The combination of tart pineapple, sweet cherries, brown sugar, and butter never fails to please. This cherry-studded dump cake has all the gooey, caramelized pineapple flavor you crave from classic pineapple upside-down cake with a fraction of the effort!
Here’s a look at the ingredients you’ll need for this easy Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake.
Canned Pineapple Chunks in Juice: Drain the pineapple and reserve 1/2 cup of the juice. You can use pineapple tidbits if you prefer smaller bites of pineapple.
Maraschino Cherries: These add sweet flavor and a pop of color. Maraschino cherries are classic, but you could also try using frozen or even fresh cherries.
Brown Sugar: The molasses in brown sugar lends a deeper caramelized flavor than white sugar when combined with the pineapple juice and butter while baking.
Melted Butter: Butter is poured right on top of the dry mix in this recipe. It seeps down through the cake mix and blends with the pineapple, cherries, and sugar to create a rich, saucy fruit layer.
Cornstarch: Just a little bit of cornstarch helps thicken the juices and keeps this dump cake from being watery.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Yellow Cake Mix and salt.
Follow these tips for making this easy Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake. See the recipe for full instructions and details.
Drain the pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup of pineapple juice. Drain the maraschino cherries. Removing excess juices will keep the finished dump cake from being watery.
Mix the pineapple, reserved juice, and maraschino cherries right in the baking dish. Add the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Mix well to coat the pineapple and cherries in the sugar mixture.
Scatter the dry cake mix over the top of the fruit, creating a thick layer of mix that completely covers the fruit. Drizzle the butter on top and bake.
Halfway through baking, pull the dump cake from the oven and use a spoon in a chopping or cutting motion to sink any dry spots into the batter and fruit. Return to the oven and finish baking. Use caution as the pan and cake mixture will be hot.
The cake will be golden and bubbling throughout when it is done. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving, as the cake is very hot. Serve warm. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Follow these tips for storing Pineapple Upside-Down Dump Cake.
Store leftover dump cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezer storage is not recommended for this recipe, as the texture will be compromised.
Microwave portions of dump cake in a microwavable bowl on Medium-High (70%) for about 1 minute or until warm.
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish with butter.
In the baking dish, mix pineapple, reserved 1/2 cup of juice, and halved maraschino cherries. Add the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt; stir until well blended and fruit is evenly coated.
Sprinkle dry cake mix over the top of the fruit in a thick, even layer. Drizzle melted butter over the cake mix.
Bake 25 minutes, remove from the oven. With a spoon, carefully incorporate any dry spots using a cutting or chopping motion on the surface of the cake. Return to the oven and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbling throughout, the top is golden brown, and the corners are caramelized.
Remove from the oven. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.
Pineapple tidbits work well in place of the pineapple chunks and conveniently come in the same size cans. You could also use fresh or frozen pineapple (thawed) with 1/2 cup pineapple juice or apple juice. Avoid crushed pineapple for this recipe.
It is important to check the cake halfway through baking and incorporate any dry patches of cake mix into the cake.
