Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake makes any day sweeter! This dump cake recipe turns an ordinary box of cake mix into an impressive dessert. Making a delicious pineapple cake couldn’t be any easier!
This recipe comes from the brand new cookbook Holy Sweet! 60 Indulgent Recipes for Bigger, Better Desserts by Peabody Johanson of Sweet ReciPEAs.
Reasons to Make This Cake Recipe
- You only need one pan to make Pineapple Dump Cake! No mixing bowl required.
- It uses just six ingredients, including a boxed cake mix.
- Every bite is bursting with pineapple flavor! Juicy pineapple chunks are baked into the cake–not just on top.
- No frosting required to make a gorgeous cake, thanks to the pineapple ring topping.
- You can serve this for dessert with ice cream AND enjoy leftovers for breakfast!
Easy Dump Cake Recipe
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of cake mix recipes. Baking from scratch is great, but sometimes you can’t beat the convenience of a box of Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker.
I especially love dump cake recipes! You just pour fruit into a pan, sprinkle cake mix and butter on top and bake. I’ve swooned over plenty of dump cakes in my time. From Blueberry Dump Cake to Chocolate Dump Cake, Peach Dump Cake to Pumpkin Dump Cake, I thought I’d tasted them all.
Then, I tried THIS Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake recipe from my friend Peabody’s new cookbook, Holy Sweet!. And let me tell you, it blew me away.
Holy Sweet!
If you’ve visited her blog Sweet ReciPEAs, you know Peabody makes desserts that can only be described as EPIC. Her new book teaches you how to make equally epic and impressive desserts. She takes familiar favorites like cupcakes and bread pudding and adds exciting, creative twists.
Besides this pineapple cake, you’ll find recipes like Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Bread Pudding and Snickerdoodle Caramel Apple Cupcakes. Is your mouth watering yet?
Here’s the big catch: as big and decadent as these desserts are they’re also amazingly simple to make! No complicated techniques, weird ingredients or special tools needed.
Does it get any better?
I was thrilled when she asked me to share a recipe with you all. And despite all the other big flashy desserts, my eye was drawn to an old favorite: pineapple dump cake.
Best Pineapple Upside Down Cake
This recipe is amazingly simple. But the resulting cake is so much more than the sum of its parts.
Melted butter and brown sugar make the sweetness of the pineapple shine! It’s equal parts moist and sweet, with a touch of fruity tang. And you just can’t beat the appearance of a classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake!
The pineapple rings get sprinkled with brown sugar and filled with a maraschino cherry. The top browns just a bit creating a delicious caramelized layer after it bakes.
How pretty is this cake? Any cake that looks this good without needing me to pull out my frosting bags is a winner!
If you love pineapple, make sure to also try my Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes, Pineapple Dump Cake, Pina Colada Pie and Disney Dole Whip recipe!
Cake Mix Recipes
If you’re looking for more tasty ways to bake with cake mix, here are more recipes you’ll love:
- Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Cake Mix Cinnamon Waffles
- Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
- Easy French Toast
- Lemon Rolls
- Easy Chocolate Pancakes
Make this Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Then grab a copy of the book, Holy Sweet for more jaw dropping desserts!
Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 2 20 oz cans crushed pineapple, with juice drained
- 28 maraschino cherries divided
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 8 pineapple rings fresh or canned
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Dump the pineapple cans with their juice and 20 of the cherries into the pan with 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Spread everything out with a spatula to make it even. Sprinkle the whole box of cake mix over the fruit, doing your best to evenly distribute the mix. Drizzle the butter as evenly as you can over the cake mix.
- Place the pineapple rings over the cake mix. Put a maraschino cherry in the middle of each ring. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over the top of the pineapple rings.
- Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, then remove the cake from the oven and set it on a rack to cool.Serve slices of this pineapple upside down dump cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Sharon L Dodd says
the ingredient list says pineapple, drained. The instructions say put in the pineapple with its juices.
Carol says
agree, drain pineapple first!
Pineapple rings on top not needed..
Christi Johnstone says
Pineapple rings on top… Necessary? No. Adorable? Yes!
Teresa says
Agreed on not putting pineapple on top. Delicious!!
Kristal says
@ Lin,
Referencing your “mushy” versus typical “cake” consistency…
Just an idea, to help reduce the “mushy,” I make my Pineapple Upside Down DUMP Cake using 2 cans of crushed pineapple (I drain juices from both both cans), and put all pineapple in the dish first, and do not put pineapple on top of the cake. This prevents the “mushy,” and gives the top of this cake a crunchy (more like a fruit cobbler or crisp)! These changes still do not create a fluffy normal “box cake,” but it is not mushy. Just a thought- hopes it helps!!