Classic St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake vs Baba au Rhum: Classic Rum-Soaked Brioche

Both desserts use eggs, milk and butter, yet they land worlds apart. The gooey butter cake pairs a dense, buttery pressed base with a cream cheese and powdered sugar topping, enriched with milk and vanilla and baked until the edges are golden but the center stays slightly gooey. The baba uses milk to activate yeast and four eggs to enrich a kneaded, twice-risen dough that bakes golden, then soaks up warm dark-rum syrup. Glazed with apricot jam and served with whipped cream, it is moist and spirit-forward rather than rich and sugary.