This beautiful pineapple-shaped pineapple pastry is a level up from the classic Chinese pineapple tarts. The pastries are filled with a sweet and tangy filling that's full of pineapple flavors all wrapped up with a tender, melt in your mouth shortbread crust.
Pineapple pastries are gifted to friends and families for good luck for Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and special occasions, but they're usually just plain rectangles or squares.
So we decided to add another wow factor to these delicious pineapple pastries by shaping them into pineapples. Aren't they just super cute?!
If you're looking for more Asian pastries, check out our Taiwanese castella cake, traditional Chinese mooncakes, and Korean mochi bread.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
Pineapple filling:
- Pineapple - The star of this pastry! We prefer to use pineapple that is just starting to ripen to get a balance of sweet, sour, and pineapple flavors.
- Sugar - Regular granulated white sugar sweetens the pineapple and keeps the flavor clean.
- Dark brown sugar - While the regular granulated sugar is for sweetening, dark brown sugar is to give the pineapple filling a depth of flavor and a richer color. You can also use Taiwanese black sugar. You may need to use a little less because the color is much darker.
- Maltose syrup - Also known as malt syrup. Maltose syrup is super sticky, especially when it's cool or cold. So you may need to warm it up slightly so that it's easier to pour and measure. It's often used in a lot of traditional Chinese cooking, sweets, candies, and pastries. Maltose helps to keep the sugars in the pineapple pastry from crystalizing, extend shelf life, and give the filing a firmer texture while keeping it moist.
- Baking soda - A little baking soda goes a long way. If your pineapple isn't ripe enough or you just want to get rid of some of that harsh tang, baking soda will cancel it out.
Dough:
- Unsalted butter - Since the pastry is basically shortbread, butter is definitely an important ingredient! It's one of the only two wet ingredients used to bind the dough. Unsalted butter is highly recommended.
- Powdered sugar - Because we want the pineapple pastry to be soft and melt in your mouth, powdered sugar is absolute. Granulated white sugar will only make it crispy and crunchy, which is not the texture we want.
- Egg yolk - This is the second wet ingredient in dough. Egg yolk also adds a bit of natural color.
- Cake flour - We recommend cake flour because it has the least amount of gluten, which is very important in achieving the melt in your mouth texture.
- Almond flour - To prevent the dough from becoming dense and to ensure that we get the melt in your mouth texture. Almond flour also adds a subtle nuttiness that goes really nice with pineapple.
- Milk powder - Because we cannot add milk or any liquid to the dough, milk powder enriches the flavor and gives the shortbread pastry some rich, milky flavor.
- Baking powder - To help the pastry dough rise when baking, which ensures the shortbread is light.
- Matcha powder and turmeric powder (optional for coloring) - You can also use food coloring. We recommend gel food coloring.
Equipment recommendations
These equipments are highly recommended to help the pineapple pastry process as easy as possible:
- Pineapple mold - This pineapple mold is the only way to get the intricate pineapple shapes and details quickly and easily. This is a 50 gram mold.
- Scale - If you are shaping it into a pineapple shape, you'll want to measure and portion the dough and filling perfectly, so that it fits in the mold properly.
- Hand mixer - Personally, I like to use a hand mixer because I can control the process better. But you can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment if you prefer.
- Pastry brush - It is so handy to have a pastry brush on hand! You can dust your mold with flour and easily dust your pastry to get rid of excess flour. Otherwise, you may accidentally smush the intricate details on the pineapple pastry.
- Silicon pastry mat - I absolutely love this silicon pastry mat! I can turn any solid surface into a clean work surface, and it saves me a lot of cleaning time.
How to make pineapple shaped pineapple pastry
For the pineapple filling:
1. Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple and peel the pineapple. Using the tip of your knife or a pairing knife, cut along the "eyes" of the pineapple to remove them. This wastes the least amount of pineapple.
2. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and cut out the woody, tough parts of the pineapple core at the top and bottom.
3. Thinly slice the pineapple then cut them into thin matchsticks. Go back and give the pineapple a few rough chops to cut them into smaller pieces.
💡Tip: You can also chop the pineapple in a food process if you wish, although, we personally prefer the texture of the pineapple filling cut by hand. If you are using a food processor, cut the pineapple into quarters and cut out the core. Chop up the core before adding the rest of the pineapple.
4. Transfer all of the pineapple, along with all the juices, into a wide nonstick pan. Sprinkle in some baking soda if your pineapple is not as ripe. Stir to activate the baking soda.
