Cocoa Powder — Baking Glossary

Definition: the dry, defatted chocolate solids ground to a powder, used to add chocolate flavour and colour to bakes.

Cocoa powder comes in two main types, and it’s worth knowing which you have.Natural cocoa is acidic and pairs with bicarbonate of soda;Dutch-processed (alkalised) cocoa is smoother, darker and less acidic, and usually pairs with baking powder. In a red velvet bake, a small amount of cocoa gives that gentle chocolate note and warm colour without making it a full-on chocolate cake. Because cocoa is a dry ingredient, adding too much can dry a bake out.

In practice: sift it in to avoid lumps, and match the type to the recipe’s raising agent.