Ricotta or Cream cheese?

[Shaheen]

Q1: Is ricotta cheese the same as cottage cheese?

Q2: Are the cheese cakes made from ricotta/cottage cheese good enough? I've always made mine from cream cheese and its heavenly so I'm a bit reluctant to try another cheese.

 

[Andy M.]

The two products are similar but not exactly the same.

Don't expect a cheesecake made with cottage or ricotta cheese to be the same as one made with cream cheese and sour cream. They will be different and both can be delicious. It's a matter of preference.

 

[Robo410]

ricotta is not technically cheese, but recooked whey after the cheese making process. Cottage is cheese curds with whey, blended and stabilized.

 

[urmaniac13]

There are various delicious recipes for ricotta cake, check out this thread....
For cake making, I suggest ricotta di pecora, which is made with sheep milk, if at all possible. It is much richer and creamier than the ones made with cow milk. (If you never tried sheep milk, don't worry... first I was rather dubious about it, until I tried it!!)
If using regular ricotta with cow milk, mixing with mascarpone will give that rich creaminess it may lack.
I am not sure I would ever try cottage cheese for a cake though... too bland for my taste.