Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Cheesecake. We got this idea from a limited edition menu item at The Cheesecake Factory and have been mesmerized ever since. We made a few modifications and love our version too! This part-baked, part non-baked delight should be made a day in advance to let all the flavours absorb and the Cheesecake to set. 🍍🍒
Pineapple Cake:
1 can pineapple slices
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsps sour cream, room temperature
4 tbsps whole milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 egg white
3 tbsps organic raw sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp coconut extract
13 or more Maraschino cherries
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven at 350°F.
2. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter over bottom of pan and sprinkle brown sugar evenly. Line pineapple slices and cherries. Chill.
3. In bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and soda.
4. Using handmixer, cream butter (room temperature) and raw sugar in large bowl. Add egg white and extract and mix till creamy.
5. Fold-in flour mixture bit by bit till combined. Using spatula, spread over pineapples.
6. Bake 30 minutes or till center comes out clean when toothpick is inserted. Cover pan in foil half-way through, to keep cake from getting too dark.
7. Cool for an hour at least.
Cheesecake:
1 1/2 blocks cream cheese
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 tbsps sour cream
2 tbsps pineapple juice
3 tbsps organic raw sugar
2 tbsps icing sugar
1 cup Graham Crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
4 tbsps brown sugar
2 tbsps pineapple juice
2 tsps coconut extract
Instructions:
1. In large bowl, mix butter, Graham Crumbs, brown sugar, 1 tsp extract and coconut. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, use handmixer to mix cream cheese and raw sugar. Add sour cream, pineapple juice and 1 tsp extract.
3. Whip cream fully using handmixer and gently fold into cream cheese mixture with spatula. Do not overmix.
4. Use fork to poke holes over Pineapple Cake once cooled. Spread cream cheese mixture on-top.
5. Cover top with Graham Crumb mixture, packing firmly with hands.
6. Cover and chill overnight. Flip cake over carefully and stand 20 minutes or more when ready to serve.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Pineapple-BBQ Pork Pastries. A hybrid of two classics, BBQ Pork Puff Pastry x Pineapple Buns. The latter is a staple at any Chinese bakery but surprisingly doesn’t have any pineapple in it. What a tragedy! Let’s fix that. 🍍
Think – a flaky, crumbly meat pie with a savoury-sweet pork filling… and a cookie topping!
Pastry:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps sea salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled
3/4 cup Crisco Golden All-Vegetable Shortening
1/2 cup cold water
Cookie Crust:
3/4 cup flour
4 tbsps unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup organic raw sugar, pulsed in food processor till fine
1 tbsp whole milk
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
Pineapple-BBQ Pork Filling:
2 cups Chinese BBQ Pork (Cha Siu), minced
1/2 white onion, minced
3/4 cup chicken or beef broth
3/4 cup pineapple chunks, sectioned
3 tbsps organic raw sugar
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps dark soy sauce
3 tbsps Oyster Sauce
2 tbsps Hoisin Sauce
5 tbsps flour
1 egg beaten, used as egg wash
Instructions:
1. Prepare pastry, combining ingredients, adding water 1 tbsp at a time, handling minimally. Knead dough gently on floured surface. Roll into ball. Chill minimum 2 hours, no more than 5 days.
2. Pineapple-BBQ Pork filling: Sautée onions in sesame oil. Add pork and pineapple. Cook 3 minutes medium-high heat. Add sugar, dark and regular soy sauce, Oyster Sauce, Hoisin Sauce and chicken/beef broth. Bring to boil. Taste to ensure flavour balance is right. In bowl, mix flour and equal parts water to form paste, stirring into pork mixture till thick like a pie filling. Chill.
4. Cut dough into halves. Roll each half onto floured surface. Use cup to cut circles, reforming and rolling again till used. Each half should yield 12 circles, a total 24.
5. Flatten each circle with hand. Scoop filling into center of dough circle, careful not to overfill. Place another circle on-top, pressing together to seal and crimp edges gently with fork. Use paper towel to tidy any filling that leaked-out. Prepare 12 pastries and place on greased baking sheet.
6. Prepare oven at 425°F.
7. Cookie crust: mix flour, baking powder and turmeric in one bowl. In separate bowl, cream milk, butter, vanilla, egg yolk and sugar. Combine butter mixture into flour and form dough. Form 12 even balls, rolling into a thin sheet between 2 Ziploc bags till large enough to cover each pastry. Apply to pastries gently.
8. Using fingers or brush, apply egg wash.
9. Bake 15-17 minutes till golden. Cool 15 minutes.
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