Taiwanese Pineapple Cake (Feng Li Su)

Method

1. Peel, core, and finely chop the pineapple. Pulse it in a food processor in batches until it looks like coarse rice, or chop by hand into small dice; do not puree it to liquid.
2. Tip the chopped pineapple, sugar, and candied winter melon (if using) into a wide, heavy-bottomed pan or wok. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally as the sugar dissolves and the mixture loosens with released juice.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the jam down slowly, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom so it doesn’t catch. Fresh pineapple holds a lot of water; expect the mixture to look thin and pale for the first 20 minutes or so before it visibly darkens and thickens.
4. Stir in the butter, lemon juice, and maltose for the last 5 minutes of cooking. The jam is ready when a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a clear trail for a second or two before it slides back, and the mixture holds together as a dense, glossy, amber-brown paste rather than spreading.
5. Spread the hot jam thinly on a plate or tray to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm enough to roll. Divide into 14 portions, about 14 g each, and roll into balls; keep chilled until you’re ready to fill the cakes.
6. Cream the butter and icing sugar together until smooth and light, then beat in the milk powder, egg yolk, and salt.
7. Fold in the flour just until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Work it as little as possible; overmixing develops gluten and turns the baked crust tough instead of short and crumbly.
8. Divide the dough into 14 portions, about 21 g each, wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour, until firm enough to shape without sticking to your hands.
9. Heat the oven to 170°C and line a sheet pan with parchment. Flatten a portion of dough between two sheets of plastic wrap into a disc a little wider than a jam ball. Set a ball of jam in the centre and use the plastic to help fold and press the dough up and around it, pinching the seam closed and rolling gently between your palms into a smooth oval.
10. Press each filled piece firmly into a small rectangular pineapple cake mould (about 5.5 x 3.5 cm) set on the lined pan, filling the corners and smoothing the top, then lift the mould away. Without moulds, shape by hand into neat rectangular blocks instead. Chill the shaped cakes on the pan for 15 minutes if the dough has softened.
11. Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully flip each cake over with a small spatula and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until pale gold across the top and a shade deeper gold at the edges.
12. Cool completely on the pan before handling. The cakes firm up considerably as they cool; straight from the oven they are fragile and crumbly.

Notes

• These keep exceptionally well, which is exactly why feng li su is Taiwan’s classic gift confection: stored airtight at room temperature they stay good for about a week, and the crust actually turns more tender by the second day.
• Wrap cooled cakes individually in cellophane or wax paper before boxing them up as a gift; that’s the traditional presentation.
• Both the dough and the shaped, unbaked cakes freeze well. Freeze shaped cakes on a tray until solid, then bag them and bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes.
• Candied winter melon (dong gua tang) is sold at Asian grocers, often alongside other candied fruit for mooncakes. It adds body and a slight chew to the jam, but an all-pineapple jam is just as traditional and has a brighter, more fruit-forward flavour.
• Well-drained canned pineapple in juice works if fresh pineapple isn’t in season, though it needs less added sugar and a shorter cooking time, since canned fruit has already lost most of its structure.

Sources Consulted

• 196 Flavors: Pineapple Cake (Feng Li Su)
• Sift & Simmer: Taiwanese Pineapple Cakes (Feng Li Su)