Home > Categories > Food > Baking Additions > Avalanche Premium Dark Baking Cocoa review
Avalanche brings you this Avalanche Premium Dark Baking Cocoa which will enhance your favourite recipes with a deeper, richer chocolate taste.
Product reviews...
Chocolate... my most go to baking ingredient, followed closely by cocoa. For some time I have been searching for the perfect cocoa to use in my baking, and with a few different cocoas coming out in the market recently I have tried several of them. Having failed to get that rich chocolaty taste that I was searching for from any of them my hunt for the perfect cocoa continued when I stumbled across the Avalanche Premium Dark Baking Cocoa and decided to give it a go. I had tried other Avalanche products in the past with pleasant results and so was hoping I would get the same with this.
So on Sunday I began my weekly baking spree where I planned to make several yummy baked treats to last the week, with Afghan biscuits and double chocolate chip muffins on the list. With a lot of cocoas in the past, especially in Afghans I have struggled to get that rich chocolate taste that one would expect, and instead get a very bitter dry after taste, but with the Avalanche cocoa this was resolved, making the most beautiful Afghans I had ever made with a rich dark chocolate taste and a beautiful colour and texture, the muffins were spot onto in all aspects. Definitely no need to go out and buy expensive cocoa powders anymore which still don't guarantee the results your after when Avalanche goes well and truly beyond.
Avalanche Premier Dark Baking Cocoa is definetely value for money and in my opinion is at the top of the line for when it comes to cocoa. The container it comes in is brilliant and convenient, no need to move from a box and into a airtight container to keep it fresh! Would recommend to others and will definitely be my go to cocoa from now on.
When it comes to cocoa normally I buy the biggest and cheapest pack there is as I do a lot of baking.I had run out of cocoa and at my local supermarket I found the premium dark chocolate cocoa on special,i like to try new things and I loved the packaging so thought I would give this ago.
Once opened it had a very strong chocolate smell and was a dark lump free powder rather than the usual light lumpy cocoa I purchased. I decided to try this out on my fail proof chocolate cake I normally use 3/4 cup cocoa for this cake however decided to use a smaller mount of only 1/2 cup the mixture was a beautiful dark colour and had a wonderful chocolate smell.Once baked the colour of the cake was still a beautiful dark brown and the taste was wonderful and chocolaty like I had added real melted chocolate.I also used this on a batch of chocolate brownies and had the same beautiful results.
overall this product is amazing! yes its slightly smaller than other brands and slightly more expensive however the results you get are worth the price and you tend to use a lot less as it has a very strong chocolate taste. The container is also great as if it's knocked over in the pantry there is no cocoa spill to clean up.I would recommend this to anyone keen on baking to give it ago you won't go back to the weak cocoa powder we have all been using.
I ran out of cocoa powder the other day and so was at the supermarket looking to replace it. As I had seen some great reviews coming through for Avalanche, I decided to give the product a go. The price was fine with me, and I have always been happy to support Avalanche anyway.
The packaging for this, is in a good sized tube tin. It is sealed inside, but was easy enough to open up with a knife. I liked that the lid seals nicely, so I can be sure that the cocoa inside is not going to go funny. I used this cocoa for my never fail vegan chocolate cake.
When I mixed up the cake batter, I found that the colour of the cake was a lot darker chocolate coloured than normal. The batter tasted richer as well. I also made up a vegan icing with it, which just had the cocoa, icing sugar and water. This again was a much richer chocolate colour and taste. It was almost a bittersweet chocolate flavour.
For work, I made up these Halloween mini cupcakes. For the vegan people I work with, they didn't get a lolly on top as these stated they had beef in them. But everyone agreed that the cake was really good. One guy called them spookily good. I would definitely buy this one again, it gave my cake an extra pop of richness which made them a bit more special.
I always thought all cocoa powders were the same and so I would buy the cheapest one at the supermarket. Having been given Avalanche Premium Dark Baking Cocoa to review I have definitely changed my mind. When I opened the tin I was struck but how dark it was and how strong the scent was. There were no lumps it was all very fine powder. I also noted that the tin was only about 2/3 full.
