What is better than a shop bought Taiwan pineapple cake? Likely the taste of ones you’ve handmade yourself! At the Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry 郭元益糕餅博物館 台北士林館, you can make your own tasty treats and take part in a hands-on pineapple cake making DIY class in Shilin, Taipei.
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Earlier this year, we made our own very pineapple cakes at Kuo Yuan Ye – it was recommended to us by a Taiwan Travel Tips Facebook group member. We loved it so much, especially eating the end product – plus the price of the class was very reasonable too.
Here is our review of making our own Taiwan pineapple cakes with lots of photos and useful information.
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How much is the Taipei pineapple cake making class?
We did the DIY pineapple cake group class in March 2026 and paid NT$640 per person which includes the workshop, access to the museum and traditional costumes, 10 pineapple cakes to take home in a gift-box, plus a NT$50 voucher to spend in the shop.
At $NT640 per person (£15 / $20USD) we thought this was great value for money and your homemade pineapple cakes are a great souvenir to take home.
This is a really fun family activity and you can book the experience on Klook (use the code CKTRAVELS for a discount if spending over $50USD).
Be sure to book / plan well in advance though as the Taipei pineapple cake class usually gets fully booked several weeks in advance – it is that popular and a great thing to do in Taipei with kids!
What to expect at Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry
Just a short 5 minute walk from Shilin MRT station exit 1, the Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry 郭元益糕餅博物館 台北士林館 (map) is a cooking class, traditional Taiwan museum and gourmet gift shop all rolled into one.
We had booked our Taipei pineapple making class the previous month and were glad we had done so as our class was out and we joined about 50 others in a waiting area.
We were led into a big kitchen area and sat at a table of about 8 to 10 people – the group was a mix of international travellers from the likes of the UK, Canada, Japan, Philippines, Singapore etc (many of whom were families) and local Taiwanese.
As a bit of fun, you were given a small flag of your home country so it was easy to see where people were from.
The class is aimed at all ages and was so well organised – the staff managed to handle communication with many groups of people from all around the world.
Instructions were clear to follow and members of staff were always on hand to help and motivate you! Languages spoken including Mandarin, Japanese and English.
There is a head pastry chef who leads from the front – with a handy mirror reflecting down so everyone can see their technique, even at the back of the room.
There are also lots of helpers and Kuo Yuan Ye cookery assistants on hand to help should you be having any difficulties rolling or making your pineapple cakes.
Making your own pineapple cakes – DIY
The first thing to mention is that making pineapple cakes isn’t too tricky and it is more about rolling and prepping your shortbread crust pastry and having fun.
All of the baking and hot ovens are handled by the capable Kuo Yuan Ye team so there are no dangers or risks of burns. To be honest, the only danger is eating too many pineapple cakes at the end!
At the start of the class, you are given your own set of utensils like a rolling pin, along with ingredients to make the pastry. The inner pineapple paste is ready to insert and cooked down for you prior to the class.
Caroline was very good at rolling her pastry whilst I (Neil) wasn’t the best so one of the team took pity on me and gave me a hand!
Once your 10 pineapple cakes are rolled, you then add your initials or use a unique pastry stamp to imprint a design, so they can be recognised on your table as yours once cooked.
The first part of the pineapple cake class takes about 30 minutes and then once everyone has put theirs on a baking tray, it is time to head to the museum.
Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry
Whilst the pineapple cakes are baking in the oven, they take you to the museum upstairs and include some activities such as throwing the red, crescent-shaped wooden blocks, known as jiaobei (筊杯) and trying on some traditional costumes.
We were going to pass on wearing the outfits but a member of staff refused to take no for an answer and before we knew it, she arranged two costume changes for us and a mini photo shoot.
Her enthusiasm was delightful and she took DOZENS of photos for us – plus we now have some rather ‘special’ pictures of Caroline and I.
Packaging your pineapple cakes
After the museum, you head back to the kitchen area and your cooked / finished pineapple cakes have magically appeared back on the table.
When the cakes are ready, you get to wrap them in individual wax wrappers with the iconic Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry branding, whilst enjoying tea and snacks.
At the end, place them in a gift box, or have a nibble on one of your DIY pineapple cakes – nom!
The cakes were actually delicious and within a day or two after the class, we had eaten all 18 pineapple cakes – oops.
Note the shelf life of pineapple cakes is usually 15 to 30 days so you may need to work out if they are suitable as souvenirs for your family and friends back at home based on your Taiwan trip duration.
Exit through the gift shop
Afterwards you are given a $50NT voucher each to spend at the gorgeous gift store downstairs.
There are bakery items to suit all budgets and you can buy small individual items for less than NT$40.
Even if you don’t take part in the pineapple cake class, you can still visit the Kuo Yuan Ye gift-shop to stock up on pineapple cakes, pastries and more.
Kuo Yuan Ye Summary
We loved making our own pineapple cakes in this DIY Taipei cooking class.
At $NT640 per person (£15 / $20USD) we thought this was great value for money and your homemade pineapple cakes are a fantastic souvenir to take home (or just eat yourself)!
Just remember you need to likely book this Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry pineapple cake class several weeks in advance as it is so popular.
This is a really fun family activity and you can book the experience on Klook >
And finally – what is the store bought best pineapple cake?
Which is the most tasty Taiwan pineapple cake? We put it to our Taiwan Travel Tips (TTT) Facebook group for a vote, and there were a few clear favourites plus a lot of other great suggestions.
From famous brand Taiwan pineapple cakes to some less well known bakeries, the results were a great tool to guide us on which to try.
In the end, over 50% of the votes went to two famous pineapple cake brands- but what were they?
Check out the best Taiwan pineapple cake results here >
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