Cocoa powder and milk in a cake recipe

[LCS]

I wish I could remember where I read this, but I read an article that said it's better to use cocoa powder in cake recipes that don't call for milk because milk somehow negatively affects the cocoa powder (I can't remember their reasoning though).

Any truth to that? If so, how does it negatively affect it? I currently use a chocolate cake recipe that just so happens not to contain milk. But I've been toying around with my vanilla cake recipe (technique is different and I also added milk) and the texture came out better. I'd like to try this for my chocolate cake as well, but maybe I'd just be wasting ingredients and time...?

[LCS]

After much Googling, I did find ONE thing from the Cake Central message board- that adding milk makes the cake too moist. One woman reported:

"I baked 3 cakes this weekend, 2 for the first time with milk instead of water, and the 3rd with water as usual. The 2 milk cakes came out of the pan sticking to the pan, so parts of the edges are not there. My water one came out fine, as usual. The texture of the milk cakes are more crumbly also. Think I'll stick to water!"

Has anyone experienced this?

[srhcb]

Try powdered milk and water

SB

[Ling]

My favourite chocolate cake recipe uses buttermilk and cocoa. Very moist, but does not stick to the pan.

[miladyinsanity]

I think it matters as well what kind of cocoa you're using. Milk is alkaline, and will negate the acidic effects of cocoa powder that is not Dutched.

[DragonflyDesserts]

My favorite chocolate cake recipe uses milk, but in RLB Cake Bible, she does not use milk and explains the reason why. Has something to do with water being the best liquid to bring out the flavor of chocolate and may also have something to do with what miladyinsanity said about the alkaline. I have my cookbook at my shop or I could tell you the exact reason for it. I thought her chocolate cake recipes were too dry, but use her method of adding boiling water to the cocoa to intensify the flavor, then adding that mixture to my mix.

[JustKay]

My favourite chocolate cake recipe uses buttermilk and cocoa. Very moist, but does not stick to the pan. 

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My favorite chocolate cake recipe uses sour milk and cocoa powder (dutch processed). Very moist but does not stick to the pan too. It's my best selling cake.

[LCS]

My favorite chocolate cake recipe uses milk, but in RLB Cake Bible, she does not use milk and explains the reason why. Has something to do with water being the best liquid to bring out the flavor of chocolate and may also have something to do with what miladyinsanity said about the alkaline. I have my cookbook at my shop or I could tell you the exact reason for it. I thought her chocolate cake recipes were too dry, but use her method of adding boiling water to the cocoa to intensify the flavor, then adding that mixture to my mix.

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Thanks to everyone for their replies! ^This is the reason I was thinking of. I moved into a house 5 months ago and still didn't unpack my books so I can't find my Cake Bible, but a pastry instructor friend of mine mentioned this to me. That if the dairy produce it sour (lemon juice added to milk, buttermilk, or sour cream), then it doesn't steal away from the chocolate flavor.

I've been using water in my chocolate cake recipe all along with rave reviews so I think I'll just change the mixing method, but otherwise leave it as is.