The best replacement for cacao is cocoa.

The best alternatives to cacao are rated as following:
★★★★★  cocoa
★★★  carob
★★  cocoa powder
★  chocolate
★  carob powder
★  kahlua
★  creme de cocoa
  chocolate liqueur
  dark chocolate
  roasted cacao
  cocoa butter
  coca
  raw cacao
  creme de menthe

Your alternative for cacao is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about cacao, one probably shouldn't forget about rubber trees.

Other search terms related to cacao and their ratings are:
★★★★★ rubber trees
You have in mind a companion for cacao and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of cacao in all years. Click on graph for more.
cacao
cocoa
carob