A few years ago, my friend Sara contacted me from India. Her urgent message was about Bhagsu cake, a dessert she had tried and become completely enraptured with. She insisted that I re-create it for her Stateside so that she could prolong the joy even after her trip was over.

After some research, I found out these cakes are a localized version of a UK-born dessert called Millionaire’s Shortbread. It is really popular in Bhagsu, so they must really know what they are doing. Maybe it has something to do with those sacred cows.

This week’s Food52 contest is ‘Chocolate and Spice.’ The first thing that came to my mind was an idea I’ve had to inject some more Indian flavor into this otherwise traditional dessert that consists of three simple layers: shortbread, caramel and chocolate. Since my holiday confection’s class, I’ve had a handle on vegan, coconut-based caramel. The cookies I use for my cheesecake crust are perfect for the bottom layer, and have the added bonus of being gluten-free. The chocolate is a no-brainer. So, my goal is to get through the Vegan Shop-Up this weekend, complete my special Valentine’s orders, and somehow have a recipe submitted before the Wednesday deadline! Stay tuned.