Pineapple Sunshine Cake
Pineapple Sunshine Cake – A light and fluffy pineapple-infused cake, topped with a sweet and creamy whipped cream frosting. This cake is always a crowd pleaser!
Today’s recipe is simple, easy, and delicious, y’all. I wanted to share it with you before the weekend because this would be the perfect, easy addition to your Easter spread.
I got this recipe from one of the lovely ladies I used to work with when we were living in Kansas. Let me tell ya, my midwestern friends are some UH-mazing cooks!
I always say that southern food is my comfort food, but ya know what? Kansas girls… now they know how to make some good food!
I love to make this Sunshine Cake for Easter or summer barbecues and it NEVER lasts for long. When I made it earlier this week, my son snuck a piece from the corner before I was able to photograph it.
He came running to me and said, “Mama! That cake is the best in the whole world!”
It was hard to be mad at him for cake-thievery with a sweet comment like that. He must be learning how to butter me up.
Have a wonderful Easter y’all!
Pineapple Sunshine Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil, (I used vegetable oil)
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice
Frosting:
- 1 (8 oz) container whipped topping, thawed
- 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, and 1 can of crushed pineapple with the juice. Mix well.
- Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- In a medium sized bowl, fold together whipped topping, box of vanilla pudding, and 1 can crushed pineapple with the juice. Spread over the top of cooled cake. Enjoy!
Notes
If you like this Pineapple Sunshine Cake, then you might also like:
Skinny Chocolate Cake
Do you refrigerate the cake?
Hi Sheila, yes I usually refrigerate it!
Hi! My husband loves pineapple so i’m going to try this tomorrow, but do I use the pineapple with the juices? I know it doesn’t say to drain the pineapple but I just want to be sure. Thank you!
Hi Jo Ann! No need to drain the pineapple first. You’ll use the juice right along with the pineapple. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Does the pinapple need to be drained for the frosting? Getting ready to make this!
Hi BJ! Sorry for the late response. Just now seeing your comment! No need to drain the pineapple first!
What is the australian equivilent to Whipped topping ?
Hi Donna, I honestly could not tell you! Whipped topping is the same as Cool Whip, which is a very light and fluffy whipped cream. Hope that helps!
Instead of yellow cake mix try Strawberry…..and do everything else the same…..strawberry flavor goes well with pineapple
Instead of yellow cake mix try coconut…and do everything else the same
Instead of yellow cake mix try pineapple….and do everything else the same
Great recipe and so easy to change out and make differcent cakes with…
Nice ideas, Linda!
Ashlyn, Thank you so much for this recipe. I made this cake for my ladies’ group at church who got together tonight to catch up before our next Bible study starts. I love, love, love this cake. It’s so light and not overly sweet. Our small group’s leader said she ate two pieces in was so good. The mandarin orange substitution would be great, too. I’ll bet orange zest added to the frosting for the orange cake would be lovely.
I am thrilled to hear that all of you have enjoyed it so much, Susan! This cake continues to be a favorite no matter where I take it and I’m so glad you love it, too! Oranges would definitely be good here, too!
I made this recipe twice now as cupcakes and added toasted coconut to the top. They turned out amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful, Elise! The toasted coconut on top sounds awesome! So glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
i just put the cake in the oven. I’ve made the frosting before, and it works better if you mix the dry pudding with the pineapple before you mix in the Cool Whip. FYI, I’m making this all sugar free, The Pillsbury Sugar Free cake mix is great, as is the SF Jello pudding and SF Cool Whip. Yum, the cake smells so good!
How awesome that you made it all sugar free! Hope you enjoyed it, Susie!
container of whipped topping…like cool whip that has to be thawed first ?
Hi Karen! Yep, that’s exactly right. Hope you enjoy the cake! 🙂
Do you have to use a box cake mix? Could I use a recipe for yellow cake and just add the pineapple? I have fresh pineapple I need to use up so I was just going to throw it in the food processor to crush.
