Taiwanese · Baking

Pineapple Cake

Buttery shortbread cases filled with a firm, slightly tart pineapple and winter melon jam, baked in small square moulds.

2 hr 5 min to 2 hr 20 min prep and cooking plus 30 min chilling plus time for cooling the filling and the cakes, which the recipe does not time at least 2 hr 35 min to 2 hr 50 min start to finish Serves 16 servings Medium
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Pineapple Cake

Photograph credit: Taiwanese Pineapple Cake 001 by Ocdp · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Build the Meal Around Pineapple Cake

  • Oolong tea
  • Jasmine tea
  • Strong black coffee

Making Pineapple Cake, Step by Step

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  1. Blitz half the pineapple to a purée and leave the rest finely chopped — the mix gives both body and texture.

  2. Put all the pineapple and the grated apple in a wide pan and cook over medium heat for 40 minutes, stirring often, until most of the liquid has gone.

  3. Add the sugar, lemon juice and maltose and cook 20 to 30 minutes more, stirring constantly at the end, until the mixture is very thick, darkened, and holds a clear channel when you drag a spoon through it.

  4. Cool completely, then roll into 16 balls of about 20 g each and chill.

  5. For the pastry, beat the butter and icing sugar 4 minutes until pale. Beat in the egg yolk.

  6. Fold in the milk powder, flour, cornflour, salt and cheese to a soft dough. Chill 30 minutes.

  7. Divide the dough into 16 pieces of about 30 g. Flatten one into a disc, sit a filling ball in the middle, and bring the dough up around it, sealing completely.

  8. Press each filled ball into a rectangular pineapple cake mould set on a lined tray, flattening the top.

  9. Bake at 160°C / 320°F fan for 12 minutes, then flip each cake in its mould with tongs and bake 10 minutes more until pale gold on both sides.

  10. Cool completely in the moulds before unmoulding. They firm up as they cool.

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A Few Notes

Cook the filling until a spoon leaves a clear channel. Loose filling leaks.

Flip them halfway so both faces colour evenly.

Cool fully in the moulds — warm cakes fall apart.

Storing and Reheating

Airtight at room temperature for 2 weeks. They improve after a day.

Common Questions

How long does Pineapple Cake take to make?

45 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes of chilling, so allow 2 hours 35 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes from start to finish. The method also needs time for cooling the filling and the cakes, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 16.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: where a line offers a choice of foods, only one of them is counted. How the figures are worked out.

264Calories
3gProtein
36gCarbs
12gFat
2gFibre
19gSugar
110mgSodium

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.

First published ; last changed .