Şekerpare (Syrup Pastry) vs Frankfurter Kranz (Frankfurt Crown Cake)

Both desserts lean on butter, sugar, egg and vanilla, yet they put them to very different work. Şekerpare creams butter with powdered sugar, adds semolina, bakes the pieces golden, then drenches them in a cooled lemon-and-vanilla syrup until they turn saturated and tender, each topped with a single almond or hazelnut. Frankfurter Kranz bakes a butter sponge in a ring mold, layers it with jam and a powdered-sugar buttercream, and coats it in crunchy caramelized almond brittle, finished with sweet glacé cherries.