You cannot begin on a culinary tour in Taipei without discovering the Taiwan Pineapple Cake, a traditional food present and iconic memento of the city. This delicious dish is a favourite among both residents and tourists because it offers a blend of sweet and savoury flavours that perfectly capture Taiwanese cuisine.
A well-known dessert that has come to represent the city’s culinary scene is the Taiwan pineapple cake. A delectable pineapple (some of the time) filling hidden beneath a buttery, flaky crust strikes the ideal mix between sweet, acidic, and rich flavours. Travellers will come across a plethora of stores and bakeries as they explore Taipei’s lively neighbourhoods, each having their own distinctive take on this well-known treat.
How are pineapple cakes made?
Pineapple cakes are made by combining flour, butter, sugar, and pineapple filling, then shaping them into squares and baking them until golden.
Do pineapple cakes contain pineapple?
Some Taiwanese pineapple cakes are filled with pure pineapple, but others are cut with winter melon to allow them to be available all year long, even outside of the pineapple growing season.
Where to find the best pineapple cakes in Taipei?
In Taipei, some renowned places for the best pineapple cakes include SunnyHills, Chia Te Bakery, and Pan’s Cake, known for their quality and traditional flavours.
These tasty treats make great food gifts for friends and family back home in addition to being a treat for the taste buds. You can easily locate these mouthwatering sweets whether you’re strolling through Taipei’s night markets, browsing the trendy shops in Ximending, or exploring Jiufen’s historic streets.
The Taiwan Pineapple Cake is a tribute to Taipei’s ability to combine tradition and innovation in this enchanting city noted for its diverse culinary tapestry. Dear readers, be sure to pack a box of these delectable treats on your Taipei food trip because they not only make a delicious snack but also a keepsake of the city’s culinary legacy that you can bring back to your family and friends.
Table of Contents
If you are coming to Taipei and wondering where to go and what to eat, these posts are useful for you:
7 unforgettable Taipei Places to visit in 2023 if you only have 48 hours!
The Ultimate Guide to 15 Amazing Xiao Long Bao Restaurants in Taipei
Where Can You Find the Best Taiwanese Breakfast? here are my 2023 top picks!
Traditional Pineapple (with winter melon mixed) Cakes
A lot of the 'pineapple cake' in Taiwan doesn't always contain pineapple. Huh, what? Why wouldn't it when it's in the name? Well, it's not quite that simple. Traditionally, pineapple might not have been available all year round, and compared to other fruits it does need a lot of water and from the moment a pineapple is planted, it is likely to take longer than 12 months to flower, then a further 6 months to fruit. With such a demand for pineapple through these cakes, creators found that it was easy to cut the pineapple with winter melon to enable the mixture to stretch further.
This tradition continued as it allowed the costs to remain comparatively low, whilst maintaining a steady supply all year round. Win, right? Well, kind of. It depends on whether you want and appreciate pure pineapple mix in your cake, or whether you're happy just getting 50:50 between winter melon and pineapple. Either way, they're yummy, and you should try them out to see which you prefer.
Chia Te Bakery 佳德鳳梨酥
Without a doubt, Chia Te Bakery produces some of the best pineapple cakes in the business. Their store on Nanjing East Road is constantly busy throughout the day, with a steady stream of people filing in and out of the shop between its opening time of 08:30-20:30 every day of the week. But, what makes this food gift so good?
The little packages of pineapple and winter melon mix here that are pushed into a butter-rich pastry are what will keep you coming back for more.
I find that Chia Te Bakery hit a good sweet spot as a food gift to take back to your home country, as they can last around 1 month. The pastry isn't too crumbly, the filling isn't too sweet, and the price is pretty reasonable.
If these sound right for you, and you are looking for an Airport Pickup / Hotel Delivery / Home Delivery, you should check out the link below and take advantage of the ultimate convenience that Taipei offers you!
ChiaTe Bakery Pastry Delivery (Airport Pickup / Hotel Delivery / Home Delivery)
Alternatively, you could price-check the above link with the following link for home delivery in Taiwan. Either way, pineapple cake to your door? Must be a winner!
