6 Ways to use cacao powder in everyday food and life

To many people, cacao is known as one of the most delicious ingredients to make a tasty snack, cake, brownie, etc.

Moreover, it is not only delicious, but it is also full of benefits for our health. To mention some, it is antioxidant, full of magnesium, effective for mood, etc.

If you are a cacao lover and don’t know how exactly to use it in your everyday food, then you are in the right place! We are going to mention some new ways of having cacao in your everyday foods and life.

Do you know the other usages of cacao powder except for baking and cooking?

If not, now it’s the time.

How to use cacao powder?

• Rub the cacao powder on a meat
  The trick for having more delicious and roasted meat is rubbing cacao and olive oil on the meat.
• Pour the cacao powder before baking
  One of the flour alternatives could be the cacao powder; you can dust the cacao powder on the pan before making a brownie or dessert instead of flour.
• Use cacao powder as a moisturizer
  One of the fantastic ways of using cacao powder is using it as a moisturizer and face mask to have soft skin. For making the face mask with cacao powder you should:
  
  1. Mix 1 teaspoon of cacao powder and 2 teaspoons of honey.
  2. Let it be on your skin for about 10 – 15 minutes.
  3. At last, wash your face with warm water.
  Add the cacao powder to your body scrub
  For having the soft and beautiful skin, adding cocoa powder to the body scrub sounds to be a good idea. So, you should add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder to your body scrub.

Other simple ways of using cacao in everyday life

• Chocolate Smoothie (with any fruit)
  Blending banana, strawberry, or any of your favorite fruit with cacao powder seems to be the best option for drinking after a workout or a busy day.
• Add cacao powder to your yogurt
  Just grab a spoon and add some cacao powder to your yogurt and enjoy it.

Is cacao powder the same as a cocoa powder?

As we mentioned earlier in the cacao vs. cocoa blog, both cacao and cocoa come from the same plant, but with some differences.

Cacao is more antioxidant, but it is not as sweet as cocoa. On the other hand, while cocoa has a sweet taste and recommended for baking, it is more processed and contains fewer nutrients and antioxidants.

What are the benefits of eating cacao?

• Protecting the heart
  Cacao increases the antioxidant capacity in the blood plasma, and it is effective in reducing platelet reactivity.
• Regulating insulin levels
  Eating cacao regulates glucose production and regulates insulin levels.
• Lowering the blood pressure
  Another benefit of eating cacao is increasing the blood vessel flexibility and lowering the blood pressure.
• Boosting the mood
  You might have noticed that people who use to eat cacao and chocolates seem to be happier and in a better mood. So, you can give it a try too.
• Antioxidant effects
  The last but not least effect of eating cacao is protecting the cells against the damage from free radicals and keeping the body from premature aging.

What are the delicious cacao powder recipes?

Chocolate coconut cupcake

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Organic Coconut Flour
• 1/2  cup Natural Moreish Almond Flour
• 1 cup Natural Moreish Cacao Powder
• 1-1/2  cup Natural Moreish Coconut Flakes
• 1-3/4 cup Organic Coconut Sugar
• 1/4 cup Natural Moreish Cacao Nibs
• 2 tablespoons Cacao Nibs optional, for garnish
• 2 teaspoons Natural Moreish baking powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoons mineral salt
• 1 cup Natural Moreish Coconut Oil
• 6 eggs
• 2 teaspoons Natural Moreish pure vanilla extract
• A few tablespoons Nut milk or any milk

Whipped Coconut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 cup Natural Moreish Coconut Butter
• 2 tablespoons Natural Moreish Organic Coconut Syrup (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Natural Moreish pure vanilla extract

How to make chocolate coconut cupcakes?

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine coconut flour, almond flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and shredded coconut until well incorporated.
3. Now, mix the coconut oil, coconut sugar, and vanilla with a mixer.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
5. Beat in 1/3 of the dry mixture at a time until it is mixed thoroughly.
6. Stir in cacao nibs.
7. If the batter is very thick, add nut milk a tablespoon at a time until you get to a cake batter consistency.
8. Using a small cookie dough scoop, divide batter evenly among 24 silicone baking cups (or use paper cupcake liners and muffin tins), approximately a scoop and a half per baking cup.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

To make the whipped coconut butter frosting:

1. Combine frosting ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Using a whisk attachment, if possible, whip the ingredients together until creamy and well incorporated.
3. Spread frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with cacao nibs if desired.

Chocolate almond bar (paleo and gluten-free)

Ingredients

• 1 cup Natural Moreish Extracted Coconut Oil
• 1 cup Natural Moreish Organic Coconut Syrup
• 1 cup Natural Moreish Cacao Powder
• 1 cup Almond Butter
• 1/2 cup Natural Moreish Coconut Flakes
• 32 Natural Moreish Almonds

How to make chocolate almond bars?

1. Melt the coconut oil, coconut syrup, cacao powder, and almond butter together over low heat.
2. Stir constantly to keep from burning. The ingredients do NOT need to be simmering or boiling, just melted together well.
3. Grease pan with a bit of coconut oil.
4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the pan and sprinkle the shredded coconut on top of the chocolate.
6. Place the pan back in the fridge for 1-1/2 hours to harden completely.
7. Cut the chocolate and coconut into bars.
8. Place 2 almonds on each bar.
9. Store in the fridge or freezer to keep cold and solid.

Banana cacao smoothie

Ingredients

• 3 cups frozen bananas, sliced
•  2 cups almond milk
•  1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Natural Moreish cocoa powder
•  1 teaspoon Natural Moreish pure vanilla extract
•  2 dates, pitted and chopped or 2 teaspoons honey

How to make banana cacao smoothie?

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Drink cold!

Is cacao bad for your health?

Eating cocoa has a lot of benefits such as protecting the heart, regulating insulin levels, lowering the blood pressure, boosting the mood, antioxidant effects, etc.

Despite all the mentioned benefits, it is high in calories, and eating 85 grams of 70% cocoa contains 480 calories.

So, cacao won’t harm your health unless you overeat it!

Where can I buy cacao powder?

Natural Moreish is one of the online shops for buying nuts, dried fruits, snacks, bakery or confectionery ingredients, etc. that provide high-quality products.

By Natural Moreish, you can buy cacao powder, non-deodorized cocoa butter, deodorized cocoa butter, dark chocolate drops, raw cacao powder, organic white chocolate couverture drops, roasted cocoa nibs, milk chocolate nibs, milk chocolate drops, organic raw cacao nibs, etc.

The last word

Do you know any other amazing usages and recipes of cacao? Please share them with us to make it worldwide. We are all ears!

PS. This article is written based on the research that Natural Moreish content team has done on different blogs, websites and articles. Natural Moreish doesn’t suggest acknowledge or claim the information on this post.