5. Cook the pineapple on medium high heat while stirring occasionally, until most of the pineapple juice has evaporated. Turn the heat to medium and add the sugar and brown sugar. Keep cooking while stirring constantly, until the pineapple juice is once again mostly evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the maltose syrup. Keep cooking and stir constantly until the pineapple filling is thick, kind of clumps together, and no more liquid remains.
6. Transfer the pineapple filling to a plate and spread it out to cool at room temperature.
7. Once the pineapple filling is completely cool, divide the filling into seventeen 25 gram portions. Round each portion into a ball. You'll most likely have leftovers. Save it for tea, snacks, etc!
For the shortbread dough:
1. In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and mix on medium high speed with a hand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy. Then, add the powdered sugar and mix on on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium high and cream the butter until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
💡Stand mixer: You can also complete this step in a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
2. Add the egg yolk and mix until well incorporated.
3. Using a sieve, sift in the cake flour, almond flour, milk powder, and baking powder. Mix on low speed just until the dough starts to clump up. Then use your hand to knead the dough a couple of times until it comes together.
4. Take out 34 grams of dough and add the matcha powder. Knead just until the color is even and divide into 17 portions (2 grams each). Round them out into balls and keep them covered.
5. With the remaining dough, add the turmeric powder and knead just until the color is even. Divide the dough into 17 portions (23 grans each) and round them out into balls. Keep it covered.
📝 Note: You may have small amount left over, that's okay. You can save it just in case you need extra dough for patching.*
How to shape and assemble:
1. Prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, a small ramekin of water, extra flour for dusting, the pineapple mold, the filling, and both of the doughs.
2. Place one ball of the yellow dough in your palm and flatten as evenly as possible to about 3 inches wide. Then, place a ball of filling at the center of the dough and wrap the dough around the filling.
3. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. Round out the pastry and pinch together/patch up any large cracks that may have formed. Gently shape the pastry into an oval/cylinder about the same size as the pineapple mold. Place it down on your work surface.
4. Dust your pineapple mold with some flour. While pushing the mold up, press one ball of the green dough into the top, leafy part of the pineapple mold and try your best to contain it in the leafy area. Make sure the dough is packed in tight.
5. Then brush the green dough is a tiny amount of water. You can use your finger if you prefer. Keep brushing until the dough feels a little sticky. This is to help adhere the green dough to the main dough.
4. Place the pineapple mold over the prepared yellow dough with filling and press down firmly to shape the pastry. While still pressing down, lift up the mold to release the pineapple pastry. Dust off any excess flour if needed and arrange the pastry onto the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Bake the pineapple pastry:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Bake the pineapple pastries for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan mid way if necessary.
🌟 Pro tip: After 10 minutes of baking, you can use strips of aluminum foil to cover the green, leafy parts of the pineapple pastry to prevent them from becoming browned. Also, if you prefer the bottom of your pastries from becoming too brown, you can double stack the sheet pan.
3. Once the pineapple pastries are slightly golden brown around the edges, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely at room temperature.
4. Enjoy by itself or with some hot tea.
Recipe tips
- Make sure to measure the ingredients for the pastry dough as accurately as possible, preferably with a scale.
- Don't use any liquids! In order for as little gluten to develop as possible so that our pastry stays tender, all liquid must be avoided. If the dough feels dry and crumbly, you can use a bit more egg yolks or softened butter.
- Make sure the oven temperature is preheated and at the correct temperature before baking the pineapple pastries.
- If the dough feels drier or more crumbly after sitting, you may need to warm it up in your hands by kneading it a few times. This will soften the butter again.
- Keep your dough covered whenever they are not being used.
Storage
You can enjoy the pineapple-shaped pineapple pastries after they have cooled down, but they are actually even better the next day!
Once they have cooled to only warm to the touch, store the pastries in an airtight container with paper towels layered between each layer. This will prevent any excess moistures from making the pastries soggy while ensuring that they become tender and taste moist.
These pineapple pastries will stay good for up to 1 week. Keep them stored in the airtight containers, with the paper towels, at room temperature.
FAQ
You could technically replace maltose with honey or do without, however, it will not work as well and the texture and flavor will not be the same.
For this recipe, no. The only way to get the same intricate details of pineapple is by using a mold. However, if you are interested, check out our classic Chinese pineapple cake recipe that you can make with or without a mold.
As the dough sits, the butter becomes chilled and the dough stiffens. We find this especially noticeable after adding the colorings. So you may need to warm the dough up with your hands by kneading a couple of times.
If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰
📖 Recipe
Pineapple Pastry (Pineapple Shaped!)
