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.
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.