Having recently had to clean up a whole shelf in the pantry where the resealable bag of our previous cocoa had not properly sealed I was very pleased to see it was in a handy tin. I will be storing it in the tin rather than having to transfer it to another container. The foil on the top was rather hard to open but at least I knew it was well sealed.
I chose to use the cocoa powder to make triple chocolate cookies. I bake these regularly and usually add vanilla essence to enhance the chocolate taste but I found the Avalanche cocoa had a richer taste so the vanilla wasn't needed. I only needed to use about 2/3 of the cocoa I would normally use and had a darker colour. The taste was much nicer and the batch of cookies didn't last long. The family didn't even notice that they were slightly burnt (since I forgot to but the timer on).
Thank you Avalanche for allowing KIWIreviews to introduce me to another of your quality products.
I am pleased to say I have found my new baking cocoa I use quite a bit of cocoa so am always looking at the price. I can buy cheaper cocoa powder however the effect is not as deep in flavour as this cocoa. At $4.99 a tin however it is cheaper than other brands I would normally consider as being cheap.
I make gluten free chocolate balls - seeds, dates, coconut and cocoa - so it is important to get a good tasting cocoa. One that is not too bitter or sweet as the dates in the recipe are the sweetness. I loved how this cocoa powder was not only deep in flavours but also in colour. The chocolate flavour was spread throughout the whole ball and the texture was not compromised.
The other recipe I used it in (which uses 1/2 cup) is my chocolate brownie recipe. This recipe is chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate so it is important to get a great tasting cocoa to complement it. Avalanche did it.
I personally like getting my cocoa in a tin like that of this product. Although pouring into a cup is not that clean or spooning out from the bottom when it gets low. Maybe one suggestion could be to look at a time with a wider mouth which may help with those messy times.
Avalanche has proven once again to be a high standard product and I am so glad that they are now branching out into baking products. I cannot wait to see what else they come up with in their baking range.
Everyone remembers Kremelta, Cocoa and icing sugar Chocolate Krispies! I couldn't wait to make this childhood - and I have to admit adulthood favourite, as soon as I saw this item up for review. I have not had them in absolutely years and wanted everything to taste just right. The tin shows you what is in store for your taste buds once you crack into it with a teaspoon. I stuck strictly to the recipe and wow did it look dark once mixing everything together. As soon as the Kremelta hit the mixture it was a molten chocolate heaven.
It is pretty amazing to think that it is just a powder, not some heavy syrup but such a small amount flavours the Krispies so richly without being too overbearing and bitter. I have used other dark baking cocoa in the past and it was very bitter and left a real aftertaste in your mouth but the taste you get with Avalanche Premium Dark Cocoa is just great. A smooth hit rushing right along both sides of your tongue until it hits the roof of your mouth. I must admit the Krispies did not last more than a couple of days. My son isn't a fan of chocolate so he didn't eat them, my daughter sort of likes chocolate and she had a few, but I finished off the rest myself. I felt like a kid again with this in my lunch box all week.
Having realised that my usual brand of baking cocoa contained gluten I was pretty excited to see that Avalanche products are gluten free and they do this fantastic Dark Cocoa that contains 100% Dark Cocoa. I am not so keen on the container. I find the opening too small to comfortably get my spoon in and out without making a mess but that is compensated by the fact that this is a resealed tin container so I don't need to transfer the cocoa to another container (which also makes a mess).
Anyway onto the cocoa. Well I will get straight to the point I love this cocoa. The texture and taste of it is fantastic. Guaranteed results with my baking and I am 100% happy with it. I won't be using another cocoa and this has just earned itself a guaranteed spot in my pantry. I used this in a variety of my usual recipes such as brownies, chocolate cupcakes, hot cocoa but also in combination with coconut flour in some untested recipes. All my baking came out great and tasted superb.
Aside from being produced on a production line that processes milk products there is no allergen statement on this cocoa so I assume that it can be a guaranteed safe product in your pantry for those with nut allergy's etc.
I can definitely recommend this cocoa. Thanks Avalanche for another great product.
I had plans to make some homemade bounty bars and the recipe called for raw cocoa powder. I didn't know exactly what to look for in the shop but I knew that Avalanche had dark cocoa available. I checked out the shelves at the supermarket and the Avalanche one looked like the best bet. Most of the others looked rather pale and I figured that the darker the better.