Chia Te Bakery Gift Bag (Delivery to Taiwan)
Chia Te Bakery is well-known for its pineapple cakes, but those are not the only things worth buying. If you want other flavours of cakes, they also have other options such as cranberry pineapple, cherry pineapple, pineapple and egg yolk. Their custard egg tart is one of the best in the city in my opinion, and it is limited each day baked fresh out of the oven. Grab two and give them a try, you will not regret it.
Pan's Cake 小潘蛋糕坊
Now, I am quite confident and happy to say that Pan's cake 小潘蛋糕坊 does some of my favourites on this whole island. Compared to Chia Te, I would say that they use a higher butter content in the pastry, allowing it to be even more crumbly and decadent, while absolutely nailing the balance of the filling. However, they don't keep quite as long, so you have to be much more aware of the date if they are going to be a Taipei souvenir for friends or family back home.
Some of the other great things on offer at Pan's Cakes are:
The custard egg tarts are really good as they have plenty of filling that isn't too over-sweetened like a lot can sometimes be. The pastry is crispy, but without being laden with too much butter that would make them soggy.
Those little balls of pastry dotted with sesame seeds in the top right picture? They're egg yolk pastries. Are they worth it? Without a doubt! I still maintain that some of the best egg yolk pastries in Taiwan can be found in Changhua, but more recently I have tried some in Taipei that were similarly amazing, too. However, Pan's Cakes are also exceptionally good!
I would strongly recommend you eat them on the day that you get them, as the butter/fat content in these types of cakes is often quite high, so they can sometimes taste a little stale after a while, especially as they're not individually packaged. Deliciously packed full of red bean paste and egg yolk, they are the ultimate in afternoon tea decadence.
Finally, those packages of pastry that encase a taro filling. They're bang on the money! Crunchy, soft, buttery, rich, salty, sweet, packed full of taro flavour, and perfect when washed down with a cup of coffee. You must get these. I have not seen these anywhere else in Taiwan, making them the perfect food gift or Taipei souvenir for family members and/or friends!
Similarly, you can also get Pan's Cakes delivered, too! Incredible! Use the link below to get yours today.
Pan's Cake Gift Box(Airport Pickup/Home Delivery)
Lee's Bakery 李製餅家
There's no denying that Lee's Bakery wins for the most original and old-school packaging for their cakes. The offerings here at Lee's Bakery are slightly less packed than those of Chia Te or Pan's Cake, but that only allows them to appear lighter so you might not feel guilty by having a couple of them in one sitting. The filling is on the sweeter side and can feel a bit sweet as the pastry is quite thin. However, washed down with a lovely cup of Oolong tea, they are delicious!
Taipei Leechi 台北犁記
Interestingly, when it comes to Taipei Leechi, I kind of stumbled across their pineapple-based offerings. I originally went here for the mung bean moon cakes and the original red bean with egg yolk moon cakes. On a whim, I decided to add a few of their pretty inexpensive individually packaged pineapple pastry cakes. I couldn't help it, some would say it's a sickness. I say it's rude not to try a whole host of them to find out which ones I prefer...
What I would say about these from Taipei Leechi, is that they're fairly standard in terms of what you'd expect. They're flakey, they're crumbly, they're pineappley, and they're pretty good washed down with a coffee. They weren't about to set my world alight, but they were good. However, I would absolutely recommend their mung bean moon cakes as an alternative to the pineapple (and winter melon mixed) cakes.
Pineapple (With Pineapple Filling) Cakes
Sunny Hills 微熱山丘
I would quite gladly say that these are some of the best pineapple (with real pineapple) cakes that I have had the joy of tasting. The almost savoury-like pastry mixes with the mildly sour pineapple filling. The pineapple mix here is sour, and stringy, and has actual chunks of pineapple sprinkled throughout. Dare I say, but it almost feels healthy eating them.
Obviously, 'healthy' is a bit of a stretch. When you go into Sunnyhills's Minsheng Community storefront and try a whole pastry with a cup of oolong tea before you even buy it, there's a certain draw to this confident business model that they bring. And, almost every time, I will walk out with at least 1 box under my arm...
