Today is National Chocolate Cupcake Day! If you're posting on social media, be sure to tag #ChocolateCupcakeDay.
Chocolate cupcakes can be a chaIlenge, thanks (or no thanks) to chemistry and differences in traditions here and across the pond. If a customer has struggled with a chocolate cake recipe, it may be due to an incompatibility of the recipe and their cocoa powder.
Natural cocoa is acidic. It's recognizable by its reddish hue and tangy, fruity flavor. When natural cocoa is washed in an alkaline solution, it becomes "Dutched".
Dutched cocoa has a neutral pH, and can range in color from mahogany to dark brown. Its taste is smoother, earthier and more chocolatey than natural cocoa.
Black cocoa has been 'double dutched', raising its pH into the alkaline range. Think Oreo cookie in color and flavor.
This difference in cocoa chemistry can wreak havoc on sensitive baked goods, which means that we have some detective work ahead of us to help customers solve their chocolate cake challenges.
When my recipe says cocoa, does it mean natural or dutched?
In the US, recipes calling for cocoa generally mean natural cocoa, like Hershey's. If the only leavener in the recipe is baking soda, then natural cocoa is the best fit for the recipe.
European recipes calling for cocoa typically mean Dutched cocoa. If the only leavener in the recipe is baking powder, then it's likely that the intended cocoa is Dutched cocoa.
Recipes with cocoa, baking powder and baking soda, such as those that also call for buttermilk, are usually compatible with either cocoa, but Dutched cocoa will give you a better (and more reliable) rise. The baking powder won't care where the cake mix ends up on the pH spectrum in order to do its work.
Why does my chocolate cake taste.....soapy?
Those of us raised on baking soda and water in lieu of alka-seltzer can answer this question. Too much baking soda leads to a soapy taste, so if you use Dutched cocoa in a recipe that only has baking soda as the leavener, the lack of an acid balance leaves us with an unpleasant result.
WANT MORE NATIONAL CALENDAR DAY LOVE?
If you would like to know the national foodie days in advance, you can download the 2023 calendar for free! Looking for next year's calendar? The 2024 weekly calendar is also available.
