Cacao vs Cocoa Powder for Baking
Cacao powder and cocoa powder are not a spelling mistake but are two very different ingredients.
Let’s start with what they both have in common, chocolate!
Chocolate is made from the beans of a cacao tree. In their raw form, cacao beans have a very bitter taste. For these bitter beans to become the sweet, velvety products we’ve become familiar with, they undergo a fermentation process.
The cacao beans are roasted, ground into a liquid, and mixed with other ingredients like cocoa butter, vanilla, and sugar. Voila, now you have chocolate.
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The Difference Between Cacao and Cocoa
Cacao powder is made from the fermented cacao bean. The beans are roasted at a low temperature before milling into powder.
Since cacao beans are not roasted at high temperatures, they retain most of their nutritional value. This is why cacao powder is often referred to as being raw or natural.
Due to low heat, cacao powder retains its nutritional value and signature bitter taste.
Characteristics of cacao powder:
Not roasted Relatively unprocessed It comes in chips, nibs, pastes, powders Free from added ingredients such as sugar, vanilla, milk Bitter in taste More nutritional value
Cocoa powder is also made from fermented cacao beans, but these beans are roasted at a high temperature before being milled into powder. Essentially, roasting at a high temperature is what turns cacao into cocoa.
Some brands of cocoa powder can be made with added sweeteners and milk, which doesn’t make them vegan or suitable for baking. They are sold as drink mixes for making hot cocoa.
Most cocoa powder has been processed with an alkaline solution to reduce acidity and increase richness. They are often referred to as dutch-processed cocoa powder.
Characteristics of cocoa powder:
- Roasted
- Processed with alkali (Dutch-processed) to reduce the sharp, acidic flavor
- It comes in a wide array of forms
- Typically contain added ingredients such as sugar, vanilla, milk
- Sweet in taste
- Less nutritional value
Substituting Cacao Powder for Cocoa Powder in Baking Recipes
It’s important to know how each reacts when mixed with other baking ingredients.
Usually, it’s best to stick to whatever the recipe calls for. But if you’ve found yourself in a pinch with only one on hand, here are a few things to remember:
- Cacao powder has a stronger and more bitter flavor, so you’ll want to use less of it than you would cocoa powder. With cocoa powder, it’s okay to be a little heavy-handed.
- Cacao powder absorbs more liquids than cocoa powder. Adjust your recipe accordingly depending on which you are substituting.
- When using cacao powder, use baking soda as a leavening agent. If using cocoa powder, use baking powder as a leavening agent. Cacao powder contains acidity, which reacts with baking soda. Baking soda doesn’t react with cocoa powder due to a lack of acidity.
- If baking raw desserts or following a drink recipe, you will be able to get away with a direct substitute.
Should I choose cacao powder or cocoa powder for baking?
Ultimately, the choice is yours. Both cacao powder and cocoa powder will bring a deep chocolatey flavor to your baking. It’s always good to try both and get familiar with the differences in flavor and your taste preferences.
While cacao powder has more health benefits, it’s also the pricier option.
How to use cacao powder
Cacao is a super tasty and more nutritious way to increase that rich chocolate flavor in cookies, cakes, and brownies. You can also add cacao powder to smoothies, oatmeal, trail mix, and festive drinks.
You’ll find that many vegan recipes call for cacao powder. When you mix cacao powder with ingredients like bananas, dates, avocados, and nut milk, you end up with some pretty tasty vegan desserts.
Talking so much about cocoa has got me thinking…
Hi there!! Thank you so much for imparting your wisdom. I am a longtime vegan and very new to baking (trying to bake delicious things for a kitty rescue) well I chose cacao powder by default thinking it would be the healthier choice, and attempted to make a chocolate banana bread. I only had baking soda at the time (had no idea about soda vs powder) and although it tasted extremely delicious…well my sad loaf didn’t rise really…I kept it for 70 minutes at 180 Celsius and just sort of came out like a raw banana brownie. I have got baking powder now and I’m going to give it another go, but I am so sad my loaf didn’t rise. I’m quite embarrassed sharing the photo that’s almond butter on top forgive me 🙏 Any advice would be so appreciated, the bakers in this volunteer group are wizards and I’m feeling quite disappointed in myself. Thank you for your amazing website and work 🥰
Hi Tara! First off, let me just say how wonderful it is that you’re baking for such a kind cause. I’m sure your kitty rescue will be grateful for your efforts! Don’t be too hard on yourself! Every baker has been there, trust me! Even the wizards in your group have had their learning curves. Your loaf tasting delicious is already a win, and I’m sure the almond butter on top made it even better. Baking is all about experimenting and finding what works best for you.
Using cacao powder was a great choice for a richer, healthier flavor, so you’re on the right track there! The rise issue was likely due to the baking soda and the lack of an acid to activate it (such as vinegar or lemon juice) but now that you’ve got baking powder, you should be all set for your next try.
Banana bread can also be a bit tricky since bananas add so much moisture, so keeping it at a lower temperature for longer was actually really smart.
If you’d like to give a different recipe a try, I’d suggest my vegan banana bread recipe. I make it all the time since it’s a family favorite. I often add a half cup of chocolate chips to the batter. You can also mix in a 1/4 cup of cacao powder with the dry ingredients for chocolate banana bread.
One key tip is to not make the batter too runny. Aim for a thick cake batter that “plops” off the spoon rather than pour. Sort of like this pound cake batter. This will greatly help with the structure of the banana bread. Feel free to adjust the liquid as needed to get the right consistency.
Keep going—you’ve got this! And feel free to share your next loaf. I’m sure it will turn out amazing. 😊
– Jhanelle
Oh my God thank you Ms Golding🥹 honestly I can’t believe you wrote me back, especially with all these thoughtful tips and wisdom. You truly have no idea how grateful I am for your time. Like so many others finding your fabulous site I love animals and I will keep trying my best for the kitties. I so hope your kindness comes back to you a thousandfold. Thank you for everything 🐾
Thank you so much for the explaining the flavor differences. I’ve been trying to figure out how to use cacao instead of cocoa, and lots of places talk about the difference in the bean production. I needed to know how it would affect what I make.
No problem Daniel!
Can I use a drinking cacao powder, loving earth, in a chocolate cake recipe instead of cocoa powder!?
Hi Susan,
Drinking cacao won’t work for a cake recipe since there are other ingredients the drink mix. It’s best to use pure cocoa powder.