Callebaut cocoa powder - 1kg bag

Product Information

Find callets, chocolate shavings, cocoa powder and flavoured sauce toppings from Callebaut when you explore our full selection at The Cake Decorating Company. Is Callebaut chocolate good quality? The Dutch process results in a cocoa powder with a neutral pH (not acidic like natural cocoa). This means it cannot be used in recipes that use baking soda as the leavening agent, which relies on the acidity of the cocoa to activate it. Rather, Dutch process cocoa can be used in recipes that use baking powder for leavening. A very distinct stage in the processing of the cocoa beans is treating the beans with alkali, which results in Dutch-processed cocoa powder. This is less acidic, darker, and has a milder flavor compared to natural cocoa, which is acidic, has a lighter color, and a stronger flavor.

The Cacao tree is native to Central America and only grows close to the Equator. Mayans domesticated the Cacao tree 5,000 years ago and considered the plant a gift from the gods. To them and other pre-Columbian civilizations, cocoa was both a ritualistic drink and a currency. After Europeans discovered cocoa and chocolate, their appetite led to an increase in the number of cocoa plantations, both in Central and South America, but also in Asia. At this stage, which is usually done in factories, the beans can be ground into the so-called “chocolate liquor” (cocoa paste), from which chocolate can be obtained directly. Also, the cocoa paste can be separated into cocoa butter and cocoa powder, and processed further. Valrhona is one of the most renowned chocolate producers in the world. The French company was established in 1922 by Pastry Chef Albéric Guironnet, who wanted to produce the best artisan chocolate, balancing flavors and texture. Today, Valrhona is the brand of chocolate and cocoa powder used by many pastry chefs and chocolatiers.

The Dutch process was developed in the early 19th century by a Dutch chocolate maker Coenraad Johannes van Houten. This development greatly expanded the use of chocolate, which had been mostly used as a beverage in Europe until that time. The powder is rich in flavonol antioxidants, substances that turn it into a superfood, but are partially lost when the cocoa powder is processed. This is partially the reason for which professional chefs recommend Dutch-processed cocoa for desserts that don’t require baking (such as dusting cakes or truffles), and natural cocoa for products that require baking. Dutch-processed cocoa is recommended only for those batters which must remain moist.

Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are the key ingredients of one of the most loved foods on the planet, chocolate, which gets its melting texture from the presence of cocoa butter. Cocoa powder, known as “food of the Gods” in the Maya civilization of Central America, is a well-known dessert ingredient and superfood. Obtained from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, also known as “the chocolate tree”, cocoa powder is a solid that results from grinding the seeds after the cocoa butter is extracted.There are countless brands of cocoa powder and choosing one depends on several factors, such as budget, nutritional recommendations, type of dessert, and, of course, professional chef recommendations.