taste is what we grew up with, so we expect brownies or other baked products need to have the unique "flavor quality" of natural cocoa to taste like we remember them. The amount of sugar and fat in the recipes also will affect the actual tasting flavor of the cocoa. Recipes with more sugar and fat favor the assertive natural cocoas since the chocolate flavor needs to cut through the taste 'noise' of fat and sweetness). Of course, you still need to use a good quality cocoa whichever type you use!
So for baking American-style cocoa is usually the best. For other desserts or liquids, Dutched cocoa may give a better taste. Usually though, I've found that most people will only notice the chocolate if you ask them about it. Anything with a "big" chocolate flavor should be so distracting that it is almost impossible to analyze!
Dutched vs. Natural Cocoas
Life used to be simpler -- all we had was Plain Cocoa (in the brown can with the PA city name on it) and we used it for everything, including great American classics like brownies, fudge, and devil's food cake. But then came modern sophistication and new desserts and truffles, and hand-dipped chocolate and European-style baked goods. So -- now we have to actually think more about cocoa. How is this powder related to chocolate and what are the differences between regular and dutched cocoas?
Cocoa is produced from chocolate liquor the professional term for completely unsweetened baking chocolate. Chocolate liquor is made from cocoa beans scooped from the pods of the tropical cacao tree. The beans are fermented, roasted, shelled, and then ground into a molten paste. This paste is half fat (cocoa butter) and half cocoa solids; nothing else is added. The paste is hardened in molds and can be remelted for use in baking.
Cocoa powder is chocolate liquor that has been pressed to remove half to three-quarters of its fat and then pulverized. A hydraulic press, designed by the Dutchman C. J. Van Houten in the nineteenth century, removes fat while leaving solids behind. Cocoa has a strong chocolate flavor and is easy to incorporate into other ingredients because it has a lower fat content, it decreases the likelihood of the batter or mix breaking or separating.
Is Dutched Cocoa Made Only in Holland?
In addition to designing the cocoa press, Van Houten also developed a process to reduce the natural acidity in chocolate and make it more palatable. Untreated chocolate is mildly acidic, (with a pH value of between 5.2 and 5.6) about the same as black coffee. By adding a small amount of an alkaline solution (usually potassium carbonate) to either the shelled cocoa beans or chocolate liquor, Van Houten was able to raise the pH to about 7 (neutral) or slightly higher. This technique, called "dutching" or "Dutch processing," has two main side effects:
1. darkening the color of the cocoa,
2. mellowing its flavor
Dutched cocoa was thought to dissolve in liquid better than undutched, but has since been proven to be false.
Today, European cocoas are generally dutched while American supermarket cocoas are not, although American manufacturers make dutched cocoa for professional use.
The effect of dutched cocoa on flavor is the most important factor for the home cook. The general rule is that Dutched cocoas taste better in liquid products (hot chocolate, ice cream, etc.) Part of this may be from just the appearance of a item with dutched cocoa in it since dutched cocoas tend to have a richer, warmer brown color, while natural cocoa items are usually paler or washed-out-looking. However, because the natural acids in the chocolate have been neutralized, the flavor of dutched cocoa is generally considered to be more mellow in blind tastings.
What's Best For Baking?
Dutched and natural (American-style) cocoa have very different pH values, which usually affects which leavener is used in a recipe and its amount. This is one reason why you should never just substitute one cocoa for another without also changing the leavener.
For example, cakes with natural cocoa (which is acidic) usually call for baking soda (which is alkaline) because the acid and base react together to produce carbon dioxide. Recipes with Dutched cocoa (which is neutral or slightly alkaline) usually require baking powder -- which contains both an acid and alkali.
Another issue is familiarity. Desserts, like brownies, have typically been made with natural cocoa. This unique taste is what we grew up with, so we expect brownies or other baked products need to have the unique "flavor quality" of natural cocoa to taste like we remember them. The amount of sugar and fat in the recipes also will affect the actual tasting flavor of the cocoa. Recipes with more sugar and fat favor the assertive natural cocoas since the chocolate flavor needs to cut through the taste 'noise' of fat and sweetness). Of course, you still need to use a good quality cocoa whichever type you use!
So for baking American-style cocoa is usually the best. For other desserts or liquids, Dutched cocoa may give a better taste. Usually though, I've found that most people will only notice the chocolate if you ask them about it. Anything with a "big" chocolate flavor should be so distracting that it is almost impossible to analyze!