This Duncan Hines Pineapple Upside Down Cake is incredibly moist and buttery. It has a fine-looking pineapple and cherry topping glazed with scrumptious caramelized brown sugar. And boy, is it a piece of cake to make!
This old-fashioned favorite is made with Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix, pineapple slices, maraschino cherries, and whipped topping.
Whoever said you need to be a kitchen expert to make a stunning cake has never heard of this recipe. With this recipe, you can easily bake this classic favorite and fool your family into thinking you’re a baking pro!
Ingredients
You need not spend a lot to make this ridiculously stunning cake. Here’s what you need:
- Cooking Spray – It’s super important to grease your pan! Otherwise, you won’t be able to get the cake out of the pan, and no one will get to see its beauty. I use PAM Original No-Stick Cooking Spray, but you can use whatever you prefer.
- Butter (1 stick) – You’ll need this for the pineapple-cherry topping. You need to melt the butter for this recipe, so slice the butter into small chunks and give it a spin in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Be sure to use a microwave-safe container!
- Brown sugar (1 cup, firmly packed) – For that beautiful caramel glaze on top of your pineapples and cherries.
- Pineapple slices or rings (1 20 oz can) – If you’ve got fresh pineapples, you can use that too.
- Maraschino cherries (12) – Cherries and pineapple go well together because of their contrasting flavors. Plus, the color combo of red and yellow is just gorgeous!
- Duncan Hines Signature Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix (1 15.25 oz package) – After all, the recipe is named after the cake mix.
- Water (1 cup) – Because you need some liquid to thin out the cake mix.
- Vegetable oil (⅓ cup) – To give your cake moisture
- Eggs (3, large) – To bind the cake and to help it rise, too.
- Reddi-Wip Original Dairy Whipped Topping – To top the cake. You may use homemade whipped cream as well.
Tips & Tricks
Here’s how to make the perfect Duncan Hines Pineapple Upside Down Cake…
Afraid you’ll mess up flipping the cake? Here’s a fool-proof way to transfer your cake from the pan to the platter: let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife. Place the platter over the pan, with the surface facing the cake.
With oven mitts on, place one hand at the bottom of the pan and your other hand on top of the platter. Quickly flip the cake over. Place the platter on a surface and lift the pan, revealing your beautiful upside-down cake.
Instead of water, you can also use the pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple) to give your cake an even more pineapple flavor!
Or, you could also use milk instead. Any milk will do, but I like using whole milk as it helps make the cake extra moist.
Drain the pineapples and maraschino cherries well before using them. You don’t want your toppings to be too wet, because it will also cause the cake to be excessively moist.
Duncan Hines Pineapple Upside Down Cake
12
servings10
minutes40
minutes200
kcalIt only takes a little over an hour and six easy steps to make this moist and luscious Duncan Hines Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Here’s how:
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple slices, drained
12 maraschino cherries
1 (15.25 ounce) box Duncan Hines® Signature Pineapple Supreme Cake Mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Whipped Topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the sides of a 12-inch baking pan with cooking spray. You can also use a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Pour the melted butter into the pan and sprinkle over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices evenly on top, placing the cherries in the holes.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix with water, oil, and eggs. Using an electric mixer, beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Then, pour the batter into the pan on top of the pineapples and cherries.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake, then flip it over onto a serving platter. Pour the remaining juices in the pan all over the cake.
- Top the cake with whipped cream. Serve warm (or cool) and enjoy!
When I make pineapple upside down cake, I put the pineapple juice in the cake mix using it and adding enough water to equal the amount needed on the cake mix box.
I use the pineapple juice the same way. In fact I do not usually buy the pineapple cake mix, I use a yellow cake mix and add the pineapple juice. My family really loves this cake.
I love all your cakes. I always can count on them being awsome.
I made this cake. It was very good. I put it in a 9×13 pan. I think it would have been better in a round pan. It would have made it thicker and not so sweet.
Hi, Kim, I just subscribed to your recipes, looking forward to more. I am making this recipe but always wonder why recipes for pineapple upside down cake using a mix specify a 13×9 pan but the cake is never shown that way, it is pictured as a round cake instead. I know enough to not pour a whole box of cake mix into one round pan, but there might be some novices who will really make a mess! A 13×9 is tricky to turn out, that’s for sure, not my favorite thing to do. I always use the pineapple juice, glad you suggest it.
GREAT Recipe and Excellent Cake
Can you freeze this cake?
Hi, Sheila. I’ve never tried freezing this cake. I’m not sure how well it would freeze, as I imagine the pineapples would be soft and mushy after thawing. It might work better if you froze the cake as individual slices instead of the whole thing. If you do/did try freezing it, let me know how it turned out please. I’m very curious to know. 🙂
Kim
I love your site .
You have the best recipes .
Love this recipe. I use the Duncan Heinz Butter Golden cake mix and also add the pineapple juice instead of water. Fresh pineapple makes all the difference and I use a Bundt crust pan and my cake is gorgeous and delicious. Thank you.
I had good results when I made this recipe using a 9″x13″ aluminum (throw away type) pan. Make sure the bottom and sides are well greased so when the cake is flipped over it comes out clean. The tricky part is placing another pan, the same size, on the countertop and flipping the baked cake over to invert it into the clean pan. You have to be precise in lining the pans up for that even “drop” in the pan. If it misses and breaks, you can always smoosh it back together again. Nobody is going to complain because your Duncan Hines pineapple upside down cake tastes great. If they complain, shame on them!