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Chocolate, Bitter, Sweet or Powdered Equivalents & Emergency Recipe Substitutions
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Chocolate, Bitter, Sweet or Powdered Equivalents & Emergency Recipe Substitutions
It is always a good time to make something with chocolate. When the mood seizes you, discovering you haven't got a crucial ingredient can ruin the mood. Knowing its "equivalent" or substitution can save the day.
Chocolate is made from the bean of the tropical cacao tree. In its purest baking form chocolate comes powdered, is usually sold in tins and is called cocoa.
There are two types of cocoa in this world; regular cocoa and Dutch cocoa. Dutch cocoa, or alkalized cocoa has reduced the natural acidity of the cocoa bean resulting in a darker, mellower, more chocolaty cocoa powder. For the most part, these can be used interchangeably.
Cocoa powder is not to be confused with those packaged hot cocoa drink mixes, which don't work well in recipes.
Sugar and fat are usually added to cocoa powder for sweetening and consistency and cake! In our kitchens, fat can be in the form of cocoa butter, margarine, butter, vegetable shortening or vegetable oil. Sugars, either powdered or granulated add sweetness and also add to consistency. Powdered sugar will be smoother.
Once we understand the basics of chocolate it makes substituting ingredients much easier. Here are some more definitions and equivalents.
Cocoa: Powdered, chocolate in its most basic form (beyond the bean).
Baking Chocolate: Generally sold in bars and measured in squares of 1 ounce each. Normally has some fat but no sugar content.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Sold in chips or bars. Normally has some fat plus a small amount of sugar.
1 square (1 oz) of baking chocolate = 3 tablespoons cocoa + 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup (or one 6 oz package) of semisweet chocolate = 6 tablespoons cocoa + 7 tablespoons granulated sugar + 1/4 cup shortening
1 cup (or one 6 oz package) of semisweet chocolate = 6 oz or (6 squares) of semi-sweet chocolate
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