Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Cacao

Analysing hundreds of thousands of recipes uncovers cacao's optimal flavour pairings.

Cacao conjures the embrace of cocoa and the bracing kiss of coffee, but beneath its bitterness lies a complex symphony of subtle flavour notes, such as polyphenol, char, and hints of tea. These are the notes that lend it such remarkable, resonant depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for cacao is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To chart these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, each deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, pinpointing the notes that best complement this ingredient’s profile. Our exploration reveals, for instance, how the buttery, creamy diacetyl in Camembert can enrich cacao, and how whipping cream's lacteal notes forge a beautiful synergy with its roasted notes.

An ingredient's flavour stems from its core characteristics, such as maillard, floral, or spice, combined with layers of subtle flavour notes (outer bars). For a balanced dish, pair ingredients with a variety of core flavours, and choose complementary aroma notes for harmony.

The Art of Flavour Pairing

To understand exactly which flavours harmonise, we compiled a database of over 50,000 ingredient pairings commonly used in cooking. We then analysed these pairings, identifying the specific flavour notes that frequently appear together.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Cocoa Notes

Our analysis shows that the flavour of cocoa is strongly associated with the flavour of milk. This suggests we should look for ingredients with a milky flavour, such as whipping cream, when pairing with the cocoa aroma accents of cacao.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing cacao with whipping cream.

Harmonious Flavours Of Cacao

Just as our analysis showed that cocoa and milky flavours are often associated, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in cacao. E.g. the coffee-like accents of cacao are often used with buttery and hazelnut notes.

The accents associated with the various aromas of cacao can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of Camembert offers many of the accents complementary to cacao, including buttery and penicillium aromas. Because the flavour profile of Camembert has many of the of the features that are complementary to cacao, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of Camembert across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with cacao.

Recipes That Pair Cacao With Camembert

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of cacao, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of cacao, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the accents complementary to cacao.

What To Drink With Cacao

The lacteal notes in milk make it a perfect pairing with cacao. Likewise, the buttery flavours in dairy create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of cacao below.

Which Fruit Go With Cacao?

Choose fruit that embrace its roastyness or embrace its roasted notes. Coconut offers vibrant, clean counterpoints, its verdant freshness lifting the palate. Mango add a gentle, oniony brightness, while pear introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace fruit that harmonise with cacao's toastiness. The addition of red bell pepper, with its subtle capsicum notes, can complement the toast beautifully. Avocado bridges earthiness and citrus zest, while cherry purée lends a delicate sweetness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Cacao), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.