Taiwanese pineapple cake was one of my favorite childhood desserts and it brings back fond memories. Growing up in China in the early 90s, we didn’t have many snacks or desserts available. But whenever we celebrated Lunar New Year and other Chinese holidays, my mom would always buy desserts like pineapple cake for us to share.
What is pineapple cake
I always think “cake” is a bit misleading, since these fun sweet bites are closer to a butter cookie filled with jam. Pineapple cakes are square-shaped pastries with a buttery crumbly outside that is somewhat similar to pie crust. The inside is filled with a chewy tangy pineapple jam that is made from fresh pineapple. Taiwanese pineapple cakes are commonly enjoyed as a snack or dessert, especially on holidays and special occasions.
Why this recipe
My pastry chef Emily and I did some research and made many test batches of pineapple cookies to nail down a recipe. We tried using the traditional method multiple times and found that the pastry dough was quite hard to handle using the square-shaped mold. It can easily break apart while you’re shaping it, and it is hard to create a very smooth surface like the packaged ones have. After some trial and error, we decided to use a new approach. Instead of using the square metal mold, we made a large format pineapple cake using a homemade foil pan and then cut it into smaller pieces. The benefits of this approach are:
You do not need to purchase a special tool that you might only use once The shaping process is 10 times easier You can stuff in more filling and the result is much tastier The cooking is more forgiving and it’s less likely to mess up You will get a very beautifully baked pineapple cake that looks quite similar to the traditional one
You can see the comparison in the images below. The pineapple cake on the left was made the traditional way using the mold. And the right one shows the same recipe using a different shaping method. The improved method generates a much more even surface with more filling inside. And it tastes better too!
Pineapple cake ingredients
The filling
Making pineapple cake filling only requires 4 simple ingredients:
Fresh pineapple Sugar Butter Salt
NOTE: it is important to cut the pineapple instead of making it into a paste with a blender. The cut pineapple will yield a nice chewy texture once made into jam.
The dough
The pineapple cake dough is made with simple ingredients that you might be able to find in your pantry:
All-purpose flour Sugar Powdered milk Baking powder Butter (cold) Eggs
The dough is a bit similar to pie dough, but the texture is a bit finer and it crumbles into smaller flakes.
How to make pineapple cake
Make the filling
Cook the pineapple with sugar and salt The pineapple will release a lot of liquid at first Cook the liquid down until it gets thick Add the butter Cook until the butter melts Cover with plastic wrap and chill completely
Make the dough
Combine the dry ingredients Work in the cold butter Mix until the flour is crumbly Add the egg Mix in the egg Form the dough
Make the foil pan
This recipe makes a large foil pan so you’ll bake a large pineapple cake, then cut it into smaller pieces. So you don’t need to buy a special mold.
Fold a large piece of foil twice so the pan will be sturdy Shape the foil pan using a loaf pan placed upside down Fold the four edges of the foil pan Make two foil pans so you can bake both pineapple cakes at the same time
Assemble the pineapple cake
Cut the dough into 4 pieces Roll the out each dough piece Make sure the dough is slightly bigger than the foil pan Transfer the dough into the pan and press well Add the pineapple filling Cover the filling with another dough sheet Pinch off the extra dough Carefully press to seal
Bake and cut the pineapple cake
Bake the shaped pineapple cake until golden, then let it cool completely before cutting Slice the cake down in the middle Further slice the cake into thirds, then halve the thirds So you get a total of 12 pieces of pineapple cake per loaf
How to store and serve
Pineapple cake is perfect for afternoon tea and it makes a great edible gift. You can store it at room temperature for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. You can also fridge it for about a week. For longer storage, store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you refrigerate or freeze the pineapple cake, it is nice to slightly warm it up in the oven before serving.
Afterthoughts
Making pineapple cake definitely requires some time and effort, so reserve a weekend day for this big project. Compared to the store-bought ones, though, these homemade pineapple cakes taste much much better. The crust is more crumbly and buttery, and the filling very fragrant and complex. It also has a nice chewy texture without the gummy filling that some of the packaged cakes have. No matter whether you’ll be enjoying these at home or gifting them on a special occasion, it is totally worth the effort to make them in your own kitchen.
More delicious bakery recipes
Taro Bread Black Sesame Babka Chinese Coconut Buns (Cocktail Buns) Hong Kong Egg Tart (港式蛋挞) Pineapple Buns (Bolo Bao)
