A simplified Taiwanese pineapple cake that includes a buttery crumbly dough stuffed with a aromatic tangy pineapple filling. In comparison with the standard methodology, this one doesn’t require a particular mould, so it’s a lot simpler to make, and it tastes even higher. Make them in your individual kitchen to take pleasure in as a tea snack or a particular edible present. {Vegetarian}
Taiwanese pineapple cake was considered one of my favourite childhood desserts and it brings again fond recollections. Rising up in China within the early 90s, we didn’t have many snacks or desserts accessible. However every time we celebrated Lunar New Yr and different Chinese language holidays, my mother would all the time purchase desserts like pineapple cake for us to share.
What’s pineapple cake
I all the time assume “cake” is a bit deceptive, since these enjoyable candy bites are nearer to a butter cookie stuffed with jam.
Pineapple truffles are square-shaped pastries with a buttery crumbly outdoors that’s considerably just like pie crust. The within is stuffed with a chewy tangy pineapple jam that’s produced from recent pineapple. Taiwanese pineapple truffles are generally loved as a snack or dessert, particularly on holidays and particular events.
Why this recipe
My pastry chef Emily and I did some analysis and made many check batches of pineapple cookies to nail down a recipe.
We tried utilizing the standard methodology a number of instances and located that the pastry dough was fairly exhausting to deal with utilizing the square-shaped mould. It could simply break aside whilst you’re shaping it, and it’s exhausting to create a really easy floor just like the packaged ones have.
After some trial and error, we determined to make use of a brand new strategy. As a substitute of utilizing the sq. steel mould, we made a big format pineapple cake utilizing a selfmade foil pan after which lower it into smaller items. The advantages of this strategy are:
- You don’t want to buy a particular instrument that you just may solely use as soon as
- The shaping course of is 10 instances simpler
- You may stuff in additional filling and the result’s a lot tastier
- The cooking is extra forgiving and it’s much less more likely to mess up
- You’re going to get a really fantastically baked pineapple cake that appears fairly just like the standard one
You may see the comparability within the photographs beneath. The pineapple cake on the left was made the standard approach utilizing the mould. And the correct one reveals the identical recipe utilizing a special shaping methodology. The improved methodology generates a way more even floor with extra filling inside. And it tastes higher too!
Pineapple cake substances
The filling
Making pineapple cake filling solely requires 4 easy substances:
- Contemporary pineapple
- Sugar
- Butter
- Salt
NOTE: you will need to lower the pineapple as an alternative of creating it right into a paste with a blender. The lower pineapple will yield a pleasant chewy texture as soon as made into jam.
The dough
The pineapple cake dough is made with easy substances that you just may be capable of discover in your pantry:
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Powdered milk
- Baking powder
- Butter (chilly)
- Eggs
The dough is a bit just like pie dough, however the texture is a bit finer and it crumbles into smaller flakes.
make pineapple cake
Make the filling
- Cook dinner the pineapple with sugar and salt
- The pineapple will launch loads of liquid at first
- Cook dinner the liquid down till it will get thick
- Add the butter
- Cook dinner till the butter melts
- Cowl with plastic wrap and chill utterly
Make the dough
- Mix the dry substances
- Work within the chilly butter
- Combine till the flour is crumbly
- Add the egg
- Combine within the egg
- Kind the dough
Make the foil pan
This recipe makes a big foil pan so that you’ll bake a big pineapple cake, then lower it into smaller items. So that you don’t want to purchase a particular mould.
- Fold a big piece of foil twice so the pan can be sturdy
- Form the foil pan utilizing a loaf pan positioned the other way up
- Fold the 4 edges of the foil pan
- Make two foil pans so you may bake each pineapple truffles on the identical time
Assemble the pineapple cake
- Lower the dough into 4 items
- Roll the out every dough piece
- Make sure that the dough is barely greater than the foil pan
- Switch the dough into the pan and press properly
- Add the pineapple filling
- Cowl the filling with one other dough sheet
- Pinch off the additional dough
- Rigorously press to seal
Bake and lower the pineapple cake
- Bake the formed pineapple cake till golden, then let it cool utterly earlier than chopping
- Slice the cake down within the center
- Additional slice the cake into thirds, then halve the thirds
- So that you get a complete of 12 items of pineapple cake per loaf
retailer and serve
Pineapple cake is ideal for afternoon tea and it makes a terrific edible present. You may retailer it at room temperature for two to three days in an hermetic container. You too can fridge it for a couple of week. For longer storage, retailer it within the freezer for as much as 3 months. In case you refrigerate or freeze the pineapple cake, it’s good to barely heat it up within the oven earlier than serving.
Afterthoughts
Making pineapple cake positively requires some effort and time, so reserve a weekend day for this huge venture. In comparison with the store-bought ones, although, these selfmade pineapple truffles style a lot a lot better. The crust is extra crumbly and buttery, and the filling very aromatic and complicated. It additionally has a pleasant chewy texture with out the gummy filling that among the packaged truffles have. Irrespective of whether or not you’ll be having fun with these at house or gifting them on an important day, it’s completely definitely worth the effort to make them in your individual kitchen.
