Pineapple Dump Cake is a sweet and tropical dessert that might just be the easiest cake you’ll ever make! A gooey, pineapple base is topped with cake mix only to magically bake into the most delicious pineapple cake you’ve ever had. Top with a scoop of your favorite ice cream, and you have a quick, delectable dessert at your fingertips.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
Pineapple Lovers – This is a simple recipe to make if you’re in need of a quick pineapple dessert fix.
Dump Cake Fanatics – If you know and love dump cakes, this one is just as easy and just as delicious as the rest.
Easy to Make – Have I mentioned yet how easy this recipe is? Seriously you only need 5 minutes of your time to put this together, the rest is just waiting for it to bake in the oven.
Warm and Crumbly – The texture of this pineapple dump cake is similar to a cobbler, with a nice crispy crust on top, and the delicious warm fruit on the bottom.
Right Side Up – This is not an upside down cake, but resembles a lot of the flavors that one would have. However, if you’re looking for a pineapple upside down cake, I’ve got you covered.
With minimal effort on your part, a delicious dessert will be ready for you in no time at all. I know there are a few dump cake skeptics out there, but if you follow all the tips and tricks below, I guarantee yours will turn out perfectly!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pineapple Chunks – If you want your dump cake to not turn out so liquid-y after baking, make sure to drain the pineapple chunks before use.
- Crushed Pineapple – For the crushed pineapple, you do not need to drain the liquid. You’ll want to keep some liquid at the base of the cake so the cake mix has something to soak up.
- Light Brown Sugar – This is an optional ingredient, but really brings out a lovely molasses flavor which pairs beautifully with the pineapple.
- Butter – Make sure the butter is melted. Normally a dump cake would have pads of softened butter cover the top, but to avoid raw cake mix after baking, use melted butter.
- Vanilla Cake Mix – You can also use white cake mix, yellow cake mix, pineapple cake mix or french vanilla cake mix! All will turn out fantastic.
How To Make Pineapple Dump Cake
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350° F and grease a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Gather all your ingredients together to work quickly.
- To the bottom of the pan, dump in the can drained pineapple chunks, and undrained crushed pineapple. Mix them together and spread the mixture around the bottom of the pan evenly.
- To the top of the pineapple, sprinkle over the brown sugar as evenly as possible.
- Using either a large spoon or a small measuring cup, sprinkle the cake mix over top of the pineapples. Be sure to distribute this as evenly as possible, and to flatten out any clumps of cake mix that you see.
- Once the cake mix is evenly distributed, pour the melted butter over the top of the cake mix as evenly as you can get it. It is okay if raw cake mix is still showing through, it will soak up the juices from the pineapple and surrounding butter.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake the cake for about 50-55 minutes or until the top of the cake is a golden brown color. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before serving warm with your favorite toppings.
Recipe Tips and Advice
Storage – The best way to store leftover pineapple dump cake is to leave it covered at room temperature for about 1 day. If you still have leftovers past that point, you can keep it covered in the fridge after that for up to 4 days.
Equipment – For this recipe you’ll need a 9×13 baking dish, and a spatula or utensil to even out the fruit and cake mix.
Make Ahead – If you want to make this cake a few hours or a day before serving you can! Just let it cool before covering and allow it to sit at room temperature until you’re ready to serve. You can reheat each serving in the microwave, or pop the dish back into the oven on a low heat (200°F) until warm.
Let’s Talk Toppings
This recipe is amazing when served warm and topped with a scoop of ice cream. This would also taste fantastic with some whipped cream, and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. You could also add a dash of cinnamon or powdered sugar over top, or even some maraschino cherries to make it resemble a pineapple upside down cake.
Recipe FAQs
While the two are very similar, a pineapple dump cake uses dry cake batter for a topping whereas a pineapple cobbler would use a biscuit or pie crust type of dough.
I have not tried doing this, so if you give it a try, let us know how it goes! All I know is that the canned pineapple is ideal because of the amount of juice it has which will then transfer to the cake mix.
Yes! This is not your typical “cake.” It is meant to have the gooey-ness of a pie or cobbler but with the topping to have the sweetness and texture of a cake
More Dessert Recipes
If the winter blues have you dreaming of tropical and fruity desserts, I’ve got you covered! Check out a few more recipes that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Peach Cobbler with Canned Peaches
- Lemon Cupcake Recipe
- Easy Key Lime Pie Recipe
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Ambrosia Fruit Salad
Tropical Desserts To Try
Pineapple Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 20 ounces canned pineapple chunks (drained)
- 20 ounces canned crushed pineapple (undrained )
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 standard size box vanilla or yellow cake mix
- 1 cup butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9×13 pan with a light coating of cooking spray.
- Spread both cans of the pineapple evenly in the bottom of the 9×13 pan.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the pineapple.
- Evenly sprinkle the cake mix over the pineapple.
- Drizzle melted butter over the cake mix.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
Pineapple dump cake is in the oven and I can’t wait to taste it.
Can this be made with fresh pineapple? I haven’t had it yet, but I gave it 5 stars because I ❤️ dump cake & I ❤️ pineapple, so im assuming it will be a 5xstar recipe!
Looks wonderful. I made many variations of dump cakes and can’t wait to try this one!
This is so…………..deliciious. The pineapple is camelized from the brown sugar and butter. It is incredible.
I love pineapple! I made this today with pineapple tidbits instead of chunks and also used a butter recipe yellow cake mix and it was incredible! So easy and tasted so delicious! I would definitely make this again! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Can this be converted to a slow cooker?
Unfortunately I’m just not able to test all the different sizes, substitutions and possible ways to bake each recipe, so while I’m sure it will work, I don’t have any specific details for that.
I made this with a sugar free yellow cake mix and Swerve brown sugar. Added a layer of coconut. SO VERY GOOD!
make this cake
this looks Delicious & Yummy