The Ricotta Substitute You Should Always Avoid For Cakes

You probably use ricotta cheese in Italian American dishes like homemade lasagna or stuffed shells. The creamy ingredient is also used in many other less-conventional dishes, like in desserts such as lemon cake. Sometimes you need an alternative, maybe to cut back on calories or achieve a different consistency, and cottage cheese is a popular ingredient swap for ricotta cheese. However, while cottage cheese lends itself to those dishes like lasagna, one mistake you can make in the kitchen is to use it in place of ricotta in your next home-baked cake. 

There are a handful of reasons why using cottage cheese in lieu of ricotta in cakes just doesn't turn out well. First, cottage cheese has a much higher moisture content and that can completely change the texture and density of any type of cake. For recipes like classic New York-style cheesecake, the chunky texture will also make it hard to achieve that smoothness that the dessert hinges on. Another reason why cottage cheese doesn't fair well in cakes is because it has varying fat levels so if you use a reduced-fat cottage cheese, it might not result in the right flavor and texture you expect.

Just because you can't use nutrient-rich cottage cheese in your homemade cakes, doesn't mean there aren't other acceptable alternatives. There are many other substitutes for ricotta that work well with baking. Another Italian-forward option is mascarpone, but be mindful that it has a richer flavor. Coconut cream has a thickness that lends well to cakes, but it will introduce some of its natural flavor to the pastry. Tangy and smooth cream cheese is another replacement for ricotta, and the ingredient swap works both ways.

The measurements and ratios will vary by ingredient, so do your research before you throw it into the mixer with the other cake ingredients. You should also consider certain alternatives like cream cheese should be softened at room temperature to achieve the ideal consistency of the cake. Hungry, now? Try any of these options with our cranberry ricotta cake or baked ricotta cheesecake recipes.