There are a lot of variations of cocoa powder. Two of the most prominent types around the world are the Dutch-processed cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder.

Dutch-processed cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been treated with a potassium solution.  That neutralizes the acidity of the cocoa beans.

On the other hand, natural cocoa powder is derived from the cocoa beans that have been simply roasted and then reduced and pulverized into a fine powder.

Aside from being added in order to neutralize the acid, the process of Dutching the cocoa powder makes the cocoa darker and helps in mellowing the flavor that is evident from the beans. Some companies that are located in the United States do not choose to Dutch-process their cocoa beans since cocoa beans do not need to be neutralized.  Top brands in the market such as Hershey’s and Nestle use natural cocoa powder.

Because natural cocoa powder doesn’t have its acidity altered, it is usually paired with baking soda in recipes, while Dutch-process cocoa is normally used with baking powder.

Many classic American sweet treats, like the widely-known Devil’s Food cake, utilize natural cocoa powder. A reddish crumb results from the reaction between the natural cocoa powder and the baking soda giving recipes like the Devil’s Food cake its classic coloring.

According to a cooking magazine called Fine Cooking, you can substitute natural cocoa powder instead of the Dutch-processed one in almost all recipes but not vice versa. Flavor and texture are the main traits that are affected. But it is strongly recommended to use the type of cocoa powder that is required by the recipe.

However, if your recipe doesn’t call for baking powder or baking soda, or acidic ingredients like sour cream, buttermilk, or vinegar, then you can generally use whatever cocoa you have on hand.

In many cases choosing one type of cocoa from the other results in different outcomes. So you have to choose the type that is really needed to achieve the desired results for different recipes.

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Joanna Maligaya

Staff Writer/Content Developer at Chocolate University Online

Ever since she can remember, Joanna has always considered chocolate as the ultimate food for her soul. She believes in the saying, “9 out of 10 people love chocolate, and the 10th always lies.”

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