A recording medium having improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) capabilities includes dual cap layers over the recording layer, where the Curie temperature of the first cap layer over the recording layer is greater than the Curie temperature of the recording layer, and the Curie temperature of the second cap layer over the first cap layer is greater than the Curie temperature of the first cap layer. The first cap layer may be composed of a magnetically hard material, such as L10 CoPt, where the second cap layer may be composed of a magnetically soft material, such as Co. Such a medium is particularly useful in the context of heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR).