Pineapple Dump Cake

This easy pineapple dump cake is great for when you need a quick dessert that everyone will love. It takes very little effort and even less time to make!

Dump cakes are a great way to get a dessert on the table without having to spend the day baking. Try out things like Pumpkin Dump Cake, and 2 Ingredient Cherry Bars for more dump and bake style recipes.

These great desserts like pineapple dump cake are delicious and indulgent they just don’t take a ton of time to prepare or serve.

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What is a ‘Dump Cake’?

Dump cakes are a style of dessert that require very minimal preparation. Typically you avoid all the mixing and combining of ingredients. Dump cakes are more about layering ingredients in the baking pan…hence the name…you just dump and go! 

Usually we are layering ingredients and then the magic happens in the oven with the moisture of the fruit below and the butter on top to help keep everything cooking properly and becoming perfectly cake like!

One of the reasons I love making dump cakes and cake mix recipes in general is the convenience factor. When the mood strikes and I want to serve a tasty dessert I can do that without stressing about how much time I have!

There’s no special planning required and the time it takes to assemble everything is usually less than 20 minutes.  

Are dump cakes messy?

Contrary to popular belief and the name, dump cakes are not really messy. They are easy to prepare so there’s no mess in the kitchen and they can be served in a heap on a plate or in a bowl with ice cream.

You just scoop and go. It’s messy perhaps in presentation since it doesn’t look like a traditional cake would but it’s not a mess to prepare or serve. There’s less cleanup too because we don’t have a bunch of mixing bowls and tools to wash afterwards!

What do I need to make this pineapple upside down cake recipe?

This is a much simpler form of pineapple upside down cake. It’s a dump cake so you know it’s going to be easy!

To make this easy pineapple dump cake you will need five simple ingredients: crushed pineapple, maraschino cherries, coconut flakes, cake mix, and butter.

You can find the full amounts and ingredients in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post as usual. But this will help you see if you have everything on hand and ready to go. All of these things can be kept on hand easily.

Whenever you need a quick and delicious dessert you can pull them out, dump them together, and be on your way to a tasty treat!

Kitchen essentials for tasty dessert recipes:

When you head into the kitchen to make some of these great recipes you’ll want to have the best tools on hand.

I like half sheet baking pans that are quality (hello no noisy pops or sloshed cookie dough from twisting), I line my cookie sheets with silicone baking mats. These are great for all kinds of baking and not just cookies! My husband loves them for making biscuits, pizzas, and more!

Of course mixing bowls, a mixer, spatula, and some whisks should be on your list if you don’t have ones that you love. I also like to have a set of cooling racks so that my recipes can properly cool before they’re scarfed down by my family!

How to make a dump cake with pineapple:

Let’s take a look at this step by step guide to making pineapple upside down dump cake. It’s so simple once you make it a time or two you won’t even need the directions.

As with most dump cake recipes it’s truly magical how everything comes together in the oven. We’re doing the bare minimum of preparation here for a dessert recipe.

Once you have your ingredients ready to go you are more than half way there. Whoever started making dump cakes was a genius as far as I’m concerned.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13×9 pan with nonstick spray 

Place crushed pineapple in pan 

Sprinkle cherries over pineapple 

Evenly distribute coconut flakes over the cherries 

Next layer on cake mix 

Pour melted butter evenly over the cake mix 

Bake 40-45 minutes 

Cool slightly, serve, and enjoy!  

Looking for more delicious and easy dessert recipes to prepare?

Here are some of our favorite easy to make desserts. They’re all quick, simple, or limited ingredients which means you don’t have to jump through hoops in order to get a tasty treat on the table tonight.

Try out all of these treats and desserts and let us know which ones you loved!

• Pumpkin Dump Cake
• 2 Ingredient Cherry Bars
• 4 Ingredient Crinkle Cookies Recipe
• No Bake Vanilla Cookies
• Easy No Bake Cracker Candy Treats
• Fudge Recipes

Printable Pineapple Dump Cake Recipe: