Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes (鳳梨酥, Feng Li Su)

Pineapple cakes are one of the most popular souvenirs to give and receive from Taiwan. Whenever one of our friends or family members make a trip to Taiwan, there’s a good chance of us receiving a box of yummy pineapple cakes upon their return. We love this dessert because of it’s buttery shortbread pastry and sweet and tangy pineapple filling.

When we were growing up, these desserts were served only occasionally. (Usually for special occasions or during Chinese New Year celebrations) So we were always very excited when we got to eat this sweet treat. Being able to make it from home now and sharing this treat with our kids has been so much fun! On top of that, it’s also very easy to make and requires just a handful of easy to find ingredients.

When researching how to make these pineapple cakes, we found that there were many different ways to make this. So we experimented with a few recipes. It took quite a few tries and a couple of failed attempts but in the end, we were able to come up with a recipe that gave us a deliciously fragrant pineapple cake. The pastry is buttery and crumbly when bitten into, but held it’s shape well. The pineapple jam is tart and not overly sweet. Using a mold to shape the cakes while they are baking results in the iconic rectangular shape with defined edges. Just like store bought ones. We made a few without the mold and while it was just as tasty, it expanded a little bit and didn’t quite hold it’s shape.

While we love the traditional rectangle shape, we decided to experiment with different shapes to see how well the dough would hold up. We ended up deciding on a ball shape and turned them into Winnie the Pooh.

Creating these cuties was simple. We wrapped pineapple filling inside the dough like normal and rolled it into a ball. Then we rolled out 4 small dough balls to form the ears and hands. After the pineapple cakes were baked and cooled, we used edible food markers to draw on Pooh’s facial features. That’s it!

These pineapple cakes make great homemade present to give to friends. They are sure to impress.

Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes

Sweet and tangy pineapple filling encased in a buttery short bread pastry, these pineapple cakes are yummy snacks to eat and they make impressive gifts to give to friends. 

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Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Course Snack

Servings 20 cakes

Ingredients

  

Pineapple Filling

• 1 20 oz can crushed pineapples ~1 1/2 cups drained
• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Pastry/Shortbread Dough

• 1/2 cup softened butter 1 stick
• 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp condensed milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cup cake flour

Instructions

 

For pineapple filling

• Combine all of the ingredients for the pineapple filling into a sauce pan and cook on medium heat.
• Stir mixture frequently to prevent burning. Cook for about 15 minutes or until there is very little liquid left in the pot. 
• Cool mixture to room temperature.
• Take a little bit of your cooled mixture and roll it into a ball. You should be able to make about 20 balls.

For pastry/shortbread dough

• Combine butter and powdered sugar and mix until it is well combined and fluffy.
• Add egg yolks and condensed milk and a pinch of salt and mix until well combined.
• Add cake flour a bit at a time and mix well. You may use a little more or a little less than 1 1/2 cup. When the dough pulls away from the bowl, your dough is ready. It may still be a bit sticky. That is okay.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Assembly

• Take the dough out of the refrigerator and knead it a little bit.
• Portion dough into 20 pieces then roll into balls (dough ball should be slightly larger than your filling).
• Flatten the ball of dough between your hands then place the dough on top of your index finger and thumb (This forms a well in your dough).
• Place filling in the middle of the dough and wrap the dough around the filling, pinching the ends closed.
• Roll the ball between your hands to smooth out the dough. Place the ball inside a rectangle mold and use the palm of your hand to gently push down until pineapple cake has filled up the entire mold.
• Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take out and flip each pineapple cake over carefully. Bake for about another 10 minutes. * 
• Cool on a cooling rack and enjoy warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

Notes

* After the pineapple cakes have been in the oven for 10 minutes, flipped and put back in the oven, you might want to check on them at the 8 minute mark to make sure they don’t become overly brown. 

Keyword Pineapple cake, Taiwanese

For the filling

For the pastry/shortbread dough

Assembly