Pain Perdu: Classic French Toast vs Classic St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

Both desserts rely on eggs, milk, butter and sugar, but put them to very different work. For Pain Perdu, thick slices of stale brioche soak in a custard of eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract, then pan-fry in butter until golden and lightly crisp, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar and optional maple syrup. Gooey Butter Cake is baked instead: a pressed base of flour, sugar, melted butter and egg sits under a cream cheese topping sweetened with four cups of powdered sugar, golden at the edges yet slightly gooey in the center.