Turkish Profiteroles vs Frankfurter Kranz (Frankfurt Crown Cake)

Both desserts lean on milk, sugar, butter and egg, yet they put them to very different work. In the profiteroles, butter and eggs are beaten into a cooked dough that bakes into hollow, golden puffs, while milk and sugar become a vanilla pastry cream lightened with whipped cream and a glossy cocoa sauce poured over the top. The Frankfurter Kranz instead creams butter and sugar into a dense ring cake, then whips more butter into a silky buttercream layered with jam. Its outer coat of caramelized almond brittle and glacé cherries adds crunch and sweetness, a contrast to the soft, airy, chocolate-drizzled puffs.