Hi Jennifer, I have never made this without the box mix so I’m not sure how it would turn out. I think the fresh pineapple would work just fine. Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
Question-
the cake mix and eggs: do you use 4 eggs instead of what’s recommended on the box? Or what’s recommended + 4eggs?
Hi Brittni, it’s 4 eggs total. No need to worry about ingredients from the box. 🙂
Hello Ashlyn, I made this for dessert a couple of weeks ago and it was delicious !! Thank you so very much for sharing 🙂
I am so thrilled to hear that y’all enjoyed it, Esther! Thank you for coming back to let me know. Have a wonderful weekend!
Do you make the pudding first or do you use the dry pudding mixture I want make this recipe but need make sure I am doing it right
Hi Kat! You just add the dry pudding mix right in with the whipped topping and pineapple. No need to add anything else to it. 🙂
I use white choc instant pudding…keeps the frosting white…I use this frosting all the time…sometimes after you make the frosting add a teaspoon of rasp jello (dry) beat on high….fluffy rasp flavored frosting…delicious
I will have to try both of those, Connie! Sounds so good!
Now this is my kinda cake! I can see why it is a popular choice at Easter!
Thanks Meg!
Ooh yes, I love a bit of cream cheese frosting! Looks delicious!
Or CREAM frosting, should I say – equally as delicious! Haha 🙂
YES! Love that frosting!!
On the Sunshine cake, do I mix up the pudding? Directions say add the mix
No need to prepare the pudding, just add the powder in with the whipped topping and pineapple. 🙂
Sounds a tasty way to end your Easter meal.
Thank you, Caroline!
This cakes sounds delicious, perfect for spring!
Thanks so much, Joy!
We used to eat something like this a lot when I was growing up! Brings back so many memories! And looks so delicious!
I love food that brings back memories! 🙂
I first had this cake when we lived in Kansas too! The sweetest older couple would invite us over and she’d make us the best dinners. I couldn’t find my little recipe she gave me so I searched pineapple cake and this was the first one I looked at. It’s the SAME!!! 14 years later =) Although, her recipe had you mix the pudding with half the milk and then fold in the cool whip and pineapple (drained). Thanks for sharing this! Now I’ll be able to find it easy when my unorganized self can’t find where I put my recipe.
So glad you have the recipe again, Shellie! Gotta love those sweet Kansas folks and their great recipes!
This looks beautiful! I love pineapple and this is definitely a spring cake 🙂
Thanks Dini!
I’m so glad I saw this recipe today. It’ll be perfect for our Easter table.
I hope you enjoyed it, Joanie!
Looks delicious! Hubby and I love pineapple! Happy Easter!
Thank you, Cathy!
It looks delicious, it makes me sad I’m allergic to pineapple haha! My family would LOVE this cake though
Oh no!! Food allergies are the pits. 🙁 You can actually make this with mandarin oranges also, so you could do that instead of the pineapple!
Love the mandarin orange idea!!!
Yes!!
When I married my husband his mom gave me this recipe and told me it was his favorite cake. Brought a smile to my face to see this!
Awesome Kristen!!
I never think about using pineapple in desserts. I love this cake, its completely refreshing!
Thank you, Tanya!
I used the pineapple supreme cake mix instead of the yellow cake mix and it gave the cake a more pineapple flavor!
That sounds yummy!
Thanks that’s what I wanted to know
If I used pineapple cake mixed Will I have too used more pineapple in the mixture for the cake.
Hi Shirley, I would use the same amount of pineapple with the pineapple cake mix. I think the flavor would be really good!
I played with this recipe alot… I also used the pineapple cake mix but I changed a few things. I used a sm. box of pineapple jello in the 1 cup of water…1/2 cup oil and 4 eggs. No canned pineapple in the cake mix. To me… it was alittle dry. and then followed the recipe for the topping. Just an idea for you to try…. my gang loves it! 🙂 You can do the same with any flavored cake mix and jello combined…really moist. I make lemon alot this way and make a powdered sugar and lemon juice glaze for the top. Another refreshing cake as well!! ENJOY!!