I made the chocolate outer of the bounty bar with the dark cocoa, coconut oil and maple syrup. I didn't have scales to measure the amounts exactly, so I guessed a bit but it worked fine. It was quick and easy to make up. When I tasted it, it was just perfect. It had a seriously dark chocolatey flavour. Rich, velvety and heavenly I think is the best way to describe it. I think that the Avalanche dark cocoa did the trick.
In addition to the dark cocoa, the recipe for the inner part of the bar called for coconut flour - so another Avalanche product made its way into the mix. I am enjoying getting to know the range of products that Avalanche have available.
I have previously gone for the cheapest cocoa I could find as they all looked similar, I am glad that I now know how to find dark cocoa at the supermarkets. It was totally worth spending more on this quality product.
This will be a product we purchase again - it will be an asset to our pantry and our baking/creations in the kitchen.
I was very impressed by the Avalanche Dark Cocoa, as an avid baker I often find some cocoa's do not offer much more than a colouring any more even when purchasing premium brands you seem to need more than recommended to get to a decent "chocolaty" taste and flavour.
The first thing I wanted to make with this was my Chocolate self saucing pudding! It is always a hit but not as rich as I would like it to be, that problem was eliminated with the Avalanche Dark Cocoa, it was rich in flavour and absolutely divine! I would usually use double the recommendation with other brands but the Avalanche Dark Cocoa was spot on! I then decided I would try it in a home made Iced Chocolate that I usually purchase expensive powders for, well never again the Avalanche Dark Cocoa makes the most delicious Iced Chocolates. It tasted like it was straight from a Cafe!
I like the packaging and that the tin is something that I can re use in the future. The tin is a regular size but I think it will go much further than a usual tin of cocoa because of the fact you don't seem to need quite as much thanks to the rich delicious flavour! I look forward to trying many more recipes!
I have been disappointed by some of the leading cocoa brands over the last few years as they seem to get more and more insipid and lack any real cocoa flavour. Although I have found a brand that I like for it's dark colour and good flavour, it isn't always available, and I was interested to see how the Avalanche dark cocoa compared, and was lucky enough to be given some to review.
My first impressions were that the tin was well sealed and even after breaking open the double seal inside, the lid fitted back very well which would keep the contents safe and dry for a long time. This of course does mean that you need a spoon to open the lid each time, but that's standard for a well sealed tin. I was pleased to note that my plastic measuring spoons were strong enough to pry it open so that I didn't need to dirty another spoon each time.
The first thing I did was compare it to my current cocoa powder and this one was ever so slightly darker, although a quick sniff and a taste test on the tongue showed them to be fairly similar. Of course I wouldn't normally eat cocoa powder straight but it gave me a good idea of comparison.
Then the ultimate test - making a chocolate self saucing pudding. This is a tried and true, well loved recipe in our house so it seemed the best thing to test the cocoa powder.
I made the pudding as normal and I noticed that the cocoa powder was lump-free and very smooth. It made a beautiful sauce and gave the cake part a really nice colour. My husband and 5 year old (and myself) all loved the resulting pudding. It was rich and dark and full of flavour. I have to note here that none of us are great fans of dark chocolate, but we still all loved this. If you really didn't want such a rich dark flavour though, I would imagine you could halve the amount of cocoa powder to get a similar result that a lighter cocoa powder might produce - a great way to make the cocoa go further and get good value for money.
I usually tip my cocoa powder into a Tupperware container, but using it from the tin I noticed that the mouth wasn't wide enough to get even my smallest measuring cup into, and spooning the cocoa into the measuring cup I noticed that I kept ending up with cocoa all around the lip of the tin. It seemed to be a fairly standard sized tin though so I imagine this is fairly normal with most cocoas.
I personally believe in buying good cocoa powders for great baking results and I'd most certainly buy this one again, even if it weren't necessarily the cheapest. I'd highly recommend it for special cakes and other special baking - I don't think you'd be disappointed. For me, I now have 2 favourite brands and I'd probably check the price on the day and go from there...
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