What is the difference between sweetened and unsweetened chocolate

When natural cocoa an acid is used in recipes calling for baking soda an alkali , it creates a leavening action that causes the batter to rise when placed in the oven. Popular brands are Hershey's, Ghirardelli, and Scharffen Berger. Cocoa powder can also be used in recipes with other chocolates unsweetened or dark and this combination produces a cake with a more intense chocolate flavor than if the cocoa wasn't present.

Most recipes call for sifting the cocoa powder with the flour but to bring out its full flavor it can be combined with a small amount of boiling water. If you want to try this in a recipe, substitute some of the liquid in the recipe for boiling water. Often times, you may notice that more butter and leavening agent are used in recipes containing cocoa powder.

This is to offset cocoa powder's drying and strengthening affect in cakes. There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch-processed and it is best to use the type specified in the recipe as the leavening agent used is dependent on the type of cocoa powder. Some prefer using Dutch-processed cocoa as a slight bitterness may be tasted in cakes using natural cocoa and baking soda.

Note: Due to the differences between natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powders, do not substitute one for the other in recipes. Note: Do not confuse unsweetened natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powder with sweetened cocoa drink mixes.

These morsels of sweetened chocolate have added stabilizers to help them hold their shape when baked into cookies. As a result, we don't recommend using them in chocolate sauces or puddings, but they do produce acceptable results when substituted for bittersweet or semisweet chocolate in a simple brownie recipe. Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate can be interchanged in most recipes, but expect variations in flavor. Superfood: Dark Chocolate. All rights reserved.

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