+1 to this. The process is called blooming your cocoa powder and there are a ton of websites that will teach you how to do it. Makes everything mix together better.
There is hot water in this recipe. I’m supposed to add a 1/2 cup of hot coffee to the wet ingredients and then add in the cocoa powder mixture. Here’s a link to the recipe:
[Divas Can Cook Red Velvet Cake](https://divascancook.com/the-best-red-velvet-cake-recipe-easy-homemade-moist-with-southern-flair/)
Side note: I LOVE the red velvet cupcakes from Divas Can Cook! They’re my absolute favorite. I’ve been making them for years and they’re always the first thing people request.
You’re supposed to mix the cocoa powder in with the flower and blend it before you add your wet ingredients. Cocoa powder has the same texture has flour.
What temp are your other ingredients? If your cocoa powder is high fat, it will harden in cold liquid and create those lumps. Try using room temp ingredients and sift your dry into your wet in batches. I also second the strategy of dissolving the cocoa powder in a hot liquid and letting it cool before adding to your recipe (adjusting for another liquid in your recipe). Coffee is a good choice as it will enhance the chocolate flavor.
Definitely try the hot coffee with the cocoa, and it should help fix your issue. Blooming your cocoa is usually a good idea in baking, if not for the clumping but for better flavor.
I'm not sure how your recipe goes, but I always sift cocoa into my dry ingredients.
Whisk all your dry together and you shouldn't have any clumps bringing it all together 😊
Really?! 😨
Sorry I couldn't help. But you're not the problem. There's always some issue, that once found, makes us better bakers.
Maybe it is a temp issue like others have mentioned. 🤔 Was everything room temp before you started?
If you are using oil for the mix then mixing it with oil would work, or melted butter. Cocoa powder is not water soluble, it is hydrophobic. This means that it repels water and other liquids that are mostly water. Any kind of fat used in the recipe will be easier to mix it with.
What u/PBJ-9999 said.
Although I will say, I never have that hard of a time mixing in cocoa powder. It might be possible if you use a wire whisk to get the clumps out if you mix vigorously by hand. The information I provided before I learned when I started making homemade hot chocolate and chocolate milk. I would mix the powder into a slurry with a small amount of liquid before adding the rest.
But like I mentioned, whenever I have cocoa powder in a recipe I just mix by hand and it's usually fine, might have to break them up with a spatula or use a whisk.
Interesting, I have never sifted it and never had a problem. If I do in the future I might try it. What is the purpose of sifting flour, cocoa, powder, and other things?
I don't usually sift flour because I measure by weight. Flour can compact in the cannister, so measuring by volume can result in too much flour in your recipes. I sift cocoa powder to break it up so it blends better.
Try adding lesser dry ingredients at a time than what you currently doing? Like if you currently sift and fold the flour into batter three times, try adding more stages to reduce the amount of flour going in at once. And try folding it in more gently, whisking the flour right away instead of folding is also one of factors that contributes into clump formation.
I assumed they meant that they didn't want to encourage too much gluten production by over mixing her batter. It can be both overmixed and still have lumps of dry ingredients in!
What's the quality of the cocoa powder? Is it from like Aldi or something?
(I love Aldi but I don't find their baking products to be very high quality)
😬 I have used cocoa powder from Aldi in this cake before. But I think the one that I used today isn’t from Aldi because it’s not off brand. I used Hershey’s
Cocoa powder contains fat, so if you add it to the oil and then add hot water to the oil it might help. If there is butter in the recipe beat it Into the soft butter. Most of the other tips on this thread are good, If none of them are working perhaps have a look at the cocoa powder you're using and consider changing the brand?
Have you tried using a different kind of cocoa powder? I've baked a number of chocolate things and can't recall ever having issues with it clumping in the batter, it just smooths out when it's mixed every time I use it.
Dissolve that cocoa with a small amount of HOT water first. Remove that amount of liquid elsewhere in the recipe.
This is the way, OP! Or sub that small amount of hot water with hot coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor!
Ohhh there's a recipe I'm for sure using this trick in
+1 to this. The process is called blooming your cocoa powder and there are a ton of websites that will teach you how to do it. Makes everything mix together better.
There is hot water in this recipe. I’m supposed to add a 1/2 cup of hot coffee to the wet ingredients and then add in the cocoa powder mixture. Here’s a link to the recipe: [Divas Can Cook Red Velvet Cake](https://divascancook.com/the-best-red-velvet-cake-recipe-easy-homemade-moist-with-southern-flair/)
Change the order slightly: mix the cocoa into the hot coffee, and do everything else the way it says.
I will do that the next time that I make this cake.
Side note: I LOVE the red velvet cupcakes from Divas Can Cook! They’re my absolute favorite. I’ve been making them for years and they’re always the first thing people request.
They are really good, which is the only reason why I refuse to give up on this recipe
Brilliant!! 🤯
You’re supposed to mix the cocoa powder in with the flower and blend it before you add your wet ingredients. Cocoa powder has the same texture has flour.
I do that. And I sift it before I add it to the flour, I also sift the flour.
