The ultimate tiramisu

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Our Test Kitchen is all about answering life's biggest questions. This month, we've dedicated ourselves to finding our very best tiramisu recipe — would only the traditional Italian method do, or could we find a cheat's version that was just as good? After much (highly enjoyable) experimentation, we're fairly certain we've found the best and easiest recipe, ready for you to use at your next dinner party and beyond!

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1. In a large bowl, combine the double cream, single cream, mascarpone, caster sugar and Tia Maria. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod, or stir in the vanilla extract.
2. Whisk until the cream and mascarpone have completely combined and have the consistency of thickly whipped cream.
3. For the sponge, pour the coffee and Tia Maria into a shallow dish. Dip in one sponge finger at a time, turning for a few seconds until they are nicely soaked, but not soggy. Place one layer of dipped sponge fingers into the bottom of a large dish (roughly 30cm in diameter and 10-12cm deep) and then spread over one-third of the cream mixture.
4. Dust with cocoa powder and grate over a layer of the dark chocolate.
5. Repeat the layers until you use up the ingredients, finishing with a layer of the mascarpone mixture. Dust with more cocoa powder and grated chocolate to finish.
6. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight; the tiramisu will keep in the fridge for up to two days. 
7. When ready to serve, dust with a little extra cocoa powder and grate over the remainder of the chocolate. Enjoy!