If a sweet moist delicious pop of fruit brightens your day, then this pineapple sunshine cake is for you! Fruit cake recipes with pineapple are typically yellow cake recipes and this one is no different. It’s one of those easy sheet cake recipes with a tasty twist and let me tell you – it is gonna be one of your favorite cake recipes!
This pineapple sheet cake recipe is super moist and refreshing and it has so many possibilities. Swap out a few simple ingredients to make a pina colada sheet cake or a decadent rum pineapple upside down cake. I mean, it just doesn’t get much better than this!
What I Love About This Recipe
- A sweet, moist, and delicious pop of fruit-loaded flavor
- One of the easiest cakes you’ll ever make
- This cake is a cinch to make!
Pineapple Sunshine Sheet Cake Ingredients
Cake:
- Yellow Cake Mix
- Crushed Pineapple
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla
Frosting:
- Crushed Pineapple
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
- Whipped Topping
Garnish:
- Pineapple Tidbits
- Maraschino Cherries
How To Make Pineapple Sunshine Cake Recipe
- Cake: Combine the cake mixture.
- Using a handheld mixer, beat for 2 minutes.
- Pour into a prepared pan and bake.
- Make the frosting by combining the pineapple and pudding mix.
- Mix and let it stand for 2 minutes before incorporating the whipped topping.
- Fold in the whipped topping.
- Spread on the cooled cake.
- Garnish as desired and serve.
Pineapple Cake Recipe Notes
- Cake Mix – When making this yummy pineapple cake, forget about the directions on the box. The cake mix is for flavor and convenience, but we can just forget they printed those there. We’re going to be blending the cake ingredients together all at once. It’s a bit unusual but super simple and full of flavor!
- Pineapple in the cake – Remember to leave 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 it into the pan.
- 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. For any garnishes, I suggest pineapple and maraschino cherries, which should be drained well too!
- Pan size – You can make this cake in a 9×13 as indicated, but you can also do two 9-inch round pans to create a layer cake. You can also use a larger sheet cake pan. You might have to make more frosting, depending on how thick you want it!
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
Your super sweet refreshing cake will need to be refrigerated. Even if you’re using a cake pan with a top, you’ll want to cover your cake with cling wrap to prevent drying. It’ll also help prevent your cake from absorbing other fridge odors.
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Your cake is picnic-ready and potluck approved. It’ll stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days but this full-flavored moist and tasty treat is likely to disappear long before then. Don’t be surprised if you find an empty dish where your cake used to be!
- Can You Freeze This? Yes. You can toss your pineapple cake in the freezer without the icing. Just be sure it cools completely first. Slow thaw it in the fridge overnight and whip up a batch of icing before serving time. Easy Peasy!
- Make-Ahead Tips: This insanely delicious cake gets better over time. I know, hard to believe! If you’re making it ahead, simply let it cool and then wrap it to prepare for storage. Freeze or refrigerate as needed and whip up the icing when the time comes.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
More Fruit Cake Recipes
- Orange Pound Cake
- Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Sheet Cake
- Lemon Buttermilk Cake
- Strawberry Poke Cake
- Heaven On Earth Cake
- Summer Berry Icebox Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Pineapple Pound Cake
- Pineapple Dump Cake
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° (177°C). Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cake mix (1 box), canned crushed pineapple with the juice of ONE can, eggs (4), sugar (1/4 cup), vegetable oil (1/4 cup), and vanilla (1 teaspoon) and mix with a hand-held electric mixer for 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the 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 (1 can) and the pudding mix (1 pack) until the pineapple is evenly coated with the mix. Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes
- Fold in the thawed whip topping (1 container) until evenly combined. Spread frosting evenly over the top of the cake and garnish, if desired, with well-drained pineapple tidbits and Maraschino cherries.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Cake Mix - When making this yummy pineapple cake, forget about the directions on the box. The cake mix is for flavor and convenience, but we can just forget they printed those there. We’re going to be blending the cake ingredients together all at once. It’s a bit unusual but super simple and full of flavor!
- Pineapple in the cake - Remember to leave 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 it into the pan.
- 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. For any garnishes, I suggest pineapple and maraschino cherries, which should be drained well too!
- Pan size – You can make this cake in a 9×13 as indicated, but you can also do two 9-inch round pans to create a layer cake. You can also use a larger sheet cake pan. You might have to make more frosting, depending on how thick you want it!
Nutrition
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J. Hall says
Hello, I love this recipe but instead of using the yellow cake mix today, all I had was vanilla cake mix. I hope it taste as good. Have you ever tried it with vanilla cake mix? Thank you
Kathleen says
Hi! I haven’t tried that but I think that’ll work 🙂 Enjoy and let us know howe it turns out!