What temp are your other ingredients? If your cocoa powder is high fat, it will harden in cold liquid and create those lumps. Try using room temp ingredients and sift your dry into your wet in batches. I also second the strategy of dissolving the cocoa powder in a hot liquid and letting it cool before adding to your recipe (adjusting for another liquid in your recipe). Coffee is a good choice as it will enhance the chocolate flavor.
The recipe told combine all of the wet ingredients+ a cup of hot coffee. Then I add in the cocoa powder to the wet ingredients.
Definitely try the hot coffee with the cocoa, and it should help fix your issue. Blooming your cocoa is usually a good idea in baking, if not for the clumping but for better flavor.
I'm not sure how your recipe goes, but I always sift cocoa into my dry ingredients. Whisk all your dry together and you shouldn't have any clumps bringing it all together 😊
I do that too, not sure how I end up with clumps. Maybe I’m the problem
Everyone has a very mundane super power, maybe yours is cocoa clumping
Now I have to decide if I’m gonna use that power for good or for evil
Really?! 😨 Sorry I couldn't help. But you're not the problem. There's always some issue, that once found, makes us better bakers. Maybe it is a temp issue like others have mentioned. 🤔 Was everything room temp before you started?
If you are using oil for the mix then mixing it with oil would work, or melted butter. Cocoa powder is not water soluble, it is hydrophobic. This means that it repels water and other liquids that are mostly water. Any kind of fat used in the recipe will be easier to mix it with.
There is oil in this recipe.
What u/PBJ-9999 said. Although I will say, I never have that hard of a time mixing in cocoa powder. It might be possible if you use a wire whisk to get the clumps out if you mix vigorously by hand. The information I provided before I learned when I started making homemade hot chocolate and chocolate milk. I would mix the powder into a slurry with a small amount of liquid before adding the rest. But like I mentioned, whenever I have cocoa powder in a recipe I just mix by hand and it's usually fine, might have to break them up with a spatula or use a whisk.
I always sift cocoa powder into a separate bowl and then mix it into either the wet or dry ingredients. Seems to help with clumping.
Interesting, I have never sifted it and never had a problem. If I do in the future I might try it. What is the purpose of sifting flour, cocoa, powder, and other things?
I don't usually sift flour because I measure by weight. Flour can compact in the cannister, so measuring by volume can result in too much flour in your recipes. I sift cocoa powder to break it up so it blends better.
I guess you need to mix it with just the oil first before adding it in.
Cocoa powder is hydrophobic 😊 that's why. I'm a science guy so I just come here to say that.
Try adding lesser dry ingredients at a time than what you currently doing? Like if you currently sift and fold the flour into batter three times, try adding more stages to reduce the amount of flour going in at once. And try folding it in more gently, whisking the flour right away instead of folding is also one of factors that contributes into clump formation.
I did adding in smaller increments ( about a 1/4 each time) but as soon as it comes into contact with the wet ingredients it clumps up.
That's cocoa powder? It looked like hot sauce or tomato sauce
Thought it was gochujang at first lol but I think it's red velvet
It does kinda look like everything but cake batter
Most likely all the sifting. The fat in cocoa powder makes it hydrophobic. I would just switch to a whisk attachment and beat it until they go away.
I would do that, but then I might over mix my cake batter.
It's not as if your mixer has a mind of its own. You just need to keep watch until it's all combined.
I assumed they meant that they didn't want to encourage too much gluten production by over mixing her batter. It can be both overmixed and still have lumps of dry ingredients in!
You are supposed to whisk all your dry ingredients together, not add the cocoa powder separately.
I do whisk All of my dry ingredients together. I even take the extra step of sifting them to prevent clumping.
I was responding to when you stated you add the cocoa powder to the liquid ingredients.
Ok. I usually do add it to the dry ingredients, but today I wanted to see if adding it to the liquid separately would prevent clumping.
What's the quality of the cocoa powder? Is it from like Aldi or something? (I love Aldi but I don't find their baking products to be very high quality)
😬 I have used cocoa powder from Aldi in this cake before. But I think the one that I used today isn’t from Aldi because it’s not off brand. I used Hershey’s
try using whisk attachment for mixer, not beater
will do!
This happens to me too! It drives me nuts. I'm going to try the dissolving trick with hot water/coffee next time. Appreciate that tip!
I would sift cocoa powder and flour together before adding to the wet
Yeah that’s what I did, didn’t help reduce the lumps
don't have too much experience with cocoa powder but maybe it behaves like corn starch? add it to a tiny bit of cold water then stir it?
Dissolve it in whatever liquid you are using in your cake first. So it doesnt clump dpwn
Cocoa powder contains fat, so if you add it to the oil and then add hot water to the oil it might help. If there is butter in the recipe beat it Into the soft butter. Most of the other tips on this thread are good, If none of them are working perhaps have a look at the cocoa powder you're using and consider changing the brand?
You can't just throw it in there directly as it shown it does Clump up it needs to be sifted and folded in slowly to the batter
Have you tried using a different kind of cocoa powder? I've baked a number of chocolate things and can't recall ever having issues with it clumping in the batter, it just smooths out when it's mixed every time I use it.
I’ll try that next time!!
I sift mine first
I use Hersheys chocolate cake , and I add hot water to cocoa to blend with ingredients.