Chocolate Liqueur

What Is Cocoa Powder? 

Cocoa powder—whether Dutch-processed or otherwise, is dried and pulverized cocoa solids. It’s naturally unsweetened, so recipes that use cocoa powder will also call for sugar to get the taste you’re looking for. 

How Is Dutch-Processed Cocoa Different? 

Natural cocoa powder is untreated, so it maintains its light brown color and is slightly acidic, with a pH between five and six. 

Dutch-processed cocoa powder (also referred to as Dutched chocolate, European-style or alkalized) is made from beans that have been washed with an alkaline solution that neutralizes that natural acidity and raises their pH to closer to seven. 

The process gives the powder a darker color and a smoother, softer flavor. Dutch cocoa is also not quite as chocolaty as natural cocoa. It’s milder overall (but still tasty). 

Leavening agents like baking soda require acid to generate the reaction that gives bakes like cakes, cookies and quick bread their rise. If there’s no acid in the recipe, the baking soda won’t work. In many cocoa-based recipes, cocoa powder (that’s the natural stuff), provides the acid the soda needs. However, if you substitute in Dutch cocoa, you might not get the bubbling and lift you need. 

If your recipe calls for baking powder or includes an acidic ingredient like yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk, feel free to sub in Dutch-processed cocoa for a smoother flavor.