Our pineapple sunshine cake is a moist, delicious pineapple cake that’s super easy to make! Fruity, light, and refreshing it’s the perfect anytime dessert!!
Although sunshine is not one of the ingredients in this pineapple sunshine cake, it honestly might as well be. There are a wide variety of super yummy recipes for sunshine pineapple cake, but I like to jam mine with an unspeakable amount of fruit. I mean how else do you do you make a sunshine cake! If a sweet, moist and delicious pop of fruit loaded flavor is exactly what you’re looking for, then this recipe is for you! As with many crushed pineapple cake recipes, this is best when made ahead, which makes it a shoo-in for any dinner party. As my pineapple sunshine cake sits, moisture takes hold…and oh man is it tasty! Serving a crowd? Give one of my favorites pineapple cakes a go! A fantastically easy pineapple cake with a coconut twist, my Easy Pineapple Sheet Cake, is perfect for any summer luau!
What I Like Best About This Sunshine Cake Recipe:
- The fruity cake is light and fluffy.
- It’s bursting with pineapple.
- Its festive pattern makes me smile!
What is Pineapple Sunshine Cake?
An easy pineapple cake with cake mix, along with a few additional ingredients (don’t forget the love), pineapple sunshine cake is one of the easiest cakes you’ll ever make. It’s impossible to turn down a slice of this cake. Crushed pineapple and sweet cake batter are the star flavors in this fluffy treat, completed by a whipped topping and vanilla pudding mix with a light and subtle sugary topping. I do need to mention here, that pineapple sunshine cake with mandarin oranges makes for a delightful twist! You can add these to the cake as it currently exists (holy fruit!), or sub the oranges for pineapple all together! Or get creative with your fruit, dream up your own tropical fruit-filled dessert.
SAVE THIS PINEAPPLE SUNSHINE CAKE
TO YOUR CAKE OR DESSERT BOARD FOR LATER
LET’S BE FRIENDS ON PINTEREST! WE’RE ALWAYS PINNING TASTY RECIPES!
How do you make a Pineapple Sunshine Cake?
Pineapple sunshine cake is a cinch to make! Toss your ingredients together (be sure to use the juice of only ONE can of pineapple, as two are included in the batter), and mix with a hand mixer. Fold in the pineapple tidbits separately (after mixing) for a fruit flavored knockout! Bake, and wait until completely cool to frost. Cooling time is a great opportunity to whip up the frosting. Once cooled, you’ve got the green light to fully frost and garnish, if you wish, with pineapple and maraschino cherries. I sometimes like to throw a curveball and add a cup of shredded coconut to my frosting mixture! Mix it on in, and you’ve got yourself a Southern pineapple sunshine cake with coconut! Hello, easy pineapple cake with cake mix! I will note that you can absolutely make a sunshine cake recipe from scratch, but it’s so easy to use a mix it really isn’t all that necessary. I mean, I think I’m in good company if the Dole crushed pineapple cake recipe use a box of cake mix, don’t you? If you simply must start from the very beginning, Pineapple sunshine cake Pinterest searches will pull up an array of recipes that nix the box mix. Have it! If you’re really in the market for a fantastic, fresh and fruity cake from scratch, try my irresistible Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake. It defines the term “melts in your mouth”. So yum!
Step By Step: How to make Pineapple Sunshine Cake
1. Put drained crushed pineapple in cake mix in the bowl.
2. Pour one canned crushed pineapple with the juice.
3. Add eggs.
4. Add sugar.
5. Add vegetable oil.
6. Add vanilla.
7. Mix with a hand-held electric mixer.
Pineapple Sunshine Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 2 cans (8-ounces) crushed pineapple, juice from 1 can reserve for use in the cake, the second drained and discarded
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Frosting:
- 1 can (15-ounces can) crushed pineapple, juice well drained
- 1 pack (3.5-ounce) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 (16-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Garnish:
- 2 cans (15-ounce can) pineapple tidbits drained
- maraschino cherries rinsed and drained
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix, canned crushed pineapple with the juice of ONE can, eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla and mix with a hand-held electric mixer for 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Cool, the cake in the pan, set on a wire baking rack, until completely cooled.
Frosting:
- In a medium bowl combine the well-drained crushed pineapple and the pudding mix until the pineapple is evenly coated with the mix. Let mixture sit for 2 minutes
- Fold in the thawed whip topping until evenly combined. Spread frosting even over top of the cake and garnish, if desired, with well-drained pineapple tidbits and Maraschino cherries.
Nutrition
Recipe Notes for Pineapple Sunshine Cake:
Cake Mix: Be sure to treat the cake mix as an ingredient in the cake! No need to follow the instructions on the box. Pretend they don’t exist and trust in the recipe as is. Your cake will be amazing, I promise!
Coconut: You can fold shredded coconut into the frosting, as I’ve previously mentioned, or you can add it to the batter. Both ways are delicious, and add a ton of flavor to this cake!
Pineapple in the cake: Remember to leave the only one can of the pineapple AS IS when adding to the cake batter. You want to make sure the juice is mixed in. It adds a substantial amount of flavor. You’ll fold in another can of drained pineapple after, once your batter has been fully mixed, but before pouring into the pan. There are so many Dole crushed pineapple cake recipes- stay tuned to see lots more published here ♥
Pineapple in the frosting: When you mix up your frosting, DRAIN the pineapple tidbits very well. This will save your end result from becoming runny. Any garnishes, I suggest pineapple and maraschino cherries, should be drained well too!