Thanks for your input, Maggie! 🙂
Yum… love pineapple cake! This sounds awesome!
Thanks girl!!
I have been craving pineapple desserts, and this looks like the perfect way to get my fix. So pretty for Easter too!
Thank you, Courtney!
Could I substitute applesauce for the oil? This looks delicious!
Yes, I have done it with all of these cake mix starter recipes. Turns out great!
My cake fell in the center. Is this usual?…if not, what did I do wrong?
Hi Janet, sorry your cake fell; I’ve never had that happen before. Could the batter have been over beaten? Sometimes that can lead to cakes falling.
It didn’t finish rising , it needs to fully bake, use a timer, next time.
I used a timer. It baked for the full amount of time and sunk in the middle. I tried a second cake. Baked it for five more minutes than suggested and it did the same thing.
I used a Gluten Free Cake Mix and the middle was still gooey when I put a toothpick in. I had to cook it 10 minutes more and even though there was oil and 4 eggs in it, it was dry. Couldn’t taste the pineapple either in the cake. Should have made cupcakes. Would have added pineapple flavoring.
I’ve never baked with a gluten free cake mix before so I can’t say how that might have affected the recipe. I’ve never had any issues with it being dry before. Sorry that it didn’t work out for you!
shoot I just wrote out the recipe to make GLUTEN FREE. Hate to waste an expensive cake mix if it will turn out dry. Wonder which brand GF mix you used? I have found that Pillsbury is the best brand cake mix I’ve found so far.
Cake fell in middle and was really dry. The frosting needed more moisture, it was binding. Could not taste the pineapple in the cake.
could be the oven temp is off, causing the cake to get done on the perimeter, not completely done in the middle. get an oven thermometer and check the oven.hope this helps.
I agree with Norma, Too low a temp will cause the center of the cake to not rise. Too high a temp and you get a cake that rises too much in the middle and can crack.
altitude can make a cake fall . maybe this is what happened to your cake ?
Cake is in the oven right now…ckd at 25 min and it jiggeled in the middle. Chose a slightly smaller pyrex than 9×13 so am leaving it in another 10 min. May reduce heat so top wont be toooo browned.
Hope it turned out well, Karen!
I forgot to get the pudding !!!! Will it be ok or can I use a small amount of vanilla flavoring ?!? Husband requested for birthday and he’s on his way home !!!! HELP !!!!
So sorry I’m just now seeing your comment! The pudding would really be an important part of the frosting since it adds a good texture and flavor. How did it turn out?!
How many oz is a small package of vanilla pudding? 1 oz, 3.5?
Hi Claudia, I believe the small box is 3.5 oz.
Love the cake, but my frosting was more yellow than white followed directions
Just wondering I made it today and was wondering if it should be refrigerated
Hi! I usually do refrigerate it.
Can you use apple sauce in stead of oil? for this
recipe
Hi Etta, I’ve never tried it with applesauce before so I’m not sure how it would turn out. If you give it try let me know the results!
Yes you can use Applesauce for the oil & it makes the cake really moist
If you use applesauce is it the same amount as if you were using oil?
Hi Rosa, I would use the same amount!
In place of eggs and oil I use a can of pineapple soda! Or Sprite Zero..
Sounds like a good substitution!
How much pineapple soda?
For the frosting, do you mix with a mixer or just combine and stir together with a spoon?
The pictures look great but gotta tell you, how can you call this cake baking when you use packeted cake mix? Aren’t you able to cook a proper cake? At this point, you lost me.
Find a recipe for baking a homemade cake and add yellow food coloring. That shouldn’t be that hard.
