likebyregina Last night, I revisited the recipe on homemade Taiwanese Pineapple Cake. I previously had a hard time assembling them, and the filling bursted out while baking. I did more research this time, and finally they are nicely shaped and taste great. Though it is not as professional as store bought, it is still a great treat to satisfy my crave on Taiwanese snacks. I compile some tips and techniques, along with the recipe in this blog post. Have fun baking!
Where to buy Pineapple Cake Moulds?
I bought my pineapple cake moulds on Taobao few years ago, and it was great quality and cheap. You can also buy the same one on AliExpress or Amazon. They usually come in packs of 10 with a mould press. They are different than a cookie cutter, because they can be placed in the oven and bake with the dough. For beginners, I recommend getting the rectangular or square ones as they are easier to use. The pineapple mould requires more patience, and there is a high chance that the cake is not evenly filled with the filling.
Tips
- It is best to make the pineapple filling the night prior and leave in the fridge overnight. This makes the filling easier to work with.
- Though a lot of websites suggested using low heat when cooking the pineapple filling, I recommend using medium to medium-high heat. This would reduce the cooking time, but requires 200% attention and constant stirring.
- There must be absolutely no moisture in the pineapple filling. Otherwise, you would not be able to place them in the dough after. The pineapple turns slightly transparent and caramelized, and the pineapple is sticking together. This means the pineapple filling is ready.
- The weight of dough and filling needs to be precise. Unlike other pastries, a 1g difference in dough and/or filling might lead to difficulties when pressing them perfectly to the mould.
- Plastic wrap is your best friend when assembling. The dough can get fragile, so placing your flattened dough with the filling on the plastic wrap can make the wrapping easier.
- If your hand accidentally touches the pineapple filling, please wash your hands before touching the dough. The pineapple jam will make the dough all watery, which you can’t use the dough anymore.
Taiwanese Pineapple Cake
Ingredients
- 1 can of Sliced Pineapple (approx. 300g) or Fresh Pineapple
- 35g Sugar
- 35g Honey
- 90g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- 15g Icing Sugar
- A pinch of Salt
- 1 Egg Yolk (approx. 16g)
- 2g Vanilla Extract
- 125g All Purpose Flour
- 15g Corn Starch
Pineapple Filling
Dough
Directions
- Dice the pineapple into fine pieces. Big pieces of pineapple will create chunky pineapple jam. Therefore, it is important to dice them into small, fine pieces.
- Put the diced pineapple pieces in a saucepan, along with sugar and salt. Boil it with medium to medium-high heat. Stir constantly.
- Once the water starts to evaporate, add the honey. Continue to stir constantly, until the moisture is fully evaporated, and the pineapple becomes caramelized and are sticking together. This process takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Once it is ready, the pineapple filling is ready. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight or at least 1 hour. This allows the filling to be easier to work with.
- In a large bowl, whisk the softened unsalted butter until creamy.
- Add the icing sugar into the butter and whisk until combined with no lumps.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract into the mixture. Whisk until combined and no lumps.
- In a separate bowl, combine all purpose flour and corn starch.
- Sift the dry ingredients to the batter gradually – one-third at a time. Mix until it forms a soft dough.
- Wrap the dough with a plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Separate the dough into balls of 20g each. Flatten the dough.
- Use a plastic wrap or glove to help assembling. Place the flatten dough on the plastic wrap. Place 13g of pineapple filling carefully to the center of the dough. Carefully seal the dough with the help of plastic wrap and shape the dough into a ball. Please ensure the filling is not touching the edge of the dough. This will make the dough no longer be able to use.
- Place the dough in the mould and gently press it with the mould press.
- Place the dough WITH the mould on the baking pan with parchment paper. Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven at 180 °C or 350 °F.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Then, turn each pastry over. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the pastries from the oven, lift off the moulds and cool the pastries on a rack. Ready to serve.
To Prepare Pineapple Filling:
To Prepare the Dough:
To Assemble:
Reference: Cooking Tree
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