Regular Cocoa or Dutch Cocoa Powder

Q: What is the difference between regular and Dutch cocoa powders?

A: Both regular and Dutch cocoa powders are the unsweetened powder made from grinding roasted cocoa beans. However, Dutch cocoa powder goes through an alkalisation process which makes it less acidic, and hence less 'bitter', and darker in colour.

They are interchangeable but Dutch cocoa powder will generally give a deeper, richer flavour. It’s interesting to note that recipes containing bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) may rely on the acidity of the cocoa powder to activate the bicarb if there are no other acidic ingredients included in the mix.

Using Dutch cocoa powder in these recipes will mean that the bicarbonate of soda won’t be activated, and the final texture will be denser and heavier in texture due to the lack of leavening. So, when choosing which one to use in your baking, first check if the recipe contains bicarbonate of soda and, if so, if there is another acidic ingredient that can activate it - if it doesn’t, then it's always best to use regular cocoa powder.

For all other recipe that don’t contain bicarbonate of soda you can use whichever cocoa you wish, but keep in mind that Dutch cocoa will give you a more intense chocolate flavour.