Method
- Make the jam first: combine chopped pineapple and winter melon in a wide pan. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes — the fruit releases water; cook until reduced and translucent.
- Add sugar, maltose, butter and lemon juice. Stir continuously for 25 minutes over low heat — the jam thickens dramatically and turns deep amber. The texture should be very stiff and almost dry; loose jam leaks during baking. Cool completely. Roll into 12 small balls of 25g each.
- Make the dough: cream softened butter and icing sugar until pale. Add egg yolk and vanilla; whisk to combine.
- Add flour, almond flour and milk powder. Mix until just combined into a soft, slightly crumbly dough. Don't over-mix.
- Divide the dough into 12 portions of 30g each. Flatten each into a disc, place a jam ball in the centre, and wrap the dough around to enclose. Press into the rectangular moulds, smoothing the surface.
- Bake at 170°C for 18 minutes, until the surface is pale gold. Remove from moulds while warm — the cakes will set as they cool. Cool completely before eating; pineapple cake's character only emerges at room temperature.
Common questions
Can Pineapple Cake be made ahead?
Pineapple Cake is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 30 minutes.
Is Pineapple Cake spicy?
Pineapple Cake as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Pineapple Cake vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is Pineapple Cake to make at home?
Pineapple Cake sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 90 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Pineapple Cake be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 12 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Pineapple cake is Taiwan's signature gift — given between businesses, brought back from trips abroad, presented at weddings. The pineapple jam includes winter melon (dong gua) for its chewy texture and milder flavour, which lets the pineapple shine without becoming cloying. SunnyHills and Chia Te are the two most-celebrated Taiwanese makers; tourist visits to their shops have become a Taiwan rite of passage. The cake's low Western-style sugar content and butter-rich shortcrust are unusual for an Asian sweet — the cake is genuinely a Taiwanese-British fusion that emerged in 1970s-80s Taipei.