And if a cake mix has to go into the oven ,or even a homemade one , I would call it baking a cake.Just because it’s not a homemade cake doesn’t mean it’s not a cake!
I’m with you Bonetta, EVEN A PACKAGED Cake Mix has to be Baked!!!!!
My mother would have said Yola is full of sour grapes. Work, family and outside activities make these fancy cake mixes a real alternative to a great dessert. Yes, I bake from scratch too, but when time doesn’t allow I can take a shortcut and make a nice cake. Thank heavens I have a choice.
I’m with you Bonetta, EVEN A PACKAGED Cake Mix has to be Baked!!!!!
Do you have to refrigerate the cake since it uses cool whip?
Hi there! I usually do refrigerate any leftovers!
I’ve made this cake many times thru the years and always get good comments. In the summertime I keep it refrigerated until ready to serve and it’s very refreshing. Yummmmmmm……
????????
Should the pudding be made as instructed on the box or just mix in the powder?
Just mix the powder!
Honestly, does it really matter if you use a box cake mix or if you make your own? It was kinda rude of you to even try to confront the person about it. Good job on the cake! Looks amazing. I’ll be glad to use the box cake mix on this cake! Mhmmmmm!!!
You ARE rude.Not all of us have time to bake from scratch!
For those of us who work outside the home, have a life that is active, or otherwise not rude in general, a boxed mix is a matter of convenience. While you have enough time to chat about cake mix snobbery, take time to learn kindness. Being kind costs nothing, and is not nearly as time consuming as being rude. Enjoy your better than everybody else made from scratch cake, doubt anyone will be there to share it with you.
You said it
You said a mouth full. People can be so rude. I will proudly use a box cake. I have a lot more things to be doing than spend hours in the kitchen baking 1 cake. I try to ignore rude people, waste of energy. I’m going to bake my tasty looking cake tonight and the quicker the better. Thanks for the recipe.
Some people are so hateful
WOW! Talk about having an inflated ego! Those of you who feel better about yourself because you measure all the dry ingredients yourself, go right ahead…More power to ya! But Im going to keep using my pre-measured, cake mix in a box, then watch it be devoured before your “homemade” cake ever makes it out of the oven. BTW, mine is made at home too, and also made with “love” everytime. When you got so much hate in your heart, some of it has got to fall into the batter when your spending all that time making it! AH, Got to go, the timer just went off for my “boxed” pineapple sunshine cake, and it smells A-M-A-Zing! THank you for taking the time to share this recipe!
-Alicia
Aren’t you a breath of gloom!
different strokes for different folks ,, if you don’t like her recipe , don’t make it ,,, some of us like the easiest and often times better ideas,,,
Some people are like clouds; when they disappear, it’s a brighter day.
Wow…. just scroll passed it. What is wrong with you! If you don’t want to try it than don’t! Your negative opinion holds no value, so why leave it at all? what’s wrong with this world today? people think their opinion entitles them to bully another! Sad place you’ve chosen to be in life. I hope my family never encounters people like you who have nothing better to do than hide behind a keyboard and belittle people…. I hope your not raising your children to blurt out their hurtful opinions because they simply want to boo master who it offends.
Get a life
This cake is so yummy, I had a little shredded coconut on top of the topping.
Yum!!!
Do you cook the pudding first
Hi Eliza, no need to cook the pudding first. Just mix it with the other ingredients. 🙂
Is it necessary to use the pudding mix?… as I wasn’t aware I did not have any at home
Hi Paula, I’ve never tried it without the pudding mix. It gives the frosting really good flavor. If you leave it out, I would use a good bit less of the pineapple too because otherwise your frosting would be too wet.
Do you prepare the pudding or do you just use the dry mix
Just use the dry mix!
I agree, it’s gonna be a dessert for this weekend and again on Easter. It’s an amazing cake. Thanks
Is the pudding used straight out of the box or mixed according to recipe
Straight out of the box!