For a recipe calling for around 70% dark chocolate, start with a plain cooking bar labelled for baking, or use a plain 70% dark eating bar if the recipe allows it. Dark-coated wafer and filled snack bars bring other ingredients into the bake, so they are not direct substitutes; check the current pack for allergens and sugar information before baking with children.
If the chocolate needs to go into a batter or be melted, a plain bar described for baking is a straightforward place to start. Menier describes its 70% cooking chocolate as suitable for desserts and cakes, while Tesco describes Dr. Oetker’s 72% bar as created for bakers.
Match the cocoa percentage the recipe asks for rather than relying on the word “dark”. The products described by Menier, Tesco and Lindt include cooking bars and plain eating bars marked 70% or 72% cocoa.
Read the ingredients and precautionary allergen statements on the exact pack, including for a plain dark bar. Milk, soya, nuts and other allergens differ between the products discussed here.
Start with the recipe’s cocoa percentage and intended use, then check the pack for ingredients that matter to everyone eating the finished bake.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa percentage | Compare the stated cocoa solids with the recipe. Menier’s cooking bar is at least 70% cocoa, according to Menier; Tesco lists Dr. Oetker’s baking bar at 72%. | If the recipe specifies 70%, I want a bar close to that figure rather than any product labelled “dark”. |
| Bar type | Look for a plain bar and a stated baking or melting use. Check whether a wafer, caramel, nougat or nut filling is part of the product. | For a brownie batter or ganache, I want the chocolate the recipe calls for, not extra snack-bar components. |
| Allergens | Read the current ingredients and “may contain” wording for the exact bar. Check the other ingredients in the bake as well. | If a child or guest has an allergy, I need to assess the whole recipe before preparing or sharing it. |
| Sugar information | Compare sugars per 100g or per serving on current packs, and account for sugar, icing and fillings elsewhere in the recipe. Cocoa percentage alone does not give the finished bake’s sugar content. | I want to understand what is in the complete bake, rather than assuming that a dark wrapper tells me its sugar content. |
Dunnes Stores lists Cadbury Bournville at a minimum of 36% cocoa solids, while Menier states a minimum of 70% for its dark cooking bar. They do not match the same cocoa percentage in a recipe.
Check the percentage on the pack. If the recipe specifies 70%, choose a plain bar close to that figure or use a recipe designed for the chocolate you have.
KitKat Dark includes wafer, while Snickers includes peanuts and other filling ingredients. Those components change what goes into the bake and introduce allergens to check.
Use a filled or wafer bar when the recipe calls for that product; otherwise, look for plain chocolate.
Lindt says its Excellence 70% bar is made to a vegan recipe but is not suitable for people with a milk allergy because the manufacturing facility uses milk.
For an allergy, follow the exact pack’s ingredient and precautionary wording rather than inferring suitability from “vegan” or “dark”.
Chocolate is only one part of a finished cake or brownie; the recipe may also contain sugar, icing or sweet fillings.
Use the current pack’s sugar information alongside the quantities of the other recipe ingredients when comparing options.
These examples describe particular bars, not every product made by each brand.
Menier describes its 100g dark bar as cooking chocolate for desserts and cakes.
Tesco describes the 100g Extra Dark 72% bar as created for bakers and labelled for smooth melting.
Tesco lists a 150g organic cooking chocolate with 70% cocoa solids.
Lindt Excellence 70% is a plain dark eating bar that Lindt also describes for baking and cooking projects.
Bournville is a familiar dark eating bar, but it has a different cocoa percentage from the 70% cooking bars discussed here.
These bars cover a dedicated 70% cooking chocolate and two plain dark bars near the cocoa percentage used in the recipes discussed here. Check each product’s current pack against your recipe and the needs of everyone eating it.
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A cooking bar for a recipe calling for around 70% dark chocolate; Menier describes its dark chocolate for cakes and desserts. It contains milk and may contain egg, gluten and tree nuts, so check the current pack before baking for others.
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A plain 72% cocoa bar to consider when the recipe allows a dark eating bar close to 70%; its product information describes baking use. It contains soya and may contain gluten, milk, nuts and peanuts. Check the current pack before sharing the bake.
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A plain 70% dark bar for a recipe that permits an eating bar rather than a dedicated cooking chocolate. Check its suitability for the recipe’s intended preparation. It may contain almonds, hazelnuts, other nuts and milk; read the current pack before sharing.
Follow the percentage in the recipe. For one specifying 70%, a plain bar marked 70% is the closest match among the examples from Menier, Green & Black’s and Lindt; Tesco also lists a 72% Dr. Oetker baking bar. A 90% bar has a different cocoa percentage, so check whether the recipe accommodates that change.
Not as a like-for-like ingredient: KitKat UK describes its dark bar as chocolate-covered wafer, and Snickers UK lists peanuts and other filling ingredients. Use a snack bar when the recipe specifically calls for its components; otherwise, choose the plain chocolate specified.
Read the exact chocolate pack’s ingredients and precautionary statements, then check the other ingredients in the recipe before preparing or sharing the bake. Do not assume a dark bar is free from milk or nuts: Lindt, for example, says its vegan-recipe Excellence 70% bar is not suitable for people with a milk allergy.
An adult should handle the oven, hot pans and hot melted chocolate. The NHS also advises washing hands before preparing food; make sure children’s hands and the preparation equipment are clean before they handle ingredients.
No such conclusion follows from the word “dark” or the cocoa percentage. Compare sugar information on the chocolate’s current pack and consider the amounts of sugar, icing and fillings in the whole recipe when assessing the finished bake.