Chimei Pineapple Cake

Chimei Pinapple Cake (鳳梨酥)

Have you ever have the pineapple cakes that come in packs? Then you'll know that the outer pasty is often already crumbling away and the inner filling horrifically sweet. Yet there is something about the pineapple cake that makes you want to eat more despite knowing you'll feel sick from its overly-sweetness.

I was given this today and immediately knew this would be different to the normal pineapple cakes as this one was individually pakaged! Upon opening this gift-box like exterior i find myself faced with another layer of packaging which only increases my anticipation.



At this point i remember my detox diet so i look at the ingredient and guess what i find!??! MILK, CHEESE, CREAM!!

I sigh in disappointment a put it away, intending to save it for when my detox i over. Being the bad girl I am, I gave in to temptation tonight == However I do have have SOME self restraint and I only eat half of it although i dearly wanted to gobble the whole thing myself!

Upon opening the packaging a sweet gentle fragrance greeted me. I gave it a slight prod but it didn't crumble into nothingness. This was a good sign as it meant i could eat it without showering myself with crumbs. But at the same time i worried that it might be dry andd hard and dashing away all my dreams.


I prepared myself mentally before taking my first bite. BLISS! the outer layer of pastry didnt crumble but it was still nice and soft, not dry at all. The innards didn't disappoint either!! It wasn't the sickening sweetness I'd associated with pineapple cakes from my memories of the now cheap imitations. This one actually had texture with actual lumps of pineapple instead of the smooth untextured filling of the cheap ones. There was also the faint taste of cheese, the kind reminding me of cheesecake.

I can honestly say that it was worth it breaking away from my detox diet for this short, sweet moment of biss and that i will NEVER, EVER eat the cheap versions of pineapple cake again!

EDIT (19/06/09): there seems to be quite some interest in the Chimei Pineapple cake. For those living in Sydney I you can try the asian supermarkets but not all of them stock it. Hikada Supermarket, 398 Anzac Pde, Kingsford always stocks some, available for individual sale (approx $2) or as a gift box (approx $20).