Mandarin Oranges: If adding to the cake along with the pineapple, use half of each can and include the juice. If omitting the pineapple and using oranges only, use the entire can of mandarin oranges as well as the juice. Drained mandarin oranges also make a yummy garnish, even if not included in the cake. This cake tastes like an orange flavored cake with pineapple
Can Pineapple Sunshine Cake be made ahead?
It sure can! In fact, it’s better that way! Take a look at pineapple sunshine cake Facebook posts, and you’ll find that so many people make this dessert ahead of time! They have good reasoning for it, and so do I. When made ahead, this cake is so incredibly moist that you won’t even believe it. It’s easy to do. Simply follow the directions for the cake portion of the recipe. Pop it out of the pan to cool completely, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Whip up your frosting at any time, and it’s ready and waiting. You can freeze this sunshine cake as well!
More Pineapple Cakes:
With decadent layers of fruit & a golden cake topping, Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake is the perfect end to any meal – and it only takes 5 minutes to prepare!! The first dump cake my mom ever made and still my favorite. Our crowd-pleasing Pig Pickin Cake is an incredibly moist, delicious, refreshingly fruity delight. Super easy to make, it’s sure to become a new favorite! It’s similar to Pineapple sunshine Cake, only with a little more orange flavor than pineapple, I still consider it a Pineapple Cake!
More Easy 9X13 Inch Cakes:
- Strawberry Sheet Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Grandmas Fruit Cocktail Cake
- Quadruple Chocolate Poke Cake
Best To Serve With:
Awesome Cake ! It’s in the Fridge now overnight. I will try it out sometime tomorrow 🙂 As for the Frosting ; i only added 8 oz of whipped topping ( it was enough ) & you said drain the pineapple before adding it to the mixture…..but when i added the dry pudding mix to the pineapple , it was way too dry , i had to add some more juice to it to thin it up before adding the whipped topping. It still came out okay & not runny & was firm & creamy , but a little too sweet for my taste. Maybe it needed more liquid ( juice ) ? Can’t wait to eat it in a few hours. Next time when i make it , i will add way more juice to it….it needs it. It wont be too runny either way, cause it got the pudding mix in it….& will set just fine.
Hi Alexandra. So glad you enjoyed the cake. I LOVE this cake. It is a bit on the sweeter side. I just made it for a big family BBQ and it was devoured <3
Can I use 2 9 inch cake pans for this cake?
Hi Sandra. The volume of the batter should be just fine in 2- 9 inch rounds. The topping is loose and not very structured so it won’t frost up like a buttercream. It will just have a more casual look. Hope that helps <3
Can you make this in a bunt pan?
Hi April! I haven’t tried making this in a bundt pan so I can’t advise! But if you give this a try, please let me know how it turns out for you! 😀
When I come home from my social, & all cake isn’t gone, can I freeze it with the icing on it?
Hi Linda!
Technically, you can freeze with the icing on but it won’t be quite the same when you thaw it out. Depending on how much cake is left, I recommend scraping the icing off and freezing the cake. When you’re ready to serve, just whip up another batch of icing. Hope this helps 🙂
Hi Ann!
I am so sorry to hear that and I have never had this problem myself. This can is usually anything BUT dry. Did you add the pineapple juice to the cake batter? Just wondering..
Dumb question but do you make the pudding mix or use the mix dry???
Hey Clover! That’s a totally fair question! You simply use the pudding mix as an ingredient. Pour it straight out of the box dry <3
I was not able to find 8 oz cans of crushed pineapple anywhere in my area. So I used a 20 oz can and drained it very well. Added all the pineapple but only half of the juice to the cake. It came out great and baked in the suggested amount of time.
Hey Jami! Great resourcefulness. Double pineapple sounds delish 🙂
Hi. I am making this for my neighbor’s birthday on Friday. Why do you add sugar to the cake mix?
Thank you. The pictures look so yummy.
Hi Madeleine! Well, it’s just how this particular recipe was developed originally. This one of the most popular recipes on my site and on FB. Lots of people have made it this way and loved it. Just saying so you know the taste is well received and loved by a lot of people, not just my family :)! Honestly, I add a little extra sugar to quite a few cake recipes and often I find that it takes a good cake recipe to the next level of great cake recipes. Hope I didn’t ramble too much and hope this helps <3
We are going to a family reunion on Saturday but are leaving Friday and staying at a hotel. Should I take the cake wrapped in plastic and the made up frosting in a container inside of ice chest and put it on cake at the hotel the morning of the reunion? Would it be beast to completely make the cake and have frosting on and carry in ice chest? Please advise.
Hi Sue! I would frost the cake the day you’re going to serve it. If you need to bring 2 cakes, the Pig Pickin cake is also a fabulous cake for potlucks and such!
Love, love, love your recipes! I am particularly impressed that you include a “Recipe Notes”section. That insures that it will come out just right. I have followed other recipes perfectly only to later find out that there was actually another step, or another thing to watch out for. I am so happy that you took the guesswork out of your recipes for us! THANK YOU!
Thank you so much for your kind words Janet! I really love sharing recipes and want things to come out as perfectly as possible for everyone. <3
Fantastic Recipes and Absolutely the Best site and page we enjoy all your recipes your the Best!!😊
Oh my goodness, Karen, you just made my day!! Thank you so much for your kind words!! I hope you find more recipes you and your family enjoy <3
Hi, I am making your Sunshine cake and am confused.
In the ingredients for frosting it calls for crushed pineapple but in your comments below it says tidbits? Which one do I use?
Thanks, Susie
Sorry about the confusion. The crushed pineapple goes into the frosting and the tidbits are for decoration.Hope that helps <3