Processing Cocoa

• Unlike carob, cocoa beans do contain cocoa butter, which is a natural fat. Once a cocoa bean is processed into cocoa liquor, it can be turned into one of three products: baking chocolate, cocoa powder or sweetened variations of chocolate. Raw cocoa powder has been pressed to remove most -- but not all -- of the butterfat.

Types of Cocoa

• Just as there are several types of chocolate available, variations of cocoa powder indicate ingredient additives. Raw cocoa powder is bitter, not to be confused with sweetened cocoa powder used for drink mixes. Dutch process cocoa -- also known as European cocoa or Dutched cocoa – is cocoa powder treated with alkali to improve richness and reduce the cocoa's natural acid. Natural cocoa – also known as American cocoa or nonalkalized cocoa – has no additives.

Baking

• When substituting cocoa powder for carob in baking, if the recipe calls for baking soda, go with natural cocoa over Dutch process cocoa. The acid in the raw cocoa will react with the baking soda to help your baked goods rise. Cocoa powder has a stronger flavor than carob powder, so although you can substitute the powders cup-for-cup, you may want to use a little less cocoa powder in recipes calling for carob powder. The small amount of fat in the cocoa powder will not affect your recipe.

Cooking

• Cooking with chocolate was popular long before it became the treat we know today. Used in its raw powder form and blended with spices such as chili pepper, it becomes a rub for meats or a base for sauces such as moles (pronounced "mo-lays"). When substituting raw cocoa for carob in a savory recipe, look for natural, nonalkalized cocoa. The natural acid in the cocoa powder will help it to blend with your other ingredients. The little bit of added fat has a negligible affect.