If A Chocotorta & A Tiramisu Had A Baby...

It would be this dessert! Recently, I've been trying to explore and make desserts out of my comfort zone. Tiramisu is one dessert that I have not yet mastered — even though I have made quite a few variations over the years.

However, I didn't want to make a classic tiramisu, so I switched it up a bit.

• Instead of making a tiramisu base, I made a chocotorta "base" using equal amounts of dulce de leche and mascarpone cheese. If you're interested, here's an easy video guide to making chocotortas.

• Also, instead of using ladyfingers, I used coffee crackers.

• Otherwise, I made no changes to the method of making a classic Italian tiramisu.

This is the closest I have come to making the most delicious tiramisu. I think I've cracked the secret:

• Dipping the biscuits in the coffee for a longer amount of time. I was so afraid that the biscuits would fall apart in the coffee that I barely dipped them — don't be afraid to get them a bit soggy.

• It helps if you make the coffee stronger than usual — I think using coffee-flavoured crackers helped deepen the classic tiramisu taste.

• Lastly, use more layers of biscuit. I usually did only one in each tiramisu, which now looking back, is wild to me! I would say use the same number of biscuit layers and cream layers.

I made this for my dad's birthday! Enjoy a picture of him lovingly staring at the cake :)