Calories in Cocoa Powder

When it comes to the cocoa bean, one thinks of its most famous product, chocolate. But to form a bar of chocolate, the cocoa bean must undergo some preparation and cooking. The cocoa beans are left to ferment for several days and then dried, roasted and pressed. A thick paste is formed, that is then refined into a fluid.

This is chocolate liquor. When the liquor is pressed, it forms a cakey mass, free of any fat. The extracted fat is called cocoa butter and is in the form of a thick paste. The pressed cake is then broken into pieces and ground finely to form a dry powdery residue, called cocoa powder, also known as cocoa solids.

The signature thick yet melted taste of chocolate is due to the powdery mass of cocoa powder and the paste-like texture of cocoa butter.

Based on processing techniques, cocoa powder can be of two types.

• When the roasted beans powder is used directly, the resulting taste is more acerbic and bitter, with a raw feel. This is natural cocoa powder, known for its distinctive strong taste and dark coloring.

• Dutch-processed cocoa powder is treated with an alkali; either the beans are washed with a potassium solution prior to being pressed or the pressed powder cake is treated with an alkali. The result is a sweeter, lighter in color, powder.

Dutch-processed cocoa powder mixes easily with other ingredients and has a milder, less bitter taste as compared to natural cocoa. Cocoa powder can be heavily "dutched" to form a darker powder like black cocoa powder.

Where is cocoa powder used? For a rich chocolaty taste in a cake or brownie, add some natural cocoa powder. Its acidic properties have a leavening effect on the batter, causing the mix to rise with heat. It is often used with baking soda.

Dutch-processed cocoa is not so acidic in nature, hence baking powder must be added to the recipe to cause the batter to rise. Due to such different effects, one must strictly use the type of cocoa powder mentioned in the recipe. Do not confuse sweetened cocoa powder with the Dutch or natural one.

This sort of powder has been sweetened with sugar or vanilla to provide a much sweeter flavor. It is often used as a powder to form chocolate based drinks, like hot chocolate or chocolate milk.

There are health benefits associated with cocoa but is cocoa powder good for health? The tabular comparison of the calories in cocoa powder, unsweetened and sweetened and different commercial brands, will help analyze its nutritional value.

From a comparison of calorific values, one can see that the calories in unsweetened natural cocoa powder are minimal. As most baking recipes call for 1-2 tablespoons of this ingredient, there is no real harm in using such cocoa powder.

Dutch-processed cocoa, which is processed further to turn sweet, does have a higher calorie value, but is not alarmingly high. Cocoa powder has a low fat and sugar content. Plus it contains a lot of antioxidants and phytosterols. Antioxidants strengthen the cardiovascular system while phytosterols help reduce the effects of cholesterol in the body.

In conclusion, the calories in cocoa powder are very little and will not hamper any weight loss efforts. The real danger, calorie- and sugar-wise, lies in cocoa mix drinks or sweetened cocoa powder used to make hot chocolate. This type of cocoa powder is further processed and has a considerable sugar content, so limit your intake of cocoa mix drinks and do not add additional sugar to them.