Calories in Cocoa Powder

When it comes to the cocoa bean, one thinks of its most famous product, chocolate. But to form a bar of chocolate, the cocoa bean must undergo some preparation and cooking. The cocoa beans are left to ferment for several days and then dried, roasted and pressed. A thick paste is formed, that is then refined into a fluid. This is chocolate liquor. When the liquor is pressed, it forms a cakey mass, free of any fat. The extracted fat is called cocoa butter and is in the form of a thick paste. The pressed cake is then broken into pieces and ground finely to form a dry powdery residue, called cocoa powder, also known as cocoa solids. The signature thick yet melted taste of chocolate is due to the powdery mass of cocoa powder and the paste-like texture of cocoa butter.

Cocoa Powder Types

Based on processing techniques, cocoa powder can be of two types.

• When the roasted beans powder is used directly, the resulting taste is more acerbic and bitter, with a raw feel. This is natural cocoa powder, known for its distinctive strong taste and dark coloring.
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder is treated with an alkali; either the beans are washed with a potassium solution prior to being pressed or the pressed powder cake is treated with an alkali. The result is a sweeter, lighter in color, powder.

Dutch-processed cocoa powder mixes easily with other ingredients and has a milder, less bitter taste as compared to natural cocoa. Cocoa powder can be heavily "dutched" to form a darker powder like black cocoa powder.