Another notable delicacy from Sunnyhills is their apple cake. Yes, apple. Identical in almost every way compared to its pineapple cousin, their apple cake is sweet vs. sour, buttery and flakey, crumbly and soft. It's delicious and well worth a try.
JinJinDing 金錦町
Very similar in shape to the Sunnyhills cousins above, these offerings from JinJinDing are incredible in every sense of the word. What I like most about these is that they are perfectly balanced between buttery sweet and crunchy sour. They are absolutely majestic.
What's more, is that they do an amazing Charcoal pineapple and osmanthus cake that is so striking that it intrigues me. Black on the outside, with that quintessential deep golden pineapple colour on the inside. These are special and are sure to be a talking point when given as a Taipei souvenir. They're a practically perfect pineapple cake in every way. They're expensive, at a box of 5 for $300, but this flavour is so worth it!
Shang Shin Select 上信撰玉
Is it a coincidence that all of the pineapple (with real pineapple) cakes are the same shape and size? Perhaps, but it seems too coincidental to me. But why? If you know, please leave a comment below to tell me, as I have no idea.
These pineapple (with real pineapple) cakes from Shang Shin Select are also really good. They hit the mark for their buttery and crumbly pastry casing.
They also do some remarkably good Macadamia nut tarts if that's something that you're into. However, one thing about Shang Shin Select is that they come in on the expensive, with a box of 5 of the pineapple (with real pineapple) cakes coming in at $220. It's quite pricey compared to some of the others on this list, and I don't know whether they are offering up much better pastry than that of Sunnyhills or Jin Jin Ding.
Other Noteworthy Traditional Taiwanese Pastry
Master Wang's Bakery 王師傅
Pineapple might not be your thing (if so, I sincerely appreciate you reaching the end of this post without clicking off). So, for you, we have decided to include a very generous nod to the other delicious pastry that Taipei has to offer.
For that list, you cannot look much further than Master Wang's Bakery. Their moon cakes are delicious and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. My personal favourites are their pine nut, mochi, and red bean moon cake; taro and egg yolk moon cake; and their black sesame with red bean and mochi moon cake.
Ah-Tsung-Shih 阿聰師
Visually stunning, Ah-Tsung-Shih bring taro to the masses. Their oozing taro moon cakes are innovative, their egg yolk taro moon cakes are delicious, and their taro choux pastry puffs are jam-packed with delicious taro goodness. This place has risen in popularity over the last few years, growing quite the following. It's well worth lining up and getting your taro fix from here!
Ah-Tsung-Shih Taiwanese Taro Pastry Souvenir Set(Taiwan Hotel & Home Delivery/Airport Pick Up)
Suntone Pastry 三統
We all love that oozing egg yolk when it bursts over your braised pork rice, or when it drips down your hand when you bite down into a hamburger. Yolk bursting even has its own cult following on Instagram & TikTok, with millions of people tuning in just to watch egg yolks being burst over food.
So, it's not a stretch to think that when you bite down on a moon cake such as this from SunTone Pastry above, when the egg custard-like filling drips down your fingers, you will most likely smile and have a wonderful day. In fact, it almost seems like a challenge to not smile. Ready to take it on?
Moon 12 Pastry 月十二曲
Moon 12 Pastry does some special pastry, and that's why I have included it here. The swirling taro effect that they put into their taro moon cakes is mesmerising, and the flavours match the beauty on the outside, too. Rich, deep, unctuous flavours burst through in each of their moon cakes. Whether it is their taro moon cakes like in the picture above, their pineapple and walnut cakes, or their Japanese-style red bean and mochi moon cakes, you're sure to leave this place feeling satisfied and happy.
The Bottom Line
It's not just about eating these amazing pineapple-based cakes, you should think about booking a class to make them, too, to truly understand more about what goes into them and why they are so revered around the island.
Taiwanese Good Fortune Pastry Class (incl. Oolong Tea Ceremony)
Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry DIY Experience in Taipei