The Gen XY Lifestyle
Ever thought of trying out a Pineapple Mooncake?
In celebration of their 10th year anniversary, SunnyHills has unveiled their limited-edition Pineapple Custard Mooncake
The Pineapple Custard Mooncake is SunnyHills’ interpretation of the traditional mooncake. They combined custard made from Taiwan’s Earth Pineapples with a dash of salted eggs.
The pineapples, known as Earth Pineapples, are grown naturally and organically on the central mountains of Taiwan where SunnyHills’ farm and bakery is located. The pineapples are naturally sunbathed until ripe and simmered into a golden paste. Whether it’s sweet or tangy, it mirrors the flavor of the season’s harvests. It took their Master-Baker a year to discover the perfect way to turn their ‘Earth Pineapples’ into a custard, to be used especially for the Pineapple Custard Mooncake.
On the mooncake and packaging, the pineapple flower motif symbolizes the blessings brought about by the mid-autumn festivities.
The Pineapple Custard Mooncake is available for purchase online, http://shop.sunnyhills.com.sg and at SunnyHills boutiques – Raffles Hotel and Ngee Ann City. The Pineapple Custard Mooncake (6-in-a-box) is retailing for SGD 45 (GST included) with an additional 10% discount if purchased before 3rd September 2019.
Damian Lee, SunnyHills’ Managing Director for Singapore shared with the Active Age about the inspiration for the mooncake as well as their flagship store at the newly opened Raffles Hotel.
the Active Age: How did you come up with the idea of replacing the traditional mooncake filling of lotus paste?
Damian Lee (DL): We wanted to celebrate SunnyHills 10th anniversary with a special product and decided on making a mooncake. However, we didn’t want to just come up with a pineapple tart that was like a mooncake, we wanted something innovative, original & made with fresh ingredients, must be tasty, but using the same ‘Honest-to-goodness’ philosophy of buying direct from farmers and without the use of artificial additives or preservatives. It took us over a year from conceptualising this special mooncake to actually coming up with the final recipe and making it into volume production. Using our hallmark earth pineapples ‘台湾土凤梨’ made the most sense, organically grown and at the same time representing wishes of prosperity for recipients. More importantly, it was an ingredient that we had full control of because it’s made all in-house. If we used lotus paste, we wouldn’t have been able to ensure that all our ingredients did not use any artificial additives or preservatives, because we don’t make that ingredient.
AA: Why did you decide to use pineapple custard, and was this the first iteration of the ‘new’ mooncake for SunnyHills?
DL: It wasn’t a sudden idea that popped up, it was after many attempts with different combinations and tasting sessions that we finally decided that custard was the perfect match. After that was a grueling tweaking of recipes with different proportions of custard and salted eggs and pineapples to get the right combination that even our bakers were proud to share with their family and friends. Even the making of the pastry shell with the pineapple motif challenged our bakers to use the latest baking techniques to achieve the desired consistency in texture and looks.
AA: What were the considerations when deciding to open your new Flagship store in Singapore?
DL: The first international store for SunnyHills started in Singapore at Raffles Hotel, we always felt it was a perfect match. We share the same philosophies with Raffles Hotel, in terms of pursuing quality and hospitality, and the same aspiration to always do better while retaining rich traditions. Opening our flagship store at Raffles Hotel again, we can finally provide our customers here, SunnyHills’ famed hospitality with a cup of freshly brewed tea and a taste of sunshine in beautifully designed shops at an oasis in the city. Come join us for a cup of tea and take a breather while you are in the middle of the city.