Connie says
Sounds delicious. Have you tried this recipe as cupcakes? I’m worried about it being too moist for the wrappers.
Kathleen says
Hi Connie. No I haven’t made this as cupcakes. I’m sorry. If you try them, let us know how it works out!
Bekah says
Could I substitute with a strawberry cake mix? Do you think the favors would work? Thanks
Kathleen says
Hi, Beka. I haven’t tried that but I think that’ll work. Let us know how it turns out 🙂
Peyton W. says
Can you use a pineapple cake mix and take out the pineapple in the recipe for the cake?
Kathleen says
Hey Peyton. Well, to be honest, I haven’t tried it that way. That said, it seems that the flavors would be comparable. The thing that would be different is the pineapple itself adds a lot of moisture to the cake.
Lizz Massingill says
This is a all time fav for me. My grandma taught ne how 2 make it. Tho we never put the pineapple n the cake just the juice i am anxious 2 try it with the pineapple n the cake as well i wanted to share how we did the topping. . . use French vanilla instant pudding make it as instructions say when cakr is cooled put pudding on the add drained crushed pineapple topped with cool whip. I love this cake. Enjoy
Kathleen says
Thank you, Lizz! I’m glad you love this 🙂
Erica says
I really want to try this cake however I’m not a fan of whipped cream so would it work with a pineapple cream cheese icing? Will it make it too sweet?
Kathleen says
Hi Erica, Sorry, I haven’t tried that one before.
Treva says
Hi Erica!
Not a fan of whipped cream or cool whip but, if you use Jello instant cheessecake flavor pudding it tastes like pineapple cheesecake!!
Tanya says
Hi Kathleen , I’m excited to make this cake but I was wondering could I use tidbits instead of crushed for the whole thing I’m asking cause I got a 6lb 10oz can of tidbits and want to try to use as much of it as I can when I open it ! If I can now I just have to find out how much of the tidbits it takes to makes to m
the size cans I need for this recipe
Kathleen says
Hi, Tanya! I only found the chunk to crushed pineapple equivalent. Chunks and tidbits are almost the same so I think this is ok 🙂
The cake needs 2 (8-ounces) canned crushed pineapple. What you need is to crush the tidbits in a blender and measure them in a measuring cup.
For the cake you’ll need:
1 and 1/3 cups drained crushed pineapples and half a cup of liquid.
For the frosting that needs 1 can (15 ounces) of crushed pineapple…
You need:
1.23 cups drained crushed pineapples.
I hope my computation is correct. Let me know how it turns out. Thank you so much!
nancy b says
This looks and sounds delicious. I can’t wait to try it. Does this cake need to stay in the pan, or is it stable enough to put on a tray to serve? I’m just looking for a nicer presentation as I’m thinking of making this as a birthday cake for my pineapple loving teen.
Kathleen says
Hi Nancy. I think it would be fine to serve out of the pan. Just be sure to put a double-strength sling in the pan before you bake so you can easily pull it out. Best of luck <3
nancy brown says
Thank you …..I’ll be trying this soon.
Kathleen says
I really hope you enjoy it, Nancy. It really is a delight!
Juliana says
Brightens up my day!
Alexandra Peters says
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.
Kathleen says
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
Sandra K Wright says
Can I use 2 9 inch cake pans for this cake?
Kathleen says
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
Lisa webb says
I do the 2 9 inch pans everytime and it turns out fine.
APRIL Moore says
Can you make this in a bunt pan?
Kathleen says
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! ?
Linda says
When I come home from my social, & all cake isn’t gone, can I freeze it with the icing on it?
Kathleen says
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 🙂
Kathleen says
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..
Clover says
Dumb question but do you make the pudding mix or use the mix dry???
Kathleen says
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
Jami says
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.
Kathleen says
Hey Jami! Great resourcefulness. Double pineapple sounds delish 🙂
Madeleine Fuchs says
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.
Kathleen says
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
Sue Bowden says
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.
Kathleen says
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!
Janet says
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!
Kathleen says
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
KAREN Cotton says
Fantastic Recipes and Absolutely the Best site and page we enjoy all your recipes your the Best!!?
Kathleen says
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
Susan says
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
Kathleen says
Sorry about the confusion. The crushed pineapple goes into the frosting and the tidbits are for decoration.Hope that helps <3
Shiela says
Can i make frosting made of whipped cream toppings with pineapple minus the pudding?thank you. I’ll love to do it because its new in my taste and looks delicious. Tnx
Kathleen says
Hi Shiela, not sure the whipped topping will support the pineapple.