As a result of not having been alkalinized, which results in naturally occurring sour, bitter, and astringent characteristics, natural cocoa powder has the lightest hue of all cocoa powders. Science Direct claims that real cocoa powder has a higher concentration of the polyphenols that make it a nutritious meal and that its inherent bitterness can be used to counteract the sweetness in recipes. The term "cocoa powder" in a U.S. recipe often refers to natural cocoa powder.

Because of its acidity, natural cocoa powder is often asked for in recipes where baking soda is used as a rising agent. This acidity reacts with baking soda's alkaline nature, giving your chocolate-flavored baked goods a proper rise. Natural cocoa powder's fat level can range greatly, from Hershey's Cocoa Powder's 10% fat to higher-fat varieties like Gerbs Allergy Friendly Foods, which has a 21.4 percent fat content.

According to Hershey, unsweetened baking chocolate can be replaced with natural cocoa powder by using three tablespoons of cocoa powder for every ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate and one tablespoon of shortening to replace the cocoa butter present in baking chocolate. Additionally, it can be used to provide a fruity, bittersweet flavor to hot cocoa and to lighten the color of icing. Before consumers started demanding a more vibrant red and bakers turned to food coloring, the anthocyanins in the natural cocoa powder were responsible for the reddish hue of early versions of red velvet cake, according to Mashed.

The potassium carbonate wash used to alkalinize dutched cocoa powder results in richer, earthier flavors as well as a darker color. According to Science Direct, the "Dutching" process, which results in this milder-tasting cocoa powder with undertones of caramel, is called in honor of the Dutch chocolate manufacturer Conrad van Houten, who developed it. Dutched cocoa powder is used in recipes that use baking powder in addition to baking soda or that include an acidic component to react with the alkaline raising agent, even though many recipes call for natural cocoa powder.

Ghirardelli's Majestic Premium Cocoa Powder, which ranges from 20 to 22 percent fat, and Valrhona Cocoa Powder, which is 21.4 percent fat, are two brands of dutched cocoa powder whose fat content varies by brand but is normally on the higher end. To prevent leaving a white coating on darker baked goods, you can flour pans for chocolate cakes, cookies, and brownies with dutched cocoa powder. Dutched cocoa powder lends a richer, deeper color and flavor to recipes. Dutch cocoa powder is a good choice for enhancing spicy dishes like chili due to its earthier, mellower flavor.

Another option on the scale of Dutched cocoa powders is rouge or scarlet cocoa powder. While having a higher pH and being more alkalized than standard Dutched cocoa powder, red cocoa powder isn't quite as alkalinized as black cocoa powder. The Dutching procedure gives the red cocoa powder a rich, burgundy-like reddish tint. The popular and well-reviewed Cocoa Rouge Powder is made by Guittard, a chocolate company. According to Guittard, this cocoa powder has a fudgy, bittersweet flavor that is perfect for cakes and other baked products because of its 20% fat content.

When seeking "real chocolate flavor", King Arthur Baking, another manufacturer of red cocoa powder, advises using it in frostings and chocolate sauces. The cocoa powder from King Arthur Baking has a fat content of 22 to 24 percent. While red velvet cake often uses natural (undusted) cocoa powder, red cocoa powder can also add a reddish tint to dishes that call for an acid like buttermilk.

Double-Dutch cocoa powder is a blended cocoa powder, not the consequence of stopping the Dutching process at a certain moment like red cocoa powder. It is best used in recipes for darker hues and richer chocolate flavors since it combines the greatest qualities of Dutch cocoa powder and black cocoa powder to produce a dark chocolate flavor.

Double-Dutch cocoa powder yields a rich chocolate flavor without the limitations of using pure black cocoa powder because it combines black cocoa powder (which can be borderline bitter and result in a drier outcome in baked goods) with classic Dutch cocoa powder. Depending on the amount of Double-Dutch cocoa powder in a recipe, it can also be used to bake pastries that are darker and closer to the shades of black cocoa powder. In order to achieve an "intense" chocolate flavor in baked products like brownies, cookies, and cakes, King Arthur Baking suggests using this cocoa powder, which has 16 to 18 percent fat.

Another blended cocoa powder is called triple cocoa powder, and it combines the benefits of many distinct cocoa powders to produce an all-in-one, well-balanced product. According to King Arthur Baking, black cocoa powder, natural cocoa powder, and Dutch cocoa powder are combined to create a triple cocoa powder. This brand-specific cocoa powder is exceptional as an all-purpose cocoa powder and is exclusive to King Arthur Baking.

Due to the presence of black cocoa powder, this peculiar cocoa powder is darker than natural or Dutched cocoa powder. With a modest amount of cocoa fat in the range of 18 to 20 percent, it has the earthier, mellower notes of a Dutched cocoa powder coupled with some of the acidity and more rounded fruity chocolate notes of natural cocoa powder. Better still? It is a useful addition to your pantry that can be used in any recipe because it can be used to replace either Dutch or natural cocoa powder.

According to parent firm Barry Callebaut, Bensdorp is a 180-year-old Dutch chocolate brand that creates premium cocoa powders from exclusively obtained West African cacao beans. The only location for a home chef to purchase Bensdorp Dutched cocoa powder is King Arthur Baking. This dark-colored, somewhat reddish cocoa powder is made in Europe and has a robust chocolate flavor.

It can be used as a stand-in for Dutched cocoa powder, which sometimes calls for baking soda or another acidic ingredient in baked goods and pastries recipes. Like conventional Dutched cocoa powder, Bensdorp powder has many applications and can be used to provide rounded, full-flavored chocolate notes to frosting, brownies, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods. This cocoa powder has a deeper flavor due to its greater fat content (22 to 24 percent fat). It works well in unbaked recipes like homemade hot fudge sauce and hot cocoa.

Black cocoa powder is probably not something you'll find on the typical grocery store shelf. This unique product is a type of Dutched cocoa powder that has undergone additional alkalinization, resulting in a dark cocoa powder with a significantly higher pH than other variants. According to Modern Mountain Flour Company, black cocoa powder can be used in place of Dutched cocoa powders but not natural cocoa powders to create dark-baked items. It's best to just replace a portion of the cocoa powder in a recipe when using it as a stand-in, advises Mashed. Black cocoa powder works best when combined with other types of cocoa powder because using it alone can result in dry, crumbly baked items.

This might be in part because it has less fat than Modern Mountain Flour, which has around 14 percent fat compared to Weirdo Good's 10 percent. You're on the right road if the color of black cocoa powder makes you think of Oreo cookies. True black cocoa powder is possible, but it relies on whether the beans are organic. Weirdo Good, a manufacturer of organic black cocoa, claims that organic standards only permit specific quantities and types of alkalinizing chemicals to be used in the production of black cocoa powder, prohibiting organic products from being as dark as non-organic ones. They point out that a genuinely black cocoa powder has downsides, such as bitter, burnt flavors if the alkalinizing procedure is carried out to an extreme.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, although people have been consuming chocolate in some form since the Aztecs and maybe even earlier civilizations, the first packaged hot chocolate mix was created by a dairy company that overproduced dried milk for the Korean War, giving rise to Swiss Miss. Unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, and typically dried milk are the main ingredients in hot cocoa mixes, however, several are dairy-free. Some businesses use powdered vanilla, and hot cocoa mix may also include additional ingredients to protect the powder from sticking to the pan.

Despite being incredibly wonderful, hot cocoa mixes contain additional chemicals that alter the flavor and texture of baked goods, thus they shouldn't often be used in baking. However, there are several recipes that call for the hot cocoa mix to make hot fudge sauce, flavor waffles, and more.