Sunny Hills

Pineapple cakes, beloved by locals and tourists alike, is also known as the most famous dessert in Taiwan. With more than TWD 25 billion in sales each year, the small square-shaped pineapple cakes are no doubt the must-have souvenir for every visitor to Taiwan. These doughy pastries were originated from Taichung, a city where baking shines, but in the early years, they could only be enjoyed when someone was getting married. A local baker then came up with an idea of turning a big, round pineapple cake into small chunks to appeal to the snacking crowd, leading to their endless popularity.

At the very beginning, the decent amount of fiber in pineapples ruined the whole taste because the extraction process was not as efficient as it is today. In order to get a nice chewy texture, people started to make pineapple cakes with wax gourd as an alternative paste filling. Of course, it doesn’t mean that using wax gourd during the process is a bad thing, but pineapple cakes with pure pineapple filling are the original version of this wonderful classic dessert.

As the most famous manufacturer of these goodies, Sunny Hills prides itself on using the sun-ripened pineapples that are grown on a huge farm on-site. The whole experience of buying the pineapple cakes is really fun here. Although you have to drive a while out of Taichung City to buy them, you will be treated to free pineapple cakes, tea and a town that smells like pineapple when you arrive.