For bakers: Natural vs Dutch process cocoa

By ATK
The very name “Dutch-processed” presents a problem when choosing a cocoa powder. The idea that a product treated chemically to remove characteristic flavors might taste better than the original simply runs counter to the basic tenets of ingredient selection. Especially when that original is called "natural." To narrow the field, we tested five Dutched and five natural cocoas separately, first in hot chocolate and then in chocolate shortbread. The top two Dutched cocoas and the top two natural cocoas moved on to compete in a final showdown—an expanded series of tests that included not only hot chocolate and shortbread but also low-fat chocolate pudding, devil's food cake, and chocolate pudding cake. ( Read more... )

For bakers: Natural vs Dutch process cocoa

By ATK
The very name “Dutch-processed” presents a problem when choosing a cocoa powder. The idea that a product treated chemically to remove characteristic flavors might taste better than the original simply runs counter to the basic tenets of ingredient selection. Especially when that original is called "natural." To narrow the field, we tested five Dutched and five natural cocoas separately, first in hot chocolate and then in chocolate shortbread. The top two Dutched cocoas and the top two natural cocoas moved on to compete in a final showdown—an expanded series of tests that included not only hot chocolate and shortbread but also low-fat chocolate pudding, devil's food cake, and chocolate pudding cake. ( Read more... )