Classic Southern Chess Pie vs Battenberg Cake

Both desserts share butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla, yet handle them very differently. The chess pie whisks melted butter and plenty of sugar with eggs, a little cornmeal and a splash of cider vinegar, then bakes the filling in a pie crust until the edges set while the centre still wobbles, giving a dense, very sweet slice. The Battenberg creams softened butter and sugar into a light batter that bakes into springy sponges, cut into pink and plain strips, glued with warm apricot jam and wrapped in marzipan. One offers rich sweetness in a crust; the other a soft crumb, fruity jam and a neat checkerboard.