Extra scrumptious bakery recipes
Pineapple Cake (凤梨酥), A Simplified Model
A simplified Taiwanese pineapple cake that includes a buttery crumbly dough stuffed with a aromatic tangy pineapple filling. In comparison with the standard methodology, this one doesn’t require a particular mould, so it’s a lot simpler to make, and it tastes even higher. Make them in your individual kitchen to take pleasure in as a tea snack or a particular edible present. {Vegetarian}
Elements
Pineapple Filling
- 1 giant recent ripe pineapple , peeled and cored (700g / 24 oz as soon as lower)
- 200 g (1 cup) sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 80 g (1/3 cup) butter
Pastry
- 230 g (2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 40 g (1/4 cup) sugar
- 25 g (3 tablespoons) powdered milk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 g (1 stick minus 2 teaspoons) butter , cubed and chilled
- 1 egg , plus 1 egg yolk
Directions
To make the filling
-
Cube pineapple into high quality items. Place it in a big strainer over a big bowl for 10 to fifteen minutes. Let sit till many of the residual liquid is launched. Drain and discard the liquid, and switch the pineapple into a big saute pan. Add sugar and salt. Cook dinner over medium warmth. The pineapple will launch loads of liquid at first. Proceed to simmer, stirring sometimes to keep away from sticking, till all liquid evaporates utterly and the pineapple items begin to really feel sticky. Add butter and stir to soften. Switch the whole lot to a medium-sized bowl. Let cool barely. Then cowl the highest of the pineapple with plastic wrap. Let cool within the fridge utterly earlier than utilizing.
For pastry
-
In a meals processor (ideally) or by hand, add the flour, sugar, powdered milk and baking powder. Stir to mix.
-
Add the butter. Pulse or lower by hand till crumbly.
-
Add the egg and yolk. Combine till the dough simply begins to return collectively. Switch the dough onto a clear work floor. Kind it right into a tough sq. form. Wrap in plastic and chill no less than 30 minutes, or as much as in a single day.
Form the tin foil pan
-
Lower a big sheet of aluminum foil, about 2.5 toes (76 cm) in size. Fold in half 2 instances, to type a thicker sheet that has 4 layers (so the pan can be sturdy sufficient to carry the pineapple cake). Place an precise loaf pan the other way up (*Footnote 1). Press the folded foil over the underside of the loaf pan to crease, shaping the foil just like the loaf pan. Then take away the foil and fold on the creases, to create 4 sides which can be about 1/2” (5 cm) excessive.
-
You may repeat this to create 2 foil pans so you may bake each pineapple truffles on the identical time (extremely really useful). Or you may bake one cake at a time by solely utilizing one pan (this can take rather a lot longer as a result of every pineapple cake wants time to chill off earlier than eradicating the foil).
Form the dough
-
As soon as the dough is absolutely chilled, lower the dough into 4 equal items.
-
Place the dough between two giant items of parchment paper. Roll out the dough till very skinny and barely bigger than the foil pan, aiming to maintain the form of a rectangle.
-
Raise the highest piece of parchment to launch the dough. Rigorously flip the dough sheet over, and take away the parchment paper from the opposite aspect. Rigorously switch rolled dough to the foil pan. Press the dough to suit the pan. The dough ought to come up on all sides. Trim the sting of the dough by urgent off any overhang together with your fingers. You may patch up any tears with extra dough.
-
Fill the fitted dough sheet with half of the cooled pineapple filling. The filling ought to go nearly all the way in which as much as the highest fringe of the pan, with somewhat house left for the opposite dough sheet. Press frivolously to easy out the filling and type a fair layer.
-
Repeat the rolling course of with the following piece of dough utilizing the identical methodology from step 2. Place the rolled dough over high to seal in pineapple filling, trimming off any extra dough. Gently press the dough edges to seal the filling utterly.
-
Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Switch the pineapple cake foil pans onto a sheet pan. Bake on the center stage for 20 to 25 minutes, till the highest turns mild golden. Let the pineapple truffles cool off utterly. Then you may fold down the sides of the foil pans and place the pineapple cake on a chopping board. To chop the pineapple cake, slice lengthwise down the middle. Then slice into thirds crosswise, then slice every third in half to make 12 items in complete.
Notes
- It’s a lot simpler to make use of a loaf pan as a information to create the tin foil pan. In case you don’t have a loaf pan, you may nonetheless create a tin foil pan that’s about 8.5” (21 cm) lengthy and 4.5” (11 cm) huge.
Diet
Serving: 1serving, Energy: 164kcal, Carbohydrates: 24.3g, Protein: 2.2g, Fats: 7.5g, Saturated Fats: 4.5g, Ldl cholesterol: 34mg, Sodium: 40mg, Potassium: 472mg, Fiber: 0.8g, Sugar: 13.4g, Calcium: 203mg, Iron: 1mg
