Miguelitos de La Roda (Cream-Filled Pastries) vs German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)

Both desserts rely on milk, sugar, eggs, cornstarch and lemon zest, yet they put them to very different work. In the Miguelitos, milk is infused with lemon zest and a cinnamon stick, then thickened with egg yolks and cornstarch into a cold pastry cream that fills crisp, golden puff pastry under a dusting of powdered sugar. The Käsekuchen instead blends quark with whole eggs, vanilla and a cornstarch-milk slurry, bakes it slowly over a buttery, lemon-scented dough and is served chilled. The result is either a light, flaky handheld treat or a substantial, creamy slice, each defining a different sensory experience.