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Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe Using Cake Mix

Pineapple upside down cake recipe using cake mix features sliced pineapple rings and maraschino cherries, brown sugar, and butter atop of fresh and moist cake mix.

The impressive dessert is easy to make and will become a classic favorite.

A Classic Cake

Pineapple upside down cake on a wooden cutting board.

The classic cake recipe has been around for generations and can be made in a variety of ways.

You can start off with fresh pineapple or use canned. The recipe creates a cake that everyone will love.

The cake doesn’t rise very much, and it’s a bit of a messy cake, but it turns out so delicious. And it leaves your house smelling incredibly amazing.

My kids ran out of their rooms wondering what smelled so good.

Pineapple upside down cake on a red plate sitting in front of the rest of the cake. The main part of the cake is sitting on a wooden cutting board.

Ingredients For Pineapple Upside Down Cake

  • Sliced pineapple
  • Maraschino cherries
  • Cake mix
  • Pineapple juice (or water)
  • Eggs
  • Vegetable oil
  • Light brown sugar
  • Melted butter

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

A slice of pineapple upside down cake on a red plate.

How To Make Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake With Cake Mix

  1. Melt butter and pour it into a greased 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish.
  2. Next, sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter and spread it out.
  3. Place the pineapple rings around the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add the cherries to the pan in the center of the pineapple rings and wherever you’d like to add some color.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, eggs, pineapple juice (or water), and vegetable oil and mix well. (Make the cake according to the package directions).
  6. Gently pour over the pineapple and cherries.
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  8. Allow the cake to cool for about five minutes. Take a knife and run it along the sides to loosen the cake from the edges.
  9. Place a wooden cutting board or cookie sheet over the cake and flip it over. (Be careful, it will be very hot, and you will need oven mitts).
  10. Serve!

Cutting The Pineapple

As mentioned above, you can either use fresh pineapple or buy canned pineapple rings for this recipe. Either one will work great.

Two homegrown pineapples sitting on the counter. One is large and one is small.

My husband loves to grow pineapples, so we have quite a few in our backyard.

For this recipe, we used the bigger pineapple because you will need about seven or eight pineapple rings.

If you are interested in learning more about growing pineapples, he has a video over on YouTube about it.

Cutting a pineapple with a pineapple slicer.

We bought a pineapple slicer that cuts the rings while it cuts through the pineapple. I will add the link to the pineapple cutter in the recipe card below.

A sliced pineapple being lifted out of the pineapple skin.

The cutter leaves the center, but you can see the rings.

Pineapple juice inside of a measuring cup.

Whether you use a real pineapple or buy canned pineapple, be sure to reserve the juice. You will need one cup of juice for the recipe.

My husband had to squeeze the outer layer to get more juice out. There’s a lot of excess liquid in the skin.

Once you have the juice, set it to the side for a later step.

Step-By-Step Instructions For Pineapple Upside Down Cake Recipe Using Cake Mix

Melted butter in a baking dish.

Grab a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan and coat it with some non-stick cooking spray. Melt the butter and pour it into the bottom of the pan.

Brown sugar spread out in a casserole dish. The brown sugar is sitting in some melted butter.

Next, sprinkle the light brown sugar into the bottom of the pan and spread it out.

Sliced pineapple rings in a baking dish on top of brown sugar and melted butter.

Arrange pineapple slices in the pan.

Pineapple rings with maraschino cherries in a baking dish.

Place the maraschino cherries in the center of each pineapple slice and in a few places around the pan to add some color.

Cake mix in a large clear glass mixing bowl.

Add the cake mix to a large mixing bowl.

For this recipe, I used Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist French Vanilla Cake Mix in the 15.25 ounce box.

Pouring pineapple juice into a bowl with cake mix.

Pour the reserved pineapple juice into the bowl.

If you don’t have enough pineapple juice, you can substitute it with water.

Pouring vegetable oil into a large bowl with cake mix and eggs.

Next, pour the vegetable oil into the bowl and combine the ingredients.

Cake batter in a large rectangular baking dish.

Gently pour batter over the pineapple slices. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Pineapple upside down cake flipped over on a wooden cutting board.

Let the cake cool for about five minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the cake.

Then, place a large wooden cutting board or a cookie sheet over the cake and turn cake upside down.

It will be HOT, so be sure to use oven mitts.

The cake will end up on the cutting board.

Let the cake pan sit on top of the cake for a few minutes to make sure most of the brown sugar drips off onto the cake.

Then, lift the cake pan off and serve.

A slice of pineapple cake on a red plate.

How To Store The Pineapple Upside Down Cake With Cake Mix

Store the cake in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.

What Cake Do You Use For Pineapple Upside Down Cake?

For this recipe, I used a 15.25 ounce box of Betty Crocker Super Moist French Vanilla Cake mix. Most cake mixes will work, however.

More Favorite Desserts

A slice of pineapple upside down cake on a red plate.

Delicious Traditional Pineapple Upside Down Cake With Cake Mix

There’s nothing better than a moist cake with pineapple chunks, sweet maraschino cherries, and plenty of sweet buttery brown sugar.

Be sure to get the recipe below for pineapple upside down cake. It’s the perfect dessert any time of year.

The cake mix recipe is easy to make and turns out delicious every time.

Pineapple upside down cake on a wooden cutting board.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake With Cake Mix

Yield: 24 pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Pineapple upside down cake with cake mix is an easy dessert. The tasty recipe features juicy pineapple slices and maraschino cherries for a delicious dessert.

Ingredients

Pineapple Layer

  • 8 slices pineapple (20 ounce can with juice)
  • 10 Maraschino cherries (6 ounce bottle)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar (light)
  • 1/4 cup melted butter

Cake Mix

  • 15.25 ounce cake mix (Betty Crocker Delights Super Moist French Vanilla Mix)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup pineapple juice (OR water)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray.
  2. Melt butter and pour into baking dish.
  3. Sprinkle brown sugar over the butter and spread out.
  4. Place pineapple slices in the bottom of the pan on top of the brown sugar.
  5. Next, place cherries in the center of the pineapple rings and around them.
  6. In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, reserved pineapple juice (OR water) and mix on low speed.
  7. Gently pour batter over the pineapples and bake the cake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
  8. Gently run a knife along the edges of the pan to make sure the cake doesn't stick when you flip it.
  9. Allow the cake to cool for five minutes. Place a wooden cutting board or cookie sheet over the cake and invert cake. (Be careful as it will be HOT. You will need oven mitts).
  10. Let the cake pan sit on top for a few minutes while the brown sugar mixture drips off.
  11. Remove the pan and serve the classic pineapple upside down cake.

Notes

The cake will not rise much and is a very messy cake because of the pineapples and juice. But, so delicious.

Store the pineapple upside down cake in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 377Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 316mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 41gProtein: 3g

Nutrition is approximate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Melissa

Sunday 17th of September 2023

I made the cake with the exact ingredients called for. The only thing I changed was that I whipped the eggs before I added the oil and pineapple juice. This resulted in a very fluffy and tall cake. That is one way you can prevent a thinner, dense cake.

Julie Pollitt

Sunday 17th of September 2023

Great idea! Thanks for sharing. I will try that next time.

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