Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake 5.0 (3) 2 Reviews Pineapple upside-down dump cake has all the flavor of the classic dessert, but with a little less effort. By Laura Kanya Laura Kanya Laura Kanya served as a recipe tester and developer in the Vermont test kitchen of Dotdash Meredith. She has been active in the food industry for more than two decades, including as a pastry chef, chef instructor, executive chef, and director of operations in restaurants, resorts, and food production companies. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 11, 2024 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Active Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Servings: 8 Pineapple upside-down dump cake is as easy a cake recipe as they come—and it’s so fun to make, too. This recipe requires just five ingredients and 15 minutes of active prep time. Because it’s so simple to make—and so neat to see it transform in the baking process—it’s a perfect dish to get kids involved in the kitchen. The result is a cake that is super sweet, cheerful, colorful, and crowd-pleasing. Looking for the classic pineapple-upside down cake? We've got that, too. Learn how to make pineapple upside-down dump cake. Serve it with unsweetened whipped cream and a strong cup of coffee for the perfect balance of flavors. Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake Ingredients To make pineapple upside-down dump cake, you will need only five affordable ingredients. Grab these items from the fridge and pantry: Canned pineapple slices in juice: The slices go down into the pan, forming the beautiful design associated with this classic cake. You can use pineapple chunks or pieces if you want. It won't have the same visual appeal, but they'll be every bit as delicious.Unsalted butter: Helps to hydrate the cake mix and turn it crispy and tender.Brown sugar: Adds sweetness to the cake but also creates a caramel-like glaze for the cake.Maraschino cherries: Classic for this dessert. We prefer whole cherries, but you could use halved ones, too.A package of white cake mix: Yellow cake mix would work, too. Using this shortcut ingredient is a great way to save time. With the canned items, this is a super quick dessert, but you can also make it with fresh cherries and fresh pineapple if you choose. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely The Biggest Mistake Not To Make When Baking A Dump Cake What Does Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake Taste Like? The pineapples in this cake release their juices and help add to the body of the cake, which has a similar flavor and consistency to shortbread cookies. It has sweet, caramel-y edges from the butter, brown sugar, and pineapple juice. After baking, the pineapple softens slightly, and the cherries stay bright red, adding lots of color and a different fruity sweetness. Old-School Dump Cake Recipes That Will Become Your Favorite Desserts Why Is It Called a Dump Cake? This type of cake is called a dump cake for the ease and style of preparation: All you need to do is dump in the ingredients, which typically include canned fruit or pie filling, followed by boxed cake mix—with no need for mixing. In fact, mixing would ruin this cake: Baking it unmixed is critical to creating a crusty, crumbly, buttery top, with a perfectly gooey inside. As it bakes, the liquid in the fruit combines with the butter and cake mix to create the cake. Southerners have long loved dump cakes for the ease and convenience: Southerners excel at doctoring store-bought ingredients for a scratch-made result—and have a famous sweet tooth, too. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely More Great Dump Cake Recipes Love the convenience of a dump cake? Here are a few more favorites. Peach Dump Cake Cherry Dump Cake Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin. Ingredients Cooking spray 2 (8-oz.) cans pineapple slices in juice, undrained 1 cup (8 oz.) unsalted butter, melted, divided 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 8 whole red maraschino cherries, stems removed 1 (15 1/4-oz.) pkg. white cake mix (such as Pillsbury) Directions Prepare baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 11- x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Chop pineapple: Place pineapple slices on a cutting board, and reserve 1/3 cup juice from can. (Discard remaining juice from can.) Cut 4 of the pineapple slices into quarters, and chop remaining 4 pineapple slices into small pieces. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Add ingredients to dish: Pour 1/4 cup of the butter into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Arrange quartered pineapple slices evenly over brown sugar in a single layer. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Place cherries in empty spaces between quartered pineapple slices. Sprinkle chopped pineapple in spaces around and over quartered pineapple slices. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Add cake mix to baking dish: Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pineapple mixture, patting down slightly and evenly. Starting at edges and working inward, drizzle remaining 3/4 cup butter over dry cake mix. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Pour reserved pineapple juice over butter; gently stir pineapple juice and butter over top of cake mix to lightly combine. (There will be a layer of pineapple juice and butter on top of cake mix). Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Bake dump cake: Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan 15 minutes. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Carefully invert baking dish onto a platter to remove cake; peel away and discard parchment paper. Let cool 15 to 30 minutes. Slice and serve. Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Frequently Asked Questions Does dump cake have to be refrigerated? While this pineapple upside-down dump cake is best warm out of the oven, it also keeps as leftovers. Cover it tightly, and it will keep at room temperature for a day or two. Refrigerate dump cake after covering tightly, and it should last about three days. Is dump cake supposed to be gooey? Yes, dump cake is supposed to be gooey on the inside. The final result comes out like a cross between a cake and a cobbler, with a soft and scoopable inside. How do you get pineapple upside-down cake to not sick to the pan? To allow the cake to release from the pan and flip easily, use parchment paper; this will help you unmold it with ease. Rate It Print Additional reporting by Alesandra Dubin