Signature 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate – Easy-Melt Baking Pieces

100% Cacao. One Ingredient. Chocolate Made Your Way.

The secret to extraordinary chocolate desserts often starts with what's not added.

Santa Barbara Chocolate Signature 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate gives you the freedom to create rich, deeply chocolate-flavored recipes with the sweetness you choose. From decadent brownies and flourless chocolate cakes to homemade truffles and drinking chocolate, it all begins with pure cacao.

And because great baking should be a pleasure, not a chore, our convenient easy-melt pieces eliminate the need to chop hard blocks of baking chocolate. Simply weigh, melt, and create. 

Made from a single ingredient (cocoa mass) —finely ground cacao with its naturally occurring cocoa butter—this is real unsweetened chocolate with nothing added to sweeten or alter the character of the cacao.

Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate (cocoa mass).

*Made on equipment that also processes milk-containing products.

Why Bakers Love 100% Cacao Chocolate

Your Chocolate. Your Sweetness. 

Most chocolate comes with the sweetness already decided for you. Unsweetened chocolate puts that decision in your hands.

Whether you're making a traditional brownie recipe, experimenting with your favorite sweetener, or blending chocolates to create your ideal dark chocolate flavor, 100% cacao gives you a delicious starting point.

One Ingredient. Pure Cacao Flavor.

Quality unsweetened chocolate begins with Premium Cacao.

Our Signature 100% Cacao is made entirely from cocoa mass, preserving both the deeply flavored cacao solids and the cocoa butter naturally present in the bean.

No added sweeteners. No elaborate ingredient list. Just the rich, unmistakable character of 100% cacao.

Bring Your Favorite Chocolate Recipes to Life

Brownies & Chocolate Cakes

Create brownies with intense chocolate character, rich flourless cakes, and luscious chocolate frostings. Unsweetened baking chocolate gives you control over how much sweetness goes into the finished dessert.

Ganache, Truffles & Homemade Confections

Use recipes designed for unsweetened chocolate to make chocolate-rich fillings, truffles, sauces, and confections. Combine with sweetened couverture when you want to adjust the overall cacao intensity.

Rich Drinking Chocolate

Create a comforting cup of real drinking chocolate by melting pure cacao into your favorite warm beverage recipe. Blend until smooth, then sweeten and flavor to your preference.

Your Own Dark Chocolate Creations 

Experiment with different cacao intensities by combining unsweetened chocolate with your favorite sweetened couverture. Discover the balance of bold cacao flavor and sweetness you enjoy most.

A Beautifully Simple Ingredient for Inspired Baking

Some of the most memorable recipes begin with the simplest ingredients.

At Santa Barbara Chocolate, our passion for cacao dates back to 1992. Our Signature collection celebrates the pleasure of working with real chocolate—appreciating its flavor, versatility, and the wonderful things you can create with it.

Whether you're an experienced chocolatier or simply love baking for family and friends, Signature 100% Cacao brings pure chocolate flavor and everyday convenience into your kitchen.

Real cacao. Your creativity. Something wonderful in the making.

Product Details

Cacao Content: 100%

Chocolate Type: Unsweetened baking chocolate 

Ingredients: Unsweetened chocolate (cocoa mass).

*Made on equipment that also processes milk-containing products.

Form: Convenient easy-melt pieces

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes this different from ordinary unsweetened baking chocolate? 

Our Signature 100% Cacao delivers genuine unsweetened chocolate in convenient, easy-melt pieces rather than a traditional solid baking block. You get the deep cacao flavor your recipes call for, with less preparation and easier portioning.

Is unsweetened chocolate the same as cocoa powder?

No. Unsweetened chocolate contains both cacao solids and naturally occurring cocoa butter, while cocoa powder has had much of its cocoa butter removed. They perform differently in recipes and generally cannot be substituted in equal amounts without adjustments.

Can I substitute this for semisweet chocolate?

Not directly. Unsweetened chocolate contains no added sweetener, so recipes developed for semisweet chocolate may require adjustments to their sugar and other ingredients. For the best results, use a recipe specifically developed for unsweetened baking chocolate.

Can I use it to make my own dark chocolate? 

Yes. Follow a tested chocolate-making recipe, or blend it with sweetened chocolate to adjust cacao intensity. Simply stirring granulated sugar into melted chocolate will not produce the same smooth texture as professionally refined chocolate.

Does it need tempering?

For brownies, cakes, and most baking applications, no. For chocolate bars, molded pieces, or dipped confections where you want a glossy finish and firm snap, tempering is recommended.

Is milk an ingredient?

No. Cocoa mass is the sole ingredient in the recipe. The chocolate is made on equipment that also processes milk-containing products.

Is this the same cacao blend as your former Criollo mini wafers?

Both are single-ingredient, 100% cacao chocolates. However, our Signature 100% Cacao is made from a different selection of cacao beans, offering its own distinctive flavor profile.