Just made this cake for an Easter get together. Oh my gosh... everything is so rich. I did tweak a couple of things, however. I added rum to the ricotta chocolate filling; takes it to another level. I also made my own vanilla syrup: 2 Cups sugar 1 Cup water 2 Vanilla Beans Place sugar and water in a pot on the stove. Slice vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape all the beans out. Place the beans and the pods in the pot with the sugar and water. Boil 2-3 minutes until the sugar dissolves. I let the mixture completely cool. Strain through a fine sieve and keep in the fridge. Now you have gourmet vanilla syrup for your coffee or baking. I put my syrup in a pretty bottle so when I pull it out to use it, it looks nice. Very nice idea, Kendra - thanks for sharing your thoughts, and the recipe. PJH

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