The Smell of Cocoa

[ShuBunny]

Hi folks,

Is it just me? I find unsweetened cocoa more fragrant (floral notes) than dutch cocoa. But dutch cocoa more tasty.
For ref, I'm comparing ghiradeli's unsweetened cocoa and callebaut's dutch cocoa.

What are your views on the smell of cocoa.
And no, I did not snort any...

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Fragrance fragrance of cocoa really isn’t a factor in selecting cocoa. The first real difference is selecting an alkalized (dutch processed) versus natural cocoa powder.

Cocoa powder is naturally acidic. Since we can detect the acidity it will mask some of cocoa flavors. By neutralizing some of the acids, we can taste more of the chocolate. People often say alkalizing the cocoa powder makes it milder, which I guess if you think of acidity and as strong and a base as mild, then I guess it is milder.

Every chocolatier uses different varieties and quality of cocoa beans to make a number of chocolate products. Just as Valrhona is markedly different in flavor from a Hershey chocolate bar, the cocoa powders made from these beans will vary greatly by these different brand.

There is also differences in starch/fat content of the cocoa powder. The cocoa powder is made from the leftover cocoa nibs after the cocoa butter has been extracted. there’s some residual cocoa butter in these nibs. Better quality cocoa powders have high cocoa butter fat content. When a cocoa powder has a lower cocoa butter fat content, that means it has a higher starch content. So it will absorb more liquid, competing for free water in batters and doughs. Batters and those will be drier, thicker; cakes will be denser, lower in rise; cookies more crumbly. Baked goods will not taste as rich and smooth.

The leavening has to be considered when baking with cocoa powder. Baking soda is an alkaline (base) as is alkalized cocoa powder (Dutch processed). Baking soda needs an acid to activate, so when using alkalized (dutch processed) cocoa powder, you need to use baking powder as it is an acid.

When using natural cocoa powder (acidic), baking soda (alkaline) needs to be used as a leavener.

 

[ShuBunny]

Hi @Norcalbaker59,

If the leavenings and the cocoa butter amount are taken into consideration, will using a mix of unsweetened cocoa and Dutch cocoa improve both the taste and the fragrance of the end product?

Or better idea to select a Dutch OR an unsweetened cocoa without mixing them up?

Thank you!

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Hi @Norcalbaker59,

If the leavenings and the cocoa butter amount are taken into consideration, will using a mix of unsweetened cocoa and Dutch cocoa improve both the taste and the fragrance of the end product?

Or better idea to select a Dutch OR an unsweetened cocoa without mixing them up?

Thank you!

@ShuBunny
No you cannot mix the different cocoa powders because one is alkalized and the other is not. If you mix them then it totally defeats the purpose of the alkalized cocoa powder, which is to reduce the acidity so you can taste the chocolate flavor.

As a general rule you don’t want to mix two brands of chocolate because each one has their distinct flavors.

Usually if you go with a good quality brand like Callebaut CP77, Cacoa Berry, Bendorps (which is a Callebaut brand), Valrhona you will get a good complex cocoa powder with a good fat cocoa butter fat content of around 22% - 24%. Ideally you want a cocoa powder +20% fat. Once you drop below 20% your cocoa powder really isn’t worth much because it is too starchy to make a decent baked good. I use the Callebaut, Bendorps, and Valrhona. I don’t believe any one cocoa powder universal, rather it depends on what you’re baking. When I want a more robust flavor, I go with the Valrhona;; if I am baking chocolate cupcakes for my niece and her friends, I’ll use Bendorps because the Valrhona packs too much chocolate for them.

America’s Test Kitchen recommends Droste, a Dutch brand that is available in a lot of upscale grocery stores in the US. It has 20% fat in it. I’ve never used it, but they did bake and tastes with four different grocery store brands and that one came out on top.

 

[ShuBunny]

@Norcalbaker59
Thank you as always!

I’ll bear in mind these Brands and the 22-24% thumb of rule for the next cocoa powder I get. Noted that valrhona is a strong hit.

Makes sense that the cocoa powder isn’t universal, the same way the chocolates aren’t universal too.