Pineapple Cake (feng li su)

Pineapple garnish

1. Peel the pineapple and remove the core and eyes.
2. Cut the flesh of the pineapple into small cubes of about ¼ inch (0,5 cm).
3. Filter for about 15 minutes to remove excess juice.
4. Add pineapple and sugar in a deep nonstick skillet and cook over low to medium heat, uncovered, until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring very. frequently.
5. Add the lard, butter and stir continuously until the butter has melted in the pineapple.
6. Keep the pan on the heat to help evaporate the excess moisture again, but do not cook for more than 5 minutes to preserve the buttery taste.
7. The mixture appears soft, but hardens when it cools to room temperature.
8. Spread the mixture thinly on a large dish to cool completely before using.

Dough

1. Cut the butter, lard or shortening into cubes of about ½ inch (1 cm) and freeze them for 15 minutes.
2. Add the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Pour the fat reserved for the freezer and the beaten egg into the bowl of the stand mixer and mix with the flat beater until a crumbly dough forms.
4. Pour the dough on a pastry mat and press it very quickly with the hands. Above all, do not knead in order to prevent the gluten from developing and hardening the baked crust.
5. Flatten the dough a little into a disc, cover it with plastic wra and place it in the refrigerator for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Shaping

1. Divide the pineapple jam filling into portions of ⅔ oz. (20 grams) each.
2. Divide the dough into portions of almost 1 oz (25 grams) each and ball each portion.
3. Flatten a ball of dough using a tortilla press between two pieces of parchment paper or thin silicone sheets.
4. Place a portion of the stuffing in the center of the flattened dough.
5. Gently wrap the dough around the filling, pinching and setting aside excess dough at the top and where the edges meet.
6. Roll the stuffed dough between the two palms to form a smooth ball. Place the ball in a metal baking square.
7. Press gently with the fingers or a small pointed spatula to adhere the dough to the corners of the square mold. The dough does not quite reach the top of the pan and expands when baking in the oven.
8. Repeat the operation until all the pineapple jam and dough are used up.
9. Place the shaped pastries, all still in their molds, on a baking sheet.
10. When all the pastries have been shaped, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and let cool for 30 minutes.
11. While the pastries are cooling, preheat the oven to 340 F (170˚C).
12. Bake the pineapple cakes for 8 minutes.
13. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip each pineapple cake.
14. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned, checking regularly after 5 minutes of cooking. Do not overcook or the filling may expand and crack through the surrounding dough.
15. Take the pineapple cakes out of the oven, unmold and leave the pastries to cool on a wire rack.