Baking cocoa is a staple of kitchens around the world. By itself, it does not contain many calories, but when you add butter and sugar to it, the calorie count increases dramatically.
Calories
The USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference says that 1 tbsp. of unsweetened powdered cocoa contains 12 calories; 2 tbsp. total 24 calories.
Caloric Breakdown
Two tbsp. of baking cocoa weigh approximately 11 grams. Fat contains more than twice the calories per gram as protein and carbohydrates, so even though 11 g of cocoa powder contains 8 to 9 g of protein and carbohydrates, and only 1.5 g of fat, half of the calories in this tbsp. of cocoa powder are from fat.
Other Nutrients
Although dark chocolate is richer in antioxidants from flavonoids than other cocoa blends, there are some nutrients in baking cocoa, including calcium, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper and folate.
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