It took me several years of smiling and nodding and generally pretending to understand the conversation when people were discussing the merits of cacao powder before I finally researched the difference between cacao powder and cocoa powder. (I had thought cacao was just a pretentious way of saying cocoa—you say tom-AY-to, I say tom-AH-to. Boy, was I wrong!) Both products originate from the same source—cocoa beans, which are the seeds of the theobroma cacao tree, a small evergreen tree native to South America. However, the key difference between the two lies in their processing.
Cacao Powder
Cacao is cold-pressed from unroasted cocoa beans, thus separating the fat (cacao butter—also awesome stuff!) while retaining the natural enzymes and flavonoids (antioxidants). Essentially, it’s a raw food and the majority of the health benefits attributed to chocolate are actually health benefits of cacao.
Cocoa Powder
Cocoa powder, on the other hand, comes from cocoa beans roasted at temperatures of 350-400 degrees Farenheit. Supposedly, this gives it a sweeter taste than cacao powder. Unfortunately, these temperatures are high enough to break down the enzymes and reduce the antioxidant levels of the cocoa powder. It still contains an average of 10% flavonoids on a dry-weight basis, so it still has some health benefits, but not nearly as many as cacao powder.
Practical Uses
From a practical standpoint, I use both products in our household, and the vast majority of my recipes can use them interchangeably without altering the taste. However, if I know I’m going to be baking with it (for instance, my black-bean brownies or chocolate cake), then I’ll use cocoa powder to save money (cacao powder is definitely more expensive than cocoa powder). If I’m going to use it in popsicles, smoothies, ice cream or icing, then I use cacao powder to maximize the health benefits.