Classic St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake vs Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)

Both cakes rely on butter, eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla, but put them to very different work. The Gooey Butter Cake pairs a dense, pressed butter base with a rich cream cheese and powdered-sugar topping, baked until set yet still soft and gooey in the center. Bienenstich starts from a kneaded, risen yeast dough crowned with caramelized honey-butter almonds, then is split and filled with a chilled vanilla custard lightened with whipped cream. One offers concentrated, creamy sweetness; the other contrasts a springy crumb, a crunchy topping and an airy filling.