Type Of Cocoa Powder

What exactly is cocoa powder? Well in the chocolate marketplace it is what results when cacao goes through the cocoa pressing process. When a cacao bean is pressed the majority of the fat which is also known as cocoa butter is taken out of the bean. The cocoa nibs (known to the layman as ground up cacao beans) are ground up between thick stones and the paste that results is called chocolate liquor. The liquor is pressed to remove a large portion of the fat from the beans. After the fat is taken out of the beans a chocolate "cake" is formed. This cake is then broken down and results in powder. There is a large difference between the supplemented powder that is available on supermarket shelves and true cocoa, namely the inclusion of massive amounts of sugar.

There are two different varieties of cocoa powder that are used by bakers and chocolatiers: natural and alkalized (also called Dutch or Dutched cocoa.) Natural cocoa is the lighter brown colored powder and results from the pressing of the nibs described above. Natural cocoa contains no additives to the and the final product is particularly bitter but performs well in baking when combined with other flavors. The chocolate flavor in natural cocoa powder is particularly strong. Alkalized or Dutched cocoa powder is the result of cocoa nibs that are treated with alkalizing solutions that lower the Ph of the ground up beans. Alkalizing cacao nibs creates a wide variety of color variations and taste differences because it reduces the bitterness of the final powder. When cocoa is "Dutched" it is more soluble than non-Dutched cocoa and consequently it is more appropriate for use in drinking chocolate. Alkalized cocoa powder has a significantly milder taste to it but when used in baking it has to be combined with baking soda or used in a recipe that incorporates acidic ingredients so that the alkali in the cocoa powder is well balanced.

Worldwide bakers and chocolatiers each depend on both variations of cocoa powder for their recipes. For some bakers the more acidic taste of natural cocoa powder brings out the true chocolate flavor in their cakes, where as others prefer to use alkalized cocoa to add just a hint of chocolate flavor. The bottom line is that neither of these individual varieties are remotely flavored like the drinking chocolate 'cocoas' stocked on supermarket shelves!

Source : ezinearticles