The ricotta cheese in this recipe will not produce cheesy-tasting pancakes. However, I see why people may assume this. After all, it is cheese. Adding ricotta to pancake batter — and many other desserts or dishes — brings richness and depth to the recipe's flavors. There's just something about this key ingredient that takes your homemade pancakes to the next level with its creaminess and fluffy texture. Suppose you omit the ricotta cheese in this lemon poppy seed pancake recipe. In that case, you should expect the taste and texture to fall short of the pancakes made with ricotta. Take a chance, and you'll see how delicious the ricotta cheese makes these pancakes taste!