Bakery-Style Pineapple Cakes with Brown-Butter Cheese Crust

Method

1. Melt the butter in a small light-coloured pan (16 cm) over medium heat and keep cooking for 5 min, swirling, until the foam turns hazelnut-brown and smells nutty. Pour it straight into a bowl, scraping in the brown bits, and refrigerate for 40 min, until just solid but still soft enough to dent with a finger.

   Add in this stepUnsalted butter 80 g

   medium heat

2. Meanwhile, grate the pineapple on the coarse side of a box grater, catching the juice. Cook the pulp, juice and lemon juice in a wide non-stick pan (24 cm) over medium-high heat for 20 min, stirring, until almost dry.

   Add in this stepFresh pineapple flesh (core removed) 600 gLemon juice 1 tsp

   medium-high heat

3. Add the sugar and maltose, lower to medium-low heat and cook for 22 min, stirring constantly, until the paste is thick, sticky and a deep amber. Let the edges of the pan caramelise lightly and stir them back in for a toffee note. Spread on a plate, cool, then chill until firm.

   Add in this stepSugar 50 gMaltose (or golden syrup) 20 g

   medium-low heat

4. Beat the firm brown butter with the icing sugar and salt for 2 min until creamy, then beat in the yolk. Add the parmesan, milk powder, ground almonds and flour and fold just until it comes together. Wrap and chill for 20 min.

   Add in this stepIcing sugar 15 gSalt 1 pinchEgg yolk 20 gParmesan, finely grated 12 gWhole milk powder 12 gGround almonds 20 gPlain flour (or cake flour) 80 g

5. Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Weigh the dough and filling and divide each into 8 equal pieces (about 25 g dough and 22 g filling). Wrap each filling ball in dough as in the classic method, seal, press into moulds on a lined tray and level the tops.

   oven

6. Chill the filled moulds for 15 min: cold pastry keeps sharp corners and does not slump.

7. Bake in the oven for 12 min, flip in the moulds and bake 8 min more, until deep golden on both sides. Cool, unmould and rest in an airtight box for a day before serving.

   oven