What Is Dutch process chocolate and How Can I Use It?
Wondering what to do with dutch process chocolate? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it, plus 2 recipes to put it to work.
Key Points
- Dutch process chocolate is alkali-treated to mellow acidity and darken the color.
- It tastes rounder and smoother than natural cocoa and looks deep reddish-brown.
- Being near-neutral, it does not react with baking soda the way natural cocoa does.
- Match leavening to the cocoa; swapping blind can ruin the rise or taste soapy.
What is dutch process chocolate?
Dutch process chocolate is chocolate or cocoa that has been treated with an alkali to mellow its flavor and darken its color. The process, invented in the Netherlands, neutralizes the natural acidity of cacao, so a Dutched cocoa tastes smoother and less sharp than natural chocolate and looks deep reddish-brown.
The flavor is rounder and more "chocolatey," which is why Dutch process shows up in rich, dark cakes and European-style baking.
The catch is the chemistry. Natural cocoa is acidic, and that acid is what reacts with baking soda to make a batter rise. Alkalized cocoa is close to neutral, so it does not feed baking soda the same way.
That is why it matters which one a recipe calls for. A recipe written for Dutch process usually leans on baking powder, which carries its own acid. A recipe written for natural cocoa relies on the cocoa's acidity plus baking soda.
Swap one for the other without adjusting the leavening and the cake can rise poorly or taste soapy.
If you must substitute, match the leavening to the cocoa. For Dutch process where the recipe expected natural, add a pinch of an acid such as cream of tartar, or switch part of the baking soda to baking powder.
Store it like any chocolate, cool and dry and sealed, around 65°F (18°C).
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 荷兰流程巧克力
- British (UK) term
- Dutch process chocolate
- en français
- dutch chocolat au processus
- en español
- Proceso holandés
Recipes using dutch process chocolate
There are 2 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Light & Easy Chocolate Cheese Filled Angel Cake
This lighter chocolate dessert has a bonus because it is also easy to prepare. Plan to make this recipe one day ahead to let the yogurt drain in your refrigerator.
Very Best Chocolate Cake
Rich chocolate Bundt cake made with Dutch process cocoa, espresso, buttermilk, and five eggs, topped with a glossy bittersweet chocolate glaze. A deeply chocolatey, bakery-quality cake.
