Pineapple Tea Cake with Walnuts

Our cousin sent us a gift from a trip to Taiwan. Pineapple cakes! Or at least, that's what I call them. They're not cake-like and hence more like a cookie with a pineapple filling. The cake part is buttery and a bit crumbly while the pineapple filling is rather solid. I remember the first time I had them years ago (10 years now?). Another cousin had brought some from Singapore, and those were incredibly heavenly! Very buttery tasting and the pineapple filling was very flavorful, not the sweet and generic flavor that most are these days. Honestly, I don't think any of them taste remotely like pineapple. When I went to Hong Kong, we found some that included other flavors like melon and such. They all nearly tasted about the same. How disappointing despite being a good bakery. =( These were pretty good and absolutely superior to the ones I can find here in the US thus far, but my gold standard is still the first ones I had. It's possible that with the passage of time and the novelty of it being my first taste has led me to believe their taste was far superior...but I doubt it.


The pineapple cake is individually wrapped within the box. The wrapping is actually (or appears to be) rice paper with a foil lining. I have no idea what the wrapper says. Probably the name of the bakery and the contents.


The cake is revealed! Those are walnuts on top. I hate walnuts, but I couldn't really taste them for which I was thankful since I don't like walnuts. =P Interesting pattern of brown rings. I wonder how these cakes were made to produce those rings...the mold?


The innards in close-up! They always look like this. The filling always looks sort of stringy though there are no pineapple strings so it must be the binder of whatever that creates the 'strings' as you bite and pull away much like melted cheese on a pizza. The filling is clearly solid, but it is soft. However, it is not mush as there is a slight chunky texture to it. Real pineapple? Or simulated pineapple with flavoring (natural or otherwise)? I have no idea. Regardless, it's an enjoyable snack with a cup of tea. =9~