Using Dutch Process Cocoa Powder

by Susan on 12/16/09 at 9:41 am

Alkalized Dutch cocoa for delicate and fancier baking

Are you baking something chocolaty for the holidays?  Many of the better recipes call for “Dutch process cocoa” as an ingredient when making rich and fudgy cakes or fillings.  What is the difference between Dutch process cocoa, often considered a premium product (that may be expensive and hard to find) and plain cocoa?

Plain, natural cocoa is a dried byproduct of the process that extracts cocoa butter from the cocoa bean.  By itself, it is very bitter.  However, when blended with other ingredients, such as sugar, eggs and flour, it combines to create the irresistible flavors in chocolate cake, cookies, pudding and brownies.

Discovered in Holland in 1928, Dutch process cocoa is regular cocoa that has been treated with small amounts of an alkaline solution, which helps neutralize its natural acidity.  This makes the cocoa powder darker in color, mellower in flavor and silkier in texture.  It will also dissolve in liquids more easily. Because of these properties, Dutch process cocoa is often recommended for delicate and fancier baked goods, such as pastries, icings, custards and other creations.

Read your recipe carefully and note the other ingredients.  Dutch process cocoa powder is alkalized, and therefore, it does not contain enough acidity to activate baking soda, which is used to increase volume and lighten the texture of many recipes.  Therefore, Dutch process cocoa should only be used in recipes that call for baking powder, which contains cream of tartar, or in recipes that have other acidic ingredients, such as buttermilk or vinegar.

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