Can You Use Hot Chocolate Powder as Cocoa Powder?

Chocolate powder and cocoa powder are both excellent condiments with a wide range of uses. From beverages to baked sweets, cocoa powder and hot chocolate powder have their exclusive uses, but sometimes they can substitute for one another. So, can you use hot chocolate powder as cocoa powder?

You can use hot chocolate powder instead of cocoa powder, but not everywhere. Since, when they develop cocoa powder, and hot chocolate powder have totally different consistencies, they cannot be interchanged in all cases. Still, hot chocolate powder sometimes works perfectly as a cocoa power substitute.

Although cocoa isn’t a luxury or rare product, and chances are you have some in your cupboard, it is still nice to know how you can substitute it in case you run out or you just want to mix things up. Hot chocolate is a great cocoa substitute, but there are cases where you cannot use it as cocoa powder. Therefore, in the following paragraph, I will discuss where you can use chocolate powder instead of cocoa powder. 

How to Use Hot Chocolate Powder Instead of Cocoa Powder?

You can use hot chocolate powder instead of cocoa if baking cookies or a cake. In general, where the consistency is supposed to be thick and gooey, hot chocolate works perfectly, even though the original recipe may call for cocoa powder. 

Usually, in such cases, the cocoa powder is the primary flavor giver, and the gooey consistency is an achiever with various thickeners. Therefore, using hot chocolate powder to achieve such consistency eliminates the need for other thickeners.

Recipes That Can Use Hot Chocolate Powder As Cocoa Powder

For example, hot chocolate desserts, like hot chocolate mug cakes, hot chocolate cookies, and hot cocoa cupcakes, work great with hot chocolate instead of cocoa powder. 

Of course, you would have to adjust the quantities. Usually, the hot chocolate quantity is less than the cocoa powder when used as a cocoa powder substitute. 

Also, to know how to substitute hot chocolate powder for cocoa powder, you need to know something about their compositions. Cocoa powder comes from actual cocoa and is, therefore, more pungent in taste and creates thinner consistency when developed in liquid. 

When used for baking, it doesn’t affect the consistency, just the flavor, as well as when used in shakes and warm drinks. It gives the beverage that recognizable coca flavor and darkens the color, but it doesn’t make the drink thicker. 

Hot chocolate powder is essentially a mix of ingredients such as milk powder, chocolate, and sweeteners. Therefore, it is thicker and affects the consistency of whatever you are making, from baked desserts to beverages. 

If the beverage is supposed to be thick in consistency, such as a milkshake, for example, feel free to use hot chocolate powder as a cocoa powder substitute anytime. The same goes for baked goods. If the dessert is supposed to come out thick and gooey, you can use hot chocolate powder instead of cocoa powder. 

Hot chocolate powder is a great cocoa powder substitute in Brownies, Whipped Cream, Mug Cake, Pancakes, Oatmeal, Cheesecake Dip, Muddy Buddies, Pudding, or Chocolate-Chip Muffins. 

Keep in mind that the consistency of your baked goods will change, becoming thicker, so in addition to adjusting the hot chocolate powder quantity, you will have to adjust the flour quantity as well. Also, since the hot chocolate powder is already sweet, you may want to reduce the sugar you usually add to your desserts. 

Not many recipes call for hot chocolate powder, as the cocoa powder has already established a name in baking. However, if you adjust the ingredient quantities well, the hot chocolate powder could become your favorite ingredient to bake with.