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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Pineapple Sunshine Cake

    By: Jessica · Posted: May 26, 2025 · Updated: Jun 2, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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    Jump to Recipe 11 comments
    4.84 from 12 votes
    pineapple sunshine cake with text

    Pineapple Sunshine Cake: This easy pineapple cake combines a box of cake mix, pineapple, instant pudding, and whipped topping to create the perfect dessert for spring, summer, or really anytime!

    Quick Overview: Bake your cake in a 9×13″ pan, poke holes and pour pudding over. Top with pineapple whipped cream and chill for 4 hours. Serve and enjoy!

    Pineapple Sunshine Cake

     

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    This recipe takes a basic cake mix and transforms it into an unforgettable pineapple sheet cake. It’s as easy to make as a sheet cake but as moist and delicious as poke cakes (so basically… it’s the perfect cake)! I think you’ll also love this Granny Cake recipe that’s also a vintage sheet cake!

    It’s also an easy recipe to make if you are new to the whole cake thing. This cake is a serious crowd pleaser and no one will ever guess how easy it was to make (don’t worry, we won’t tell them).

    This is the perfect treat for spring barbecues, dinner parties or an addition to your Easter spread. That fresh, pineapple flavor and bright yellow color just scream spring, don’t you think?

    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Pineapple Sunshine Cake
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • Expert tips and FAQs
    • Related Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    Good food doesn’t have to be difficult to be delicious. This yummy comfort food of a cake requires only simple ingredients and comes together easily!

    To make this pineapple sunshine cake recipe, you’ll need:

    • 1- 15.25 ounce box yellow or butter cake mix
    • 3 large eggs
    • 1 cup water
    • ⅓ cup oil or softened butter
    • 1- 20 ounce can of pineapple, crushed (divided)
    • 1- 5.1 ounce vanilla pudding
    • 1 ½ cups milk
    • 1 cup pineapple juice (from the can of crushed pineapple)
    • 1- 8 ounce whipped topping
    Ingredients for pineapple sunshine cake.
    Ingredients

    How to Make Pineapple Sunshine Cake

    1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
    2. In a large bowl combine the boxy of yellow cake mix, ⅓ cup oil or butter, water, eggs and ⅔ cup of the drained, crushed pineapple.
    Combine cake mix ingredients in a bowl and stir together.
    Cake mix ingredients.
    1. When cake batter is combined pour batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes (or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Set cake aside to cool.
    Cake batter poured into a prepared 9x13" baking pan.
    Pour batter into 9×13″.
    1. When cake is cool, use a large straw or end of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake. 
    2. Make a filling by combining the box of vanilla pudding mix with the milk and 1 cup of pineapple juice in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine it all together.
    Combine pudding mix, milk and pineapple juice to make your "filling".
    Mix pudding and milk/pineapple juice.
    1. Pour this creamy pineapple pudding/filling all over the cake so it gets into all the holes you created.
    Pour pudding mixture over the holes you poked in the cake.
    Pour pudding over holes in cake.
    Make sure pudding mixture is spread evenly over top of the cake.
    Spread pudding evenly.
    1. Next take the remaining drained crushed pineapple and mix it into the whipped topping (you can use thawed cool whip for this or whipped cream). 
    Mix pineapple with whipped topping.
    Mix pineapple and whipped topping.
    1. Spread the fluffy pineapple whipped topping mix all over the top of cake.
    Spread whipped topping mixture over top of the cake.
    1. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
    2. Add some pineapple garnish on top, serve and enjoy!
    A slice of pineapple sunshine cake, served on a plate so you can see the yellow cake and white topping.
    Yum!

    Substitutions

    A few of the ingredients in this cake can easily be swapped out if you are short on something or have an allergy in the house.

    • Pineapple juice – if your can of crushed pineapple doesn’t have enough juice in it to make up the whole 1 cup you need for the recipe, you can use fresh lemon juice (or concentrate) for the rest!
    • Dairy Free – if you need to make this cake dairy free, use oil instead of butter and then replace the milk and whipped topping with a dairy free alternative. Coconut milk and coconut whipped cream would be a great dairy alternative for this recipe!

    Variations

    This cake can quickly transform into a totally new cake with just a few simple changes!

    • Pineapple orange sunshine cake – replace half of the pineapple and pineapple juice in this recipe with canned mandarin oranges and orange juice, respectively. This easy addition turns this into a whole new cake!
    • Pina colada sheet cake – instead of vanilla pudding mix, use a coconut cream dry pudding mix and add some toasted coconut to the top of the cake!
    • Garnish – you can also leave the recipe exactly as it is and just play around with the garnish on top. Try maraschino cherries, sliced pineapple, or even candied lemons!
    slice of pineapple cake on white plate
    Pineapple Whipped Cream Cake

    Storage

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Expert tips and FAQs

    Is pineapple sunshine cake the same as southern sunshine cake?

    Is it just me, or is southern food some of the best food in the whole world? Yum!

    “Southern sunshine cake” is fairly similar to this pineapple sunshine cake. The base of the cake is a cake mix with crushed pineapple. My midwestern friends would likely keep the flavor profile of their crushed pineapple cake similar to today’s recipe, but the lovely ladies of the south would likely give it a tropical twist!