Ingredients
For the pineapple filling:
- 3 pounds pineapple peeled (usually 1 large head)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup maltose syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda (optional)
For the dough:
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1¾ cup cake flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 3 tablespoons dry milk powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Optional for coloring:
- ½ teaspoon universal grade matcha or green food gel coloring
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric or yellow food gel coloring
Instructions
For the pineapple filling:
- Cut the peeled pineapple in half lengthwise and cut out the woody, tough parts of the pineapple core at the top and bottom.
- Thinly slice the pineapple then cut them into thin matchsticks. Go back and give the pineapple a few rough chops to cut them into smaller pieces.
- Transfer all of the pineapple into a wide nonstick pan, along with all the juices. Sprinkle in some baking soda if your pineapple is not as ripe. Stir to activate the baking soda.
- Cook the pineapple on medium high heat while stirring occasionally, until most of the pineapple juice has evaporated. Turn the heat to medium and add the sugar and brown sugar. Keep cooking while stirring constantly, until the pineapple juice is once again mostly evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the maltose syrup. Keep cooking and stir constantly until the pineapple filling is thick, kind of clumps together, and no more liquid remains.
- Transfer the pineapple filling to a plate and spread it out to cool at room temperature.
- Once the pineapple filling is completely cool, divide the filling into seventeen 25 gram portions. Round each portion into a ball. You'll most likely have leftovers. Save it for tea, snacks, etc!
For the dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and mix on medium high speed with a hand mixer until the butter is light and fluffy. Then, add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium high and cream the butter until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.*You can also complete this step in a stand mixer with paddle attachment.*
- Add the egg yolk and mix until well incorporated.
- Using a sieve, sift in the cake flour, almond flour, milk powder, and baking powder. Mix on low speed just until the dough starts to clump up. Knead the dough a couple of times until the dough comes together.
- Take out 34 grams of dough and add the matcha powder. Knead just until the color is even and divide into 17 portions (2 grams each). Round them out into balls and keep them covered.
- With the remaining dough, add the turmeric powder and knead just until the color is even. Divide the dough into 17 portions (23 grams each) and round them out into balls. Keep it covered. *You may have small amount left over, that's okay. You can save it just in case you need extra dough for patching.*
Shaping and assembling:
- Prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, a small ramekin of water, extra flour for dusting, the pineapple mold, the filling, and both of the doughs.
- Place one ball of the yellow dough in your palm and flatten as evenly as possible to about 3 inches wide. Place a ball of filling at the center of the dough and wrap the dough around the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. Round out the pastry and pinch together/patch up any large cracks that may have formed. Gently shape the pastry into an oval/cylinder about the same size as the pineapple mold. Place it down on your work surface.
- Dust your pineapple mold with some flour. While pushing the mold up, press one ball of the green dough into the top, leafy part of the pineapple mold and try your best to contain it in the leafy area. Make sure the dough is packed in tight, then brush the green dough is a tiny amount of water. You can use your finger if you prefer. Keep brushing until the dough feels a little sticky. This is to help adhere the green dough to the main dough.
- Place the pineapple mold over the prepared yellow dough with filling and press down firmly to shape the pastry. While still pressing down, lift up the mold to release the pineapple pastry. Dust off any excess flour if needed and arrange the pastry onto the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.*Refer to the post for step by step photo references of how to shape and assemble!*
Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake the pineapple pastries for 20 minutes. Midway, if you wish, cover the green, leafy parts of the pastry with aluminum foil to prevent too much browning. Also, rotate the pan if necessary.
- Once the pineapple pastries are slightly golden brown around the edges, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely at room temperature.
- Enjoy by itself or with some hot tea.
Notes
- Sweet pineapple - If your pineapple is ripe and sweet, you can omit the baking soda and use a little less sugar. You can taste the filling after cooking the second time to determine if you need to add more sugar. The maltose isn't that sweet, so you won't have to worry too much about it.
- Better the next day - You can enjoy the same day, and they will be melt in your mouth, a little crisper, and yummy. Or store them in airtight containers layered with kitchen paper towels to enjoy the next day. This allows the pastry to become softer, more moist, and melt in your mouth!
- No coloring - If you wish to keep the dough no color or just one color, you don't have to divide the dough for the green leaves. Instead, use a little more turmeric (if you want it yellow, and divide the dough into 17 portions (25 grams each).
- Green dough - If your green dough feels a little crumbly when you're trying to press it into the mold, you may need to warm it up a little by kneading it in between your fingers.
Comments
No Comments