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.
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
To drain the crushed pineapple, add it to a fine-mesh strainer and gently press it until the juice is drained. The more juice that's left in the pineapple, the fluffier the cake mix topping will be.