Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake
This Easy Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake has layers of brown sugar, crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries, cake mix, and plenty of butter. It's the perfect summer potluck dessert that's bursting with pineapple and cherry flavor in each bite. Transform a box cake mix into a delicious pineapple dessert in no time!
One pan is all it takes to make this easy cake recipe. The boxed cake mix helps speed up the process and no one has to know it isn't homemade.
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What is a dump cake?
Dump cakes have been around for so many years. A dump cake is where you take pie filling and dump it into a pan. Top with dry cake mix, sliced or melted butter, and then bake. In this case, I dumped canned pineapple and maraschino cherries instead of pie filling.
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This recipe has a few more ingredients, but trust me, it's worth it. The ingredients are simple pantry ingredients you might already have on hand.
What you'll need
Full printable recipe is at bottom of post.
- Butter - I used salted butter for this recipe, but unsalted works great as well.
- Brown Sugar - I used light brown sugar, but you could use dark brown sugar if that's all you have on hand.
- Pecans - This is completely optional.
- Pineapple - I used crushed pineapple and drained it really well with a fine mesh strainer. You'll want the pineapple to feel dry. Any additional liquid will soak into the cake mix and create a fluffy cake topping.
- Maraschino Cherries - You can't have a dessert inspired by the pineapple upside down cake without maraschino cherries.
- Boxed Cake Mix - Any brand cake mix will do.
How to make Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake
- Start by preheating the oven and grease a 9x13 pan. Once that is done, you can then add the melted butter in the 9x13 pan and then sprinkle the brown sugar on top. It doesn't need to be mixed, but make sure it's coating the entire bottom of the pan.
- If you're adding pecans, do so now. Then add the cherries. Make sure they're spread out.
- Once the crushed pineapple is thoroughly drained, carefully add it to the spots around the maraschino cherries.
- Sprinkle the dry cake mix all over in the pan. Smooth it out with your hand so it's flat and drizzle with the butter.
- Bake as directed. Once done spoon into a bowl with a scoop of ice cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your pineapple dump cake will last for around 3-5 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze any of the cake you don't plan to eat right away. Just store in a container and freeze for 3 months.
I recommend storing your pineapple dump cake in the fridge. That way the fruit stays fresh and it won't spoil as fast. If you choose to not refrigerate you will want to toss it out after a day.
You can use pineapple tidbits. You might need an extra can though to make sure it is spread out over the pan. I prefer the crushed pineapple as it spreads more evenly than tidbits.
I tend to always use Betty Crocker, but any yellow cake mix will do. Feel free to buy the brand you prefer, or use a homemade dry yellow cake mix.
Feel free to use white cake mix in replace of a yellow cake mix for this pineapple upside down cake. I have done both, and they work great. Our family just prefers the flavor of the yellow compared to the white mix.
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Pineapple Upside Down Dump Cake
Ingredients
Filling
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup chopped pecans optional
- 10 ounce jar maraschino cherries (about 30) drained
- 2 (20 ounce) cans crushed pineapple well drained
Topping
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- ¾ cup butter melted
Instructions
Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
- In a small bowl, add in the butter and brown sugar. Stir until combined.
- Spoon the brown sugar mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Carefully spread it out to coat move of the bottom of the dish.
- Sprinkle the pecans on top of the brown sugar mixture if you're using them.
- Add the cherries on top of the brown sugar mixture. Spread them out evenly.
- Add the crushed pineapple on top of the cherries. Be sure to spread it out pretty evenly.
Topping
- Sprinkle the cake mix on top of the crushed pineapple. Use your hand and spread it out until it's evenly distributed and flat.
- Drizzle the melted butter on top of the cake mix.
- Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the edges of the cake are golden brown.
- Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Spoon the dump cake and flip it so the gooey brown sugar is on top of the dump cake pile.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
This recipe could not have been any more easy! It was a hit at the Memorial Day cookout1 I did not use the cherries, but did use 2 ½ cans of pineapple tidbits and
chopped pecans. Fabulous and a definite keeper!
Delicious! Everyone loves the cake!
We love it! I used pineapple cake mix, and mixed the melted butter in a bowl with the dry cake mix before putting it on top of the pineapple. Alleviates those instances of biting into dry cake mix that the butter missed.
The recipe said to bake for 40-45 minutes until brown. It took mine over
1 1/4 hours to brown completely and there were still areas of dry cake mix on top even after flattening as directed. The melted butter does not completely cover the top of the cake mix.
Hi Judy- Thanks for the feedback. I have always had enough melted butter to get the whole top drizzled but I will have to double check! Hope you give it another try 🙂
I made it as written, but to insure no dry cake, I mixed the melted butter with the boxed cake mix before spreading it on top of the pineapple....that way I was sure to not have that issue. It worked great!
Making the pineapple upside down cake. It says drain pineapple. When do I use that juice? Can't find in recipe.
I don't use the pineapple juice in the recipe, just the drained pineapple.