Baking with cocoa powder--how to remove bitter flavor?
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Interesting. The bit about baking powder rings a bell for me. I taste a slight bitterness in baking powder biscuits. I actually like the slight but distinctive flavor, probably because I grew up tasting it. I also like to taste the salt in piecrust, so go figure.
OP, I don’t think I’d add soda to the brownie recioe. I would find a fudgy brownie recipe that would call for less baking powder. Also there might be a buttermilk brownie recipe somewhere. With buttermilk as an ingredient, you would use less baking powder and some baking soda.
I personally prefer a cakey brownie, but many people prefer a fudgier brownie. The fudgy brownie does not rise in the oven as much, and stays softer. Using less baking powder should result in the latter, I think.
Interesting. The bit about baking powder rings a bell for me. I taste a slight bitterness in baking powder biscuits. I actually like the slight but distinctive flavor, probably because I grew up tasting it. I also like to taste the salt in piecrust, so go figure.
OP, I don’t think I’d add soda to the brownie recioe. I would find a fudgy brownie recipe that would call for less baking powder. Also there might be a buttermilk brownie recipe somewhere. With buttermilk as an ingredient, you would use less baking powder and some baking soda.
I personally prefer a cakey brownie, but many people prefer a fudgier brownie. The fudgy brownie does not rise in the oven as much, and stays softer. Using less baking powder should result in the latter, I think.
The logic in adding baking soda is to balance out the acidity. I really think it's the acidity that's causing it, because Dutch processed doesn't have that issue, and the acidity is taken out of the cocoa beans before they're cooked and processed.
Besides, most recipes with regular cocoa powder call for a little bit of baking soda anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina
I think you might be using wrong cocoa. There is cocoa for baking and there is cocoa for drinking. Use the right one and see the difference. Try to use a good quality for baking. https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitc...king-chocolate
Or maybe you just use too much of it...
If there is" that weird almost copper or burnt "cocoa" flavor that doesn't taste like chocolate" then maybe, indeed, your cake is just a bit burn, which taste bitter. You wouldn't see the "burn" on chocolate cake, but you definitely will taste it.
Too long in the oven or baking temperature too high.
BTW: Too much baking powder can cause the batter to be bitter tasting. It can also cause the batter to rise rapidly and then collapse.
The normal proportion is about 1 to 2 teaspoons per 1 cup of flour.
Hershey's anything is the worst quality anyway...
The flavor is in my batter and in the cocoa itself, so I doubt the problem is overcooking. I added some baking soda, and it didn't have that really strong taste once I mixed the batter, so I think the acidity has something to do with it. I guess I'll let you guys know how it turns out.
Edit: it must have had something to do with the baking soda. I added some to my latest batter, and these did not have that odd flavor.
Last edited by Wannabe Writer; 09-21-2019 at 03:05 PM..
Idk about baking with it, but maybe the same principle can be used with the beverage?
So I know what you mean! I've played around with the ingredients and...
I use cacao powder (pre-mixed with cinnamon, sugar, & vanilla), milk (I use lactose-free 2%), add a pinch of salt (I use sea salt -- don't take much!), and add more sugar (I use just plain white sugar).
Now, you will have to play around with the right balance of each and write down what works. I had to add more milk and use less cacao than what I started out with, and I had to adjust the amount of sugar and salt with that. Don't under or overdo the salt -- that part is sensitive and important -- makes a huge difference!
Hope that helps someone -- I know this post is kind of old.
Adding baking soda helped a lot, but does anyone know how to actually make this stuff taste like chocolate?
I hate to get all Ina Gartner on you, but... You need to use GOOOOOOD cocoa powder.
Hershey's, Toll House, and all of the other common generic cocoas you find on the grocery store shelves are OK, but if you want to bake something with a real chocolate punch you need to go premium.
I agree with the other people here: Dutch-processed cocoa is best. My favorite cocoa for baking is Droste, an imported cocoa powder from Holland. It's the real McCoy: Dutch-processed cocoa from the company that invented Dutch-processed cocoa in Holland almost 300 years ago. I usually buy it at a nearby World Market store. A small half-pound box is about $9. (A nearby grocery store also sells the same box for $12.) Droste makes a huge difference. Everything I bake with this cocoa becomes "death by chocolate." The chocolate flavor just slugs you in the mouth in a good way. It's worth every penny.
Try adding yogurt, buttermilk or mayonnaise to your recipe, I also have trouble with cheap Cocoa powder and thats what I learnt to do. Also don't cook it at too high of a temperature, maybe use baking powder instead of baking soda.
I use Kruger cocoa powder in baking recipes chocolate cakes... and ad muscovado, brown sugar or light color brown sugar, bourbon vanilla sachet, powder cinnamon.
Those who pointed you toward baking soda are right on target. A recipe calling for regular cocoa powder will call for baking soda as a leavening agent, while one that uses Dutch-processed cocoa will call for baking powder. Dutch-processed cocoa is treated with alkali, which neutralizes the acidity, mellows the flavor, and darkens the cocoa powder.
Using Dutch-processed cocoa is not "the easy way out." Recipes specify one or the other as the two types of cocoa powder are not interchangeable. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will give you the rich chocolatey flavor you are missing. Droste, as others have suggested, is a very good brand that you can generally find in high-end grocery stores.
Last edited by kj1065; 09-06-2022 at 10:01 AM..
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