Cannelés de Bordeaux: Caramelized Rum and Vanilla Pastries vs Battenberg Cake

Though both lean on milk, butter and eggs, these desserts use them in nearly opposite proportions. Cannelés are built on a thin, milk-heavy batter enriched with egg yolks, vanilla and dark rum, rested for at least 12 hours and baked long until a dark mahogany crust turns crisp. The Battenberg instead creams generous butter with caster sugar and four eggs for a springy vanilla sponge, needing only a splash of milk. Its appeal is visual and textural: pink and plain squares glued with apricot jam and wrapped in smooth, sweet marzipan.