For the lemon curd

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1. You can use homemade lemon curd, however, I used store-bought lemon curd that I got at Trader Joe’s. If using store-bought, you’ll need 2 1/2 cups. And make sure that it is room temperature. It will spread much more easily.

For the lemon syrup

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1. Place the sugar, the juice from one lemon, three strips of lemon peel, and the water in a saucepan.
2. Over medium heat, simmer the mixture for about four to five minutes until the sugar completely dissolves, stirring regularly.
3. Set aside to cool.

For the Tiramisu cream

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1. Pour the heavy cream into the chilled bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Don’t over-whip the cream as it will begin to curdle. You know when it’s ready as you can turn the bowl upside down and the cream won’t fall out.
2. Place the cold mascarpone cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon curd and vanilla extract, and stir to combine. It should be very smooth and creamy. If you’d like the lemon curd to be a brighter yellow color, you can add a drop or two of yellow food color before adding the lemon curd to the mascarpone cheese.
3. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone and lemon curd mixture in two steps. Fold it gently so that you don’t deflate the whipped cream.

Putting it all together

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1. Dip the ladyfingers, one at a time, in the lemon syrup for 2 to 3 seconds each (longer and they will get soggy) and place them sugar side down in a single layer in the baking pan until you’ve covered the bottom.
2. Place 1/4 cup of the Tiramisu cream in a piping bag and put it in the refrigerator to use later. 
3. Take half of the mascarpone mixture and spread it evenly over the top of the ladyfinger cookies. I like to use a large offset spatula for this but you can also do it with a rubber spatula.
4. Place another even layer of syrup-soak ladyfinger cookies on top of the Tiramisu cream.
5. Spread the remaining half of the Tiramisu cream over the second layer of cookies, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or at least for 8 to 10 hours.
6. The next day, spread one cup of lemon curd evenly over the Tiramisu cream and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.
7. Once the lemon curd has set in the refrigerator, cut square pieces and carefully remove each piece from the baking pan. Transfer each piece to an individual serving plate. To make clean cuts, rinse the knife with hot water after each use.
8. Using the filled piping bag and the nozzle size of your choice, squeeze a dollop of Tiramisu filling onto each piece, sprinkle with lemon zest, and serve!