This pineapple dump cake is the easiest fruity dessert you'll ever make, with just 4 ingredients, including cake mix and crushed pineapple. Sweet, simple, and ready in minutes!
Why You'll Love Dump Cakes
A dump cake is a simple dessert recipe you make by "dumping" ingredients into a baking dish. You don't even have to mix!
After layering a juicier fruit, a dry cake mix, and a fat, they'll all blend together to make a crispy, bubbly, sweet cake that's absolutely loaded with buttery flavor. I also like to add a crunchy element, like nuts or oatmeal. This is totally optional, though.
The best part about dump cake recipes is that they're so easy! It takes maybe 5 minutes to prep one of these desserts. The ingredients are shelf-stable too, meaning you can keep a couple of cans of fruit and a boxed cake mix around for a quick, easy dessert that tastes homemade.
What's the difference between a cobbler and a dump cake?
Crispiness. I like to keep a cobbler nice and creamy, with almost dumpling-like layers of cakey goodness throughout. A dump cake is crispy on top, contrasting with the ooey-gooey warm fruit on the bottom layer.
If you look closely, you'll notice that the ingredients from my cake mix peach cobbler & today's recipe are almost identical. The difference is in the preparation!
These desserts have the same general feel, just a different texture. You'll find that crispy, crunchy topping in my Lemon Dump Cake and Caramel Apple Dump Cake, too!
Ingredients
To make pineapple dump cake, you only need 4 basic ingredients...
- 2 20oz cans of crushed pineapple in heavy syrup - The heavy syrup is a must! It makes the fruity layer of the cake really thick and sweet.
- 1 box (roughly 15oz) of yellow cake mix - I like using the yellow cake mix to add an extra rich, buttery flavor element. If you can find a fun flavor like pineapple or lemon, go for it - that will add even more flavor to your final dessert.
- 1 ½ sticks butter - the butter should be sliced into ¼" thick pieces for this recipe. I prefer to use cold butter to make it easy to slice.
- 1 cup chopped pecans - these are optional, but I think they add a great crunchy element to the dessert
Basic Dump Cake Elements
A dump cake only needs a few essential elements: a fruit, a dry cake mix, and some kind of fat on top.
Variations & Substitutions
One of the great things about dump cake recipes is the endless variety! If you can dream it up, you can make it into a dump cake.
- Almost any pie filling works well in a dump cake; you can go with 40oz of apple, cherry, peach, blueberry, or raspberry for a delicious dessert.
- Crushed or canned fruits also work well as the fruit element. Either use fruit packed in heavy syrup or mix 1 cup brown sugar into your fruit packed in juice.
- You can use a chocolate, strawberry, spice, lemon, or white cake mix as your dry cake element.
- Pair complementary cake & fruit flavors, like chocolate cake and raspberry, strawberry cake & blueberry, spice cake & pumpkin...yum! There are so many different possibilities.
- If you're not a big fan of nuts, you can absolutely leave out the pecans on top of the cake. You can also use chopped walnuts or oatmeal as a crunchy element on top of a dump cake. If using oatmeal, sprinkle ½ cup on top and lightly mix dry oatmeal and cake mix with your fingers.
- Can't find crushed pineapple? No problem. Use 40oz pineapple tidbits packed in heavy syrup, or packed in juice (mixed with 1 cup of brown sugar).
- Add a jar of maraschino cherries to the pineapple to make a pineapple upside-down cake variety of dump cake!
How to Make Pineapple Dump Cake
Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Layer crushed pineapple in the bottom of the glass baking dish.
- On top of the pineapple, sprinkle the cake mix. Don't mix it into the pineapple!
- Slice butter into ¼" slices. Layer over the top of the cake mix.
- Sprinkle pecans on top of the cake mix and butter.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm, topped with ice cream.
Step-by-Step Recipe Video
How to Serve
I like serving this dessert still warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. It adds a cool, creamy element that pairs perfectly with the warm fruit filling in the cake! Whipped cream is also a great topping option.
The recipe you'll see below serves roughly 12-16 people. Serving sizes will be around ⅔ cup of cake.
Leftovers & Storage
STORAGE: as a general rule, if there's a wet element in your recipe, refrigerate it. Leftovers of this cake recipe can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days after baking. Cover the baking dish with an airtight lid or plastic wrap to prevent outside odors from seeping in.
REHEATING: When you're ready to enjoy your cake again, reheat a serving in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
FREEZING: I don't recommend freezing this cake. The texture of the cake layer tends to get soggy, losing that crispness that makes the texture combo so great. Just make it from scratch when needed!
Tips & Recipe Notes
- Don't mix the layers...trust me on this one! This keeps the cake layer distinct from the fruit layer, creating a great texture and flavor combination. Everything will bake together, I promise.
- Bake your cake uncovered to make sure the top gets nice and crispy.
- This recipe can be made in a slow cooker...just know that the top won't be as crispy. You can see my Crock Pot Tropical Dump Cake as an example. Layer the ingredients as instructed and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours.
- Use a 9x13" glass baking dish. This makes sure the ingredients spread properly and cook to the right consistency.
- Your dump cake is done when the top has started to turn golden brown and the fruit is bubbling along the sides of the baking dish.
More Desserts with Pineapple
So glad you stopped by today! If you try this recipe, I'd love for you to ⭐️ rate and review it below. And, for more great recipes, make sure to follow along!
4 Ingredient Pineapple Dump Cake
Affiliate links used in this recipe card.
Ingredients
- 40 oz canned crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1.5 sticks butter
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pour pineapple in a single layer in the baking dish.
- On top of the pineapple, sprinkle the cake mix. Don't mix into the pineapple!
- Slice butter into ¼" slices. Layer over the top of the cake mix.
- Sprinkle pecans on top of cake mix and butter.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and fruit is bubbly. Serve warm, topped with ice cream.
Notes
- Store in the fridge for 3–4 days - cover tightly to keep out odors.
- Reheat individual servings in the microwave for ~30 seconds.
- Don’t freeze - the cake layer gets soggy and loses its crisp texture.
- Don’t mix layers - this keeps the cake and fruit layers distinct for better texture.
- Bake uncovered so the top gets crispy.
- Slow cooker option: Layer as instructed and cook on high for 2–3 hours (top won’t be as crisp).
- Use a 9x13" glass baking dish for even cooking and proper texture.
- Cake is done when the top is golden and fruit is bubbling around the edges.
Nutrition Facts
Leslie Lambert is a lifestyle writer and content creator specializing in home organization, family recipes, and intentional living. With 16 years of experience in blogging and digital storytelling, she helps busy women create calm, purposeful homes they love.