    Southern sunshine cake typically incorporates pecans and coconut into the pineapple cake recipe.

    Can you use a different pineapple sunshine cake frosting?

    Absolutely! This cake is delicious as it is, but it would also be great with a sweeter frosting.

    We think a whipped cream cheese frosting would be delicious on this cake. We haven’t tried this ourselves, but here’s what we would do…

    – Cream 8 oz. of softened cream cheese in a stand mixer.
    – Add a tub of whipped topping to the mixer and cream frosting together.
    – Fold in the crushed pineapple and spread this over the cake!

    If you try that be sure to leave us a comment and let us know how it goes!

    Related Recipes

    If you loved this old-fashioned sunshine cake recipe, you should also try our pineapple dump cake, this pineapple bread, and our cherry chip cake!

    Recipe originally published: February 2022
    Updated and republished: May 2025

    Recipe

    Pineapple Sunshine Cake

    Pineapple Sunshine Cake

    Jessica Burgess
    Pineapple Sunshine Cake: This easy pineapple cake combines a box of cake mix, pineapple, instant pudding and whipped topping to create the perfect dessert for spring, summer, or really anytime! 
    4.84 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 35 minutes mins
    Chill Time 4 hours hrs
    Total Time 4 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 90 kcal

    Video

    Ingredients

    • 1- 15.25 ounce box yellow or butter cake mix
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 cup water
    • ⅓ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
    • 1- 20 ounce crushed pineapple divided
    • 1- 5.1 ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix
    • 1 ½ cups milk
    • 1 cup pineapple juice (from the can of crushed pineapple)
    • 1- 8 ounce whipped topping room temperature

    Instructions
     

    Pineapple Sunshine Cake

    • Pre heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
    • In a large bowl combine the boxy of yellow cake mix, ⅓ cup oil or butter, water, eggs and ⅔ cup of the drained, crushed pineapple.
    • When cake batter is combined pour batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes (or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Set cake aside to cool.
    • When cake is cool, use a large straw or end of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake. 
    • Make a filling by combining the box of vanilla pudding mix with the milk and 1 cup of pineapple juice in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine it all together.
    • Pour this creamy pineapple pudding/filling all over the cake so it gets into all the holes you created.
    • Next take the remaining drained crushed pineapple and mix it into the whipped topping (you can use thawed cool whip for this or whipped cream).
    • Spread the fluffy pineapple whipped topping mix all over the top of cake.
    • Refrigerate for 4 hours.
    • Add some pineapple garnish on top, serve and enjoy!

    Notes

    STORAGE: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
     
    VARIATIONS: 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

    Keywords pineapple cake recipe, pineapple poke cake, pineapple sunshine cake, poke cake recipe
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Comments

      4.84 from 12 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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    1. Amy L Matthews says

      June 15, 2025 at 4:53 pm

      3 stars
      Light and refreshing cake, but not much pineapple flavor. Just kind of tastes like yellow cake with whipped cream. It was tasty, but was expecting more flavor.

      Reply
    2. Shaun K says

      June 02, 2025 at 2:35 pm

      Thank you, Jessica, for this recipe! I made this for a co-worker’s birthday, and it turned out fantastic! Everyone in the office loved this cake. Every person that requested the recipe was given the link to your site. I am excited to make more of your recipes. Thanks again!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        June 02, 2025 at 5:34 pm

        Oh I’m SO happy to hear that, Shaun! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know and for sharing with them. So sweet, thank you!

        Reply
    3. Lori Z says

      June 01, 2025 at 4:34 pm

      Absolutely delicious I would use a 12oz whipped topping next time 8oz barely covered the cake but so good thank you 😊

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        June 02, 2025 at 7:46 am

        So glad you liked it! Thank you!

        Reply
    4. Katie says

      February 09, 2022 at 6:12 pm

      5 stars
      This is always a hit and so easy to throw together. Love the bright flavors!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        February 10, 2022 at 1:14 pm

        I totally agree Katie! Thank you so much for giving this sunshine cake a try and for leaving a review!

        Reply
    5. Samantha says

      February 09, 2022 at 5:32 pm

      5 stars
      This cake was simply amazing! Easy to make and tasted like a burst of summer on a winter day! My family has already asked when I can make it again. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        February 10, 2022 at 1:14 pm

        Haha, that’s wonderful!! I definitely think pineapple is the perfect winter treat! 🙂 Thank you for leaving a review!

        Reply
    6. Betsy says

      February 09, 2022 at 5:13 pm

      5 stars
      Holy cow! This is absolutely amazing!! So delicious! Such a wonderfully bright cake to have on this cold winter day! Reminds me of summer. 🙂 Ok. I can keep toughing out this winter! This cake… yum!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        February 10, 2022 at 1:15 pm

        Haha! Betsy you and I sound a lot alike! I’m digging the summer flavors during winter, with this cake too! Thank you!

        Reply

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    Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity, slicing an avocado.

    Hi, I'm Jessica! - Owner and Creator of the blog and brand, Fantabulosity.

    I’m here to teach you how to make quick and easy recipes, using simple ingredients, that your